Regency England

  • The Rules of the Ballroom

    The Rules of the Ballroom

    Watching Bridgerton, and ultimately reading a LOT of Regency romances recently, has had me fascinated even more by the ritual of attending balls: and of course, balls in the eighteenth and nineteenth century were governed by strict rules. Here are some of them below: Firstly, you should never attend a private ball without an invitation, read more

  • Visiting Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

    Visiting Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

    One of my favourite things to read about in eighteenth and nineteenth century history is how, and where, people spent their free time. The eighteenth century saw a real change in the development of leisure and pleasure, especially for the elite, which meant the arrival of more cultural institutions and places to satisfy these needs. read more

  • The Tragic Story of the Wiltshire Heiress

    The Tragic Story of the Wiltshire Heiress

    We talk a lot about rich men during the Regency period, but what about the heiresses of the day? One of the richest heiresses in the early nineteenth century was Catherine Tylney-Long, heiress to Wanstead Park in Essex, as well as lands in Hampshire and Wiltshire, who actually had quite a tragic story. It did read more

  • Attending a Ball in Regency England

    Attending a Ball in Regency England

    If you could time travel to Regency England, what better way to spend a Saturday night than at a ball? (My dream, really!) If you were attending, you would arrive late in the evening: if you think we head out dancing late now, that has always been the case, with the earliest arrivals coming at read more

  • Did women actually use dance cards at Regency Balls?

    Did women actually use dance cards at Regency Balls?

    I wanted to deep dive into a little bit of a mystery in period drama: you often see at balls in period drama women recording the names of their dance partners beside the name of each dance in a little card – a dance card – tied to their wrists with pieces of ribbons, with read more

  • Visiting Gunter’s Tea Shop

    Visiting Gunter’s Tea Shop

    I don’t know about you, but one of my favourite things is to go out for tea (with croissants in the morning, and cake in the afternoon, if possible!), which is a hobby we share with our eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ancestors. One of the most famous tea shops in London during this time was called read more

  • Celebrating the release of Bridgerton Season 3 (Part 1)!

    Celebrating the release of Bridgerton Season 3 (Part 1)!

    Happy Sunday! It’s been an exciting few days in which we have FINALLY (after 2 years!) been able to see part of the new season of Bridgerton on screen. Without any spoilers, I can safely say it has been worth the wait, and I can’t wait for Part 2 to drop on June 13th! It’s read more

  • Article in BBC History Magazine | February 2024 issue

    Article in BBC History Magazine | February 2024 issue

    On stands today is BBC History’s 300th issue of their magazine, and I am over the moon to say that this special issue includes an article by me… I’m sharing five things you (probably) didn’t know about the Regency period! I hope if that you pick up a copy, you really enjoy it! It’s a read more

  • Review | “The Ladies Rewrite the Rules”, by Suzanne Allain

    Review | “The Ladies Rewrite the Rules”, by Suzanne Allain

    You know I absolutely adore a historical romance, particularly if it is set within the Regency in Britain. There are so many great ones – and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface with what I have read – but I am always drawn to the ones that celebrate strong female heroines, and read more

  • Regency History Course | HistoryExtra Academy

    Regency History Course | HistoryExtra Academy

    I am so thrilled to announce that today, my course on the history of the Regency in Britain, has gone LIVE with HistoryExtra Academy over at BBC History!!! Here’s a video that I posted yesterday explaining a bit more about the course… The course is available to anyone who is a member of HistoryExtra (you read more

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