Food in Regency England — Luncheon or Nuncheon

What’s not to love about the Regency Era? The gowns, balls, soirees, horse-drawn carriages, and so much more–for those who were of the upper classes, that is–as shown in Jane Austen adaptations and other Regency-era movies and TV shows have a dreamlike beauty. Part of the glamor of Regency England is all the amazing food they ate. Because they kept different schedules and observed different customs, eating lunch at noontime is a relatively modern tradition.…

Christmas Eve in Regency England

One of our family traditions is to decorate the day after Thanksgiving, unless we’re out of town, and no later than the first Saturday in December. We like to enjoy the decorations for as long as possible. Our decorations include lights, inside and out, artificial garlands, nutcrackers, angels, Santas, and lots of nativity scenes as well as a large, artificial, pre-lit tree decorated with blue, silver, and gold balls, and a few sentimental pieces I’ve…

Regency Underwear — Did they or did they not?

I recently taught a workshop at a writer’s conference on Regency Ladies Fashions. One attendee asked what ladies wore underneath their skirts. You should have heard the gasps when I told her, “Nothing.”  So, this seems to be a good time to repost about the somewhat controversial topic. Historians, researchers, and authors agree that ladies wore a shift, or chemise, over which they laced up stays (a type of Regency corset but more comfortable), and…

Regency Bathing Suits

Ah, summer! The warm months invite a variety of activities best enjoyed outside such as hiking, fishing, water sports, and swimming to name a few. I love to swim, and so do some of the heroines in my Regency romance novels. And since many readers report that reading about the fun and beautiful clothing characters wear is one of the reasons they read historical novels, this begs the question: what did ladies in Regency England…

Christmas trees…pagan, Christian, or just plain fun?

Few symbols of Christmas are more admired than the Christmas tree, and nowadays, most countries that celebrate this holiday have their own version of Christmas trees. Before that, evergreens were a commonly hung adornment in homes, not just at Christmas but all winter.   Evergreens Dating back hundreds of years, people in many countries hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows during winter, hoping to ward off witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and even illness. According…

Christmas Ghost Stories

by Donna Hatch Ghost Stories at Christmas An odd Christmas custom that dates back centuries is telling scary ghost stories. Have you noticed in the popular Christmas Song, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” the verse that says: “Tales of the glories and scary ghost stories of Christmases long, long ago” and wondered over it? Telling ghost stories is an age-old tradition. Many claim the tradition cropped up in the Victorian Era, including Charles…

Halloween Pumpkins and…Turnips?

One of the most widely-celebrated holidays in the USA is Halloween. This favored holiday is fraught with costumes, decorations, and parties galore! An event that was historically honored and/or feared is now really just an excuse to dress up and party, not to mention, go Trick or Treating! A major player in this autumn game is the carved pumpkin, also known as the Jack O’ Lantern. Did you know using pumpkins for Jack O’ Lanterns…

Gambling in Bath

No, I’m not talking about poker in the bathtub, in case you’re wondering. Why Bath? Bath, England was a popular summer destination among the gentry and aristocracy during the Regency and Victorian Eras. Many people went there for their health. They drank mineral waters from a fountain in the Pump Room (pictured below to the right) and frolicked or soak in the Great Bath, a pool constructed by the Romans hundreds of years ago which…

Marriage in Regency England

Ah, the ringing of wedding bells! A lovely, romantic sound. It always conjures in my mind true love and happily ever after. The hope of a bright future awaiting the couple probably isn’t much different now than it was centuries past. But the way people married has evolved over the years. In Regency England, a couple could get married one of three ways: they could marry in a church after the reading of The Banns,…

Traditional Regency Christmas

There’s nothing quite like the glimmer of a Christmas tree, brightly wrapped packages, and a yule log burning in the fire to invoke wonder and excitement. You may be surprised to know that many Christmas traditions are quite new–at least in both England and the US. Most Christmas customs we think are ancient actually sprang up during the Victorian Era. Regency Christmas traditions varied widely from region to region and even family to family. Generally,…