If you made it to the bottom of my post last week, you’ll be expecting this one on the Regency era – what it is, when it is, and why it’s so darn fascinating to those of us who read and write in the genre.
I began this blog long before I ever thought about writing Regency, and some of you are humouring this passion of mine – willing to read a book that’s not in your usual genre – because of long-standing affection for me. (Thank you for that, and while I’m at it, the image below is the official cover for A Regrettable Proposal, and I’ll give you details on how to get a sample of the upcoming book at the end of this post).
Despite Regency being a decidedly English subject and this is a decidedly French blog, I thought perhaps you might be curious to learn more about the Regency era. What if, by explaining a bit more about my passion, I could convert you to full-blown Regency love? Well, that would be fabulous!
I’d also be jealous because you’d get to read all of Georgette Heyer’s books for the first time.
So let me get started. This will be a grossly oversimplified summary of what constitutes Regency, but never mind. And I’m asking all you history buffs, who might be reading, to chime in and comment on any facts I might have gotten wrong or add any additional elements you find interesting.
I’m going to cover the Prince Regent for whom the period was named, Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer and their relationship to Regency, men and women’s fashions and pastimes in the era, and the Peninsular (Napoleonic) Wars, which were set in Regency times. (In 3000 words or less).
George August Frederick (King George IV, aka “Prinny”)
The Regency period is officially set between 1811 and 1820 – a very short period of time. This is the period where George August Frederick ruled as Prince Regent in place of his father, George III, who was declared mentally incompetent, and it lasted until the time of his father’s death. For literary, cultural, architectural and political purposes, you could extend the genre to include from 1795 onward when George III’s mental health had already begun to deteriorate (though he was still acting as king) through to 1837, which marks the beginning of the Victorian era.
As a young man, George IV, affectionately dubbed Prinny by his subjects, was handsome, witty, charming, intelligent, and a patron of the arts. His father had been sober in character and in governance and Prinny was anxious to throw off those restraints. He charmed the people by his accessibility, pleasing face and figure, and intelligent conversation. However, by the time he was made king, he had already taken his taste for the finer things in life to excess and it led to the downfall of society’s good opinion of their king.
He worked with architect John Nash to remodel Buckingham Palace and Carlton House and was known for encouraging the resurgence of Greek architecture, which changed the face of London to the architectural style you see today. This interest in Greek architecture, and even mode of government, influenced Regency life right down to the style of dress, which I’ll talk more about down below. Prinny spent a great deal of money on remodelling, decorating, food and other pleasure and was eventually cut off in his later years by the British Parliament. By the time he became acting king, he was morbidly obese from a lifetime of dissipation and was made an object of ridicule.
In the early days, however, he was not above spending time with the Corinthians of the day, gambling in the clubs, attending parties at Vauxhall Gardens, dancing with the more promiscuous ladies at balls, and allowing himself to be instructed on the matter of proper dress by Beau Brummell. The Prince Regent, hallmark of the era, was a figure larger than life and it is impossible to talk about Regency without him.
Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer
Jane Austen (1775-1817) lived in the Regency period, and Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) created the literary genre with 34 books set in the Georgian and Regency eras. Jane wrote about the gentry, and focused on the countryside, the parsons, the smaller seasons, such as in Bath, and simpler living. Sense and Sensibility came out first in 1811, right at the debut of the Regency period. It was followed by Pride & Prejudice, then Mansfield Park. When Emma came out, the royal librarian hinted that she should dedicate a copy to the Prince Regent since he was a big fan of her work and had copies in every home. On that topic, I read that she had debated with her brother whether the request could be ignored or whether it were akin to a royal command. Austen could not forgive his poor treatment of his wife, Princess Caroline, whom he tried to divorce and refused her entry to his coronation. In the end, however, Austen could not refuse the request, and a copy was dedicated.
Georgette Heyer, a historian by interest and so exacting in her research other historians will quote her, wrote more about the London season, the ton (to have good ton means your manners and social standing are correct), the period customs and slang, and Almack’s. This is an old post of mine where I wrote almost entirely in Regency slang just for fun.
Among other subjects, she brought to life the witty veneer of town society, the folly of some of the wealthy, young peers who were plunged into gambling, debt, and immorality, and gave us figures to root for in those who attempted to escape the clutches of a dissipate life. She created stories where women evaded a future of drudgery, often because the out-of-reach non-pareil of the day fell in love with her character and beauty. Heyer accurately represented the period with all its weaknesses, but she often brought out the best, most hopeful side of it for her readers’ pleasure.
