regencyama

[regencyama]

Pun walks into a room, kills ten people

Pun in, ten dead

[regencyama]

What were thoughts around age of marriage and age gaps? In Emma Mr. Knightly has know her since childhood and is 17 years older. Obviously by today’s standard that’s odd, but at the time would this have been controversial? Especially considering his relation to the family via his brother?

To be honest, they didn't really have a problem with age gaps of a decade or more -- a woman fully participating in adult society in her late teens was seen as just as much of an adult as one in her mid-twenties, and they were seen as just as much adults as men their age or older. On average, men married while they were in their twenties, but thirty or older wasn't unheard of, especially if they didn't need to marry for money.

Plus, Mr. Knightly being Emma's sister's brother-in-law would be seen as a good connection. Connections were all-important -- it's how people made new acquaintances, found someone to marry, and do things like enter into politics. "It's not what you know, it's who." was basically the motto of polite society back then.

So to sum up, Emma marrying Mr. Knightley would have raised no eyebrows and would be seen as a very good match.

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Premarital sex in the Regency Era

I will make this quick as this topic is something I didn't think I'd ever do a post on but one that has become more and more necessary since Bridgerton S3 started.

During the Regency Era, upper-class men such as Colin Bridgerton were practically encouraged to be sexually active before marriage, while upper-class women like Penelope Featherington were expected to be virgins on their wedding night.

Yes, it was a horrible double standard to modern eyes but the reasoning was fairly simple.

Society basically turned a blind eye on a young bachelor sleeping with prostitutes and even divorcees and "merry" widows (provided they were all discreet) in the hopes that by sowing all his wild oats before marriage, he would be a faithful husband to his wife.

Meanwhile, a husband could only be certain that his wife's first child was his if she were a virgin when he married her (and, of course, she was faithful to him once they were married). Since inheritance could only go to legitimate heirs, this was of utmost importance.

Historical romance novel writers take advantage of the man's expected sexual experience by having him use his vast talents in pleasuring women to make sure his wife is well-satisfied. Once the male lead realizes he is in love, he will stop his dalliances with other women altogether and not have sex again until he can be with the woman he loves.

Were there upper-class men of this era who were virgins when they married? Presumably, but they were likely a minority.

To be honest, it would have been equally surprising if, their first time, Colin was a virgin and Penelope wasn't.

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The 4 Realities of Writing for a Historical Fandom

The example I use for this is Bridgerton but it's applicable for any fandom where the canon era is in the past.

When you write canon-era fic for a historical fandom, there are 4 things to keep in mind:

The Canon

Actual History

Your Plot

Readers' Expectations

The Canon

Unless you're going against canon, the way the original media depicts the era it's set in is your best guide to writing for that era (and the easiest to research). Bridgerton's laudable racial integration and inaccurate but still beautiful dresses have little to do with actual Regency Era England, but for the most part, the show is correct about the ton and its social mores.

***

Actual History

Knowing what actually happened in the original media's canon era gives you a deeper understanding of that era and helps you write a better fic. I was fortunate to have gone through a Regency Era phase long before Bridgerton started, so I already had resource books about the era at hand. (I highly recommend What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox-Hunting to Whist -- the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool and An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England by Venetia Murray, both available at Amazon.)

Wikipedia is also invaluable, especially if you're on a tight budget -- start with the name of the era you're researching and have fun falling down the rabbit hole. Bookmark any pages that are appropriate and you'll end up with your own personalized wiki.

***

Your Plot

Most of the time, your story's plot will be the deciding factor in what you chose to include or ignore, but sometimes changing the plot even slightly in favor of historical accuracy can improve it. Your leads aren't married yet but need to have a private conversation? Put a chaperone in the room, thus forcing your leads to either say what need to say in an oblique way or find another creative solution to their sudden lack of privacy.

***

Readers' Expectations

There are times when you may need to sacrifice accuracy in order to make your story more appealing or better understood. One example of this comes from Bridgerton itself. Before Queen Victoria wore a white gown in her 1840 wedding, white wedding gowns were not the norm. Daphne's 1813 wedding gown in S1 could have been one of several other colors but because modern audiences expect to see a Western bride in white, that's the color the costume designer gave her.

***

Ideally, all four would work together but in many cases, that simply cannot happen, so you must decide which of the four you're going to sacrifice, and that decision will likely be made several times over the course of writing your fic.

Most of all, have fun. If something simply isn't working for you, change it. Knowing the history, the canon, and the expectations gives you options, it's up to you to decide what works best.

