Dove Cottage, a cottage to inspire poets

Donna Hatch
On the edge of Grasmere in England’s Lake District nestles a little cottage known as Dove Cottage, famous for being the residence beloved poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. The siblings lived there in harmony from December 1799 to May 1808, enjoying their “plain living, but high thinking.” The two-story limestone structure was originally an inn and pub called the “Dove and Olive Bough” during the 17th century. While living in what became…

5 Fun Facts about Regency England that May Surprise You

Donna Hatch
by Donna Hatch 1.       It was not scandalous for ladies to show their ankles during the Regency Era. A number of Regency fashion plates and caricatures depict ladies revealing silk stocking-clad ankles and low-cut slippers, which were much like todays ballerina flat, while dancing, sitting, and walking. During the Victorian Era, shoe fashions changed from slippers to the Victorian boot. This happened about the same time that hemlines lowered and skirts widened. In addition to…

London Townhouses, the Servants’ Entrance

Donna Hatch
If you’ve studied history or read historical novels, you probably have a good idea of a few of the differences between the rich and the poor. By the Regency, there was a growing middle class, but they were new and small. Many of these fairly well to do members were working class who had made money in trade of some kind such as factories, banks, or shipping. But the vast majority of England’s population still…

Love and Courtship in Regency England

Donna Hatch
I admit I’ve been out of the dating scene for (ahem) a few years now. However, from what my single friends tell me, not much has changed since I was dated. In today’s world a man asks out a woman, (or if she’s braver than I ever was, she asks him out). They might meet online, or be introduced by a friend, but eventually they end up on that first date. It might be dinner…

History of the British Flag

Donna Hatch
Today, the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is referred to as the “Union Jack” or “Union Flag.” The Union Jack as we know it today was born from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801.  However, before 1603, the British flag was very different than today’s flag. England, Ireland, and Scotland were different countries, each having their own individual flags. England’s flag honored the patron saint of…