Heyer’s focus on life in Regency England features vastly different aspects than Jane Austen’s works, but she is beloved by her readers, even posthumously. Those of us who write Regency can’t help but attempt to capture some of her wit when writing in the era. If you’re new to Georgette Heyer, and would like to try her books, some of my favorites are: Frederica, The Unknown Ajax, Venetia, Arabella, The Grand Sophy, and The Nonesuch.
Regency Fashions
What’s fascinating about women’s fashion in the Regency era is that it’s sort of a blip on the screen – an anomaly. We’ve left behind the huge hoop skirts, wigs, powder, jewels and patches of the Georgian period. And we’ve not yet re-entered the wooden cages (again, hoop skirts) or posterior bustle of the Victorian era. What we have is a short decade or two of neoclassical dresses with high waistlines and thin shifts underneath (like what you see in Pride & Prejudice), form fitting design, and exposed necklines, an unusual forward-thinking fashion brought on by a combination of these things:
In some small part, from Marie-Atoinette’s eschewing the cumbersome dress of her era in favour of more country apparel, though her death was long before the Regency period and French fashion was cut off from London society during the Peninsular (or Napoleonic) Wars. When the dressmakers fled the Continent during the Reign of Terror, they brought the dress styles with them to London, and would have contributed in some part to the changing fashion.
The widespread availability of thin muslin fabrics, imported from a colonized India, that were made into the sheer, lightweight dresses.
The admiration of all things Greek, encouraged by the Prince Regent, which translated down to the smaller details such as dress.
The era did not last long, and an abundance of influenza-related deaths, coupled with spurning the excesses of the Regency era, led the beau monde to seek to cover up in more modest apparel.
As for the men’s fashion, George Brummell (Beau Brummell) is credited for the precursor for what is the modern men’s suit. During the Georgian era, it was not just the women who wore jewels, powder, patches, wigs, and bright floral silks. The men did too, right down to the jewelled buckle on their shoe. And though the men of his day had toned down their dress to simpler breeches (or pantaloons) and coats, they were still wearing the flowered waistcoats, brightly-colored coats and elaborate neckcloths that were so stiff it was hard to turn their heads.
Brummell turned his nose up at all that and brought into fashion simple navy or black blazers with cream-coloured pantaloons, shiny black hessians (boots) – sometimes rubbed with a secret champagne-based blacking and sporting a tassel – and simple white neckcloths, that might take thirty tries (with a valet standing by patiently with a stack of ironed cloths) but that would be tied with artful simplicity. He took hours over his toilette and even had an audience for it – exclusive, invitation-only.
The Beau’s influence was so widespread, he could make or break a society event by his presence and whether or not it pleased him. The aspiring young bucks dreaded the idea he might look on their outfit with disfavour, and even the Prince Regent allowed himself to be criticised by his friend, Brummell. The pair eventually fell out of disfavour, Brummell went into debt and was forced to flee to France, but his name and influence lives on.
Regency Men’s Pastimes
The sandwich was created when the Earl of Sandwich did not want to leave the gaming table to eat and called out for them to bring him a piece of meat between two slices of bread so he could dine while at play. Entire fortunes were won and lost at the gaming table and any hint at foul play was a matter of honour and would probably lead to “pistols at dawn” – a duel, that had a strict code of conduct and sometimes meant a peer fleeing the continent for having killed his man.
The idle young men spent their days betting about ridiculous things at the exclusive clubs (White’s, Brooks) for which they needed to have an invitation to enter. They went to cockfights, strolled down Bond Street, and learned to box at Jackson’s Boxing Saloon, where they hoped to get a punch in under the famous pugilist’s guard. They learned sword fighting from Henry Angelo, took snuff of their own blend, and imitated the vulgar, common language of their grooms in an attempt to be seen as a Nonesuch – a sportsman without equal. They bought and sold horses at Tattersalls and bet at the races. The pinnacle of their achievement was to be inducted into the Four Horse Club in which you rode a particular race under a certain time and drove to an inch (between two gateposts or around a lumbersome coach blocking the road), without oversetting the carriage, and wore the garish insignia of yellow waistcoats with huge buttons that imitated the coachmen of the day.
The men avoided the marriage mart and went backstage at the opera to try and find a mistress – a “bird of paradise” or a “fancy piece”, where contracts were drawn up by the lady’s man of business, and his own, to determine the financial agreements of such a relationship.
