Carolyn Miller
The Regency Era
The Regency era refers most specifically to the years 1811-1820 when the Prince Regent (later King George IV) was ruling in place of his father, King George III, who was deemed unfit to rule. The Regency is a sub-period of the Georgian era (from 1714-1837, when a series of kings named George ruled England), which preceded the advent of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837.
The Regency era is known for the continued wars in the Peninsular, against France, and for the exploits of the Duke of Wellington (from whom the well-known name of 'wellies' for gumboots is derived). Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' was published in 1813, Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' was published in 1816, 'Ivanhoe' by Walter Scott was published in 1819. It was a time of excess (such as the extravagances of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton), adventure and exploration ('Elgin's marbles' - Greek artefacts brought to London by Lord Elgin - were first displayed at the British Museum in 1817), and social upheaval, such as the Luddite uprisings, as rural workers fought for their traditional ways of life to be maintained.
Social division was strictly upheld, the social order ranging from royalty to aristocracy to gentry to the middle and lower classes. A person 'in trade' tended to be stigmatised by the upper classes, whilst the servants, labourers, and poor could only dream to have life be so fine. Yet despite the warfare and social unrest, this was also a time of great achievement in culture and technological advancement, leading to the Britain of today.
< The Royal Pavilion, Brighton.
A magnificent, exotic structure used as the Regent's summer holiday residence, designed for entertaining on a sumptuous scale. Referred to in 'The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey'.
Elgin's Marbles ^
Also known as the Pathenon Marbles, these marble sculptures and architectural pieces originally were part of the Parthenon temple in Greece until obtained controversially by the 7th Earl of Elgin in the early 1800s.
Church of St Mary and Holy Cross, > Alderminster, a 12th Century church
4 miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon
During the Regency period, the church was of prime importance in governing social mores - even if not everybody practiced what was preached. Men of faith, such as William Wilberforce, were instrumental in changing society for the better, such as petitioning for the abolition of slavery.
Click on the following slideshow to see fashions and home furnishings from the
Regency period, courtesy of the >
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Regency Cant
Regency cant (or slang) is one of those elements that can make reading a Regency novel so much fun! Much like the phrases used by today's teenagers which can prove somewhat bewildering to different generations, there can be an element of decoding necessary to understand the idiom of a world from two centuries ago.
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Whilst some forms of slang can be found in Jane Austen's works, Georgette Heyer is often considered the queen of Regency cant. Her exceptional research skills resulted in a vast collection of letters and diaries from that time period, so her use of slang - although written in the 1930s-60s - held a degree of authenticity that makes her novels such a delight to read.
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Some examples include:
* 'a bag of moonshine' = a lot of nothing * 'doing it much too brown' = to overly exaggerate or tell an obvious lie
* 'to cast up one's accounts' = to be sick * 'mutton-headed' & 'buffle-headed' = to be stupid or foolish
* 'hoyden' = tomboyish girl * 'a green girl' = an inexperienced and naive young woman
* 'leg-shackled' = to be married * ' a diamond of the first water' = an exceptionally beautiful woman
* a 'chit' = a (forward) young girl * a 'Cheltenham tragedy' = blow something out of proportion
* a 'Bluestocking' = educated, bookish woman * 'the ton' = the highest of high society, usually the aristocracy
Lyme Park, Cheshire, used as the inspiration for Pemberley in the wonderful 1995 production of
'Pride and Prejudice'
A typical scene in rural England -
stone walls and rolling countryside - perfect for a hoydenish young lady, with a hem 'six inches deep in mud'
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A Regency gentleman had to perfect the art of tying the neckcloth (cravat) - of which there were many styles and variations