Regency Women’s Pastimes
Unsurprisingly, women had a lot less freedom then men. Their domain was Almack’s, the official “marriage mart”. Almack’s was ruled with an iron hand by eight patronesses, who had the ultimate power to decide who was good ton and who wasn’t. All the young debutantes were desperate to obtain a voucher for the Wednesday night gathering. Men could only appear at Almack’s in breeches (not pantaloons) and anyone who tried to enter after 11:00 p.m. was turned away. Even the famous Duke of Wellington was rejected from Almack’s twice : once for having pantaloons instead of breeches and once for arriving five minutes too late.
When the waltz finally came to England and was allowed at Almack’s in 1814, no debutante could say yes unless one of the patronesses officially introduced her to a partner. Once she was allowed, she could accept any invitation she pleased. The men generally detested Almack’s because they only served lukewarm lemonade and sandwiches, but of course everyone had to go because it was good ton. And there were always those on the catch for a rich wife.
A woman’s choices were marriage, mistress, setting up an establishment as an independently wealthy woman, but that only worked when you were of a certain age, serving as a governess, a schoolmistress, or as a poor companion to a wealthy household – one that most like was related, and who were almost certain to abuse you. You could always end up a “bluestocking” – an educated woman with decided opinions – but that carried its own stigma.
Women had to follow strict rules of chaperonage in order to remain in good standing with the ton, but even if you behaved impeccably, your own family could be your downfall. If you had the misfortune to have a sister run off to Gretna Green (inside the Scottish border where you could elope without needing to have reached majority or having posted the banns), the entire family was plunged into scandal and you may as well toss your hopes of securing a good marriage. In context, Darcy’s decision to rescue Lydia and ensure she at least married, though it be under suspicious circumstances, truly was an act motivated by love for Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
As you might guess, we Regency writers love to focus on the happy endings and the love matches, which were not all that common in real life.
Napoleon & Wellington
The Regency era was set in the backdrop of the Peninsular Wars, and soldiers home on furlough – or stationed in a nearby town – were a common sight. In Pride & Prejudice, Lydia and Elizabeth’s mother went into raptures about men wearing colors, which hints at the degree soldiers were an integral part of Jane Austen’s life. Young men could enlist as a volunteer and work their way up, but the gentry and nobility generally purchased a commission so they would have the position of an officer in the cavalry and infantry. And you could sell out when you were ready to resign your commission (such as when you inherited an estate), recuperating the money you put in.
The Napoleonic Wars were from 1803-1815, but the ones fought on the Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) were from 1807-1814 and they were mainly between France and England. France came up against England in the final battle of Waterloo, which took place in Belgium – (you can see the battlefield from my friends’ house there). Napoleon’s illustrious career ended in this singular defeat. Going into the battle, the odds were stacked greatly against Wellington, but his remarkable determination and calm good sense gave his troops courage and allowed them to continue fighting, even when it seemed that victory was impossible.
Wellington was often seen studying the battle from his horse at the front lines. He was never hit and his troops took heart from the fact that such a charmed figure was at the head of the campaign. Wellington loved society and surrounded himself with young men of good families and impeccable address. However, he had no patience for mistakes. Wellington, also called Welly, the General, (and secretly) the Beau, or – in later years – the Duke by his troops, was made a peer (was granted a dukedom) for his involvement in the wars, and he later became the Prime Minister of England.
If you want to know more about the battle and see Wellington in action, read the historically-accurate fictional book The Infamous Army, by (who else?) Georgette Heyer.
And that’s it! Hugely summarised, but I had to start somewhere. Much of the culture I learned from reading and rereading Heyer’s books. I constantly read websites and blogs, including the imperfect wikipedia, for fact-checking for this post and my books. But this is my library, in addition to a couple kindle books not shown, and this is where I get most of my information.
Below is my notebook of nearly 300 printed pages of Regency slang, much of which you’ll recognise if you read Dickens. Not all is useful as it includes quite a bit of cant (low-class or thieves language) and nautical terms, but I do use quite a bit. When you read a lot of Georgette Heyer, it all tends to flow naturally and with great delight.
I hope you like my explanation and broad summary of the Regency period, and I hope it gives you some context for my book. This Friday, I’m offering the readers who subscribe to my newsletter a sneak-peek of the first eight chapters of A Regrettable Proposal. If you’re interested, you can get your copy by signing up for my author newsletter* here.
*The newsletter is sent out every Friday with book deals from other authors in the genre of romance (mostly clean, both historical and contemporary), memoir and women’s fiction, particularly books set in France, and occasionally books on faith. My goal is to introduce readers to a broad selection of low-priced books and to offer sneak-peeks and giveaways of my own work. The more personal news I will continue to post here.