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I'm thinking of starting a Regency Era glossary, which would be continually updated. Does anyone have any terms from the era they'd like to see in it?

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Bridgerton is not set in the Victorian Era

(updated for S3)

I haven't received an ask about this but I've seen so many people mistakenly describe Bridgerton as Victorian that I have to explain why it's not.

Bridgerton S3 is set in Spring 1815. This is four years before the real Princess Victoria, the future Queen of England, is even born. (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has a faster timeline than that of real history -- going by the last episode of that, the Bridgerton Universe's Victoria will be born later in 1815.)

1815 is the middle of the Regency Era (1811-1820), the time when King George III was unable to rule because of his rapidly declining mental health, so his eldest son George, the Prince of Wales, ruled as the Prince Regent.

After George III dies, Prince George rules as King George IV for another ten years. So, the Regency Era is part of the Georgian Era (1714-1830), which spans the reigns of Kings George I - George IV. George IV's younger brother William succeeded him as King William IV, but since he only reigned from 1830-1837 and things weren't remarkably different, his reign is often considered part of the Georgian Era.

George IV and William IV's niece Princess Victoria then became Queen Victoria. Her reign was so long (1837-1901) and so different that it is known as the Victorian Era.

TLDR: The people during the era of Bridgerton S1-3 are Georgians living in the Regency Era, not Victorians living in the Victorian Era.

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Here for your Regency Era questions

Are you writing a Regency Era fic? Do you need help with the setting -- culture, etiquette, customs, etc? Drop me an ask (anons allowed).

Current topics:

Etiquette for children when company comes over

Bridgerton is not set in the Victorian Era

Regency Era hygiene

The Season

Age of Adulthood in the Regency Era

Getting married in the Regency Era

The Four Realities of Writing for a Historical Fandom

Premarital Sex in the Regency Era

[regencyama]

Yes, anywhere in Scotland, but as you said, Gretna Green was the first town, so it became the best known.

Getting Married in the Regency Era

Let's say you, a writer, have two Regency Era characters that want to marry. Assuming both are members of the Church of England, there are three respectable ways to do it, depending on their finances and social status.

Banns. The cheapest option. Having the banns "published" mean that for three Sundays in a row, the pending marriage is announced at church during the service. As long as no one objects to the pending marriage when those announcements are made, the marriage can proceed within the next three months. This is the least-fashionable (and most-public) way to go about it and anyone who can afford one of the other options would do so.

A license. For "a few pounds," a couple can skip having their pending marriage announced and get a license from a local clergyman. They are then allowed to marry in a parish that at least either party has lived in "for at least fifteen days." If someone can't afford a special license, this is what they go with.

A special license. This is what all the wealthy and well-connected couples obtain. It's what Mrs. Bennet insists on in Pride an Prejudice once she hears Lizzie is going to marry Mr. Darcy. Bridgerton S1 might give the impression that special licenses are for emergency situations only but that was not the case. A special license simply means a couple could marry at any parish at any time. Only the Archbishop of Canterbury can give them and they are done at his discretion, so the couple has to be well-connected. The price? "Twenty-eight guineas in the middle of the century." Guineas were literally a rich people unit of currency and one was equivalent to twenty-one shillings, so just over the value of a pound (twenty shillings). So, twenty-eight guineas was 588 shillings, so just over twenty-nine pounds. Since England actually had deflation between the Regency Era and the middle of the 19th Century, twenty-nine pounds in 1850 was equivalent to fifty-seven pounds in 1813. That is £5,059.19 ($6,646.90 USD) today. To put that in perspective, a marriage license in the county I currently live in is $25.00 USD/£19.04.

There is one other way to get married and that is running off to Gretna Green, a small town just over the border in Scotland. No parental permission, banns, local residency, or license needed. A couple says their vows in front of a witness (usually the blacksmith) and they are legally married. (It's what everyone assumes Lydia and Wickham were going to do in Pride and Prejudice until they find out that no, they're actually just living together.) Gretna Green is the option for people who are desperate and (society assumes) have low moral character.

Source: What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist -- the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool

[regencyama]

Getting Married in the Regency Era

Let's say you, a writer, have two Regency Era characters that want to marry. Assuming both are members of the Church of England, there are three respectable ways to do it, depending on their finances and social status.

Banns. The cheapest option. Having the banns "published" mean that for three Sundays in a row, the pending marriage is announced at church during the service. As long as no one objects to the pending marriage when those announcements are made, the marriage can proceed within the next three months. This is the least-fashionable (and most-public) way to go about it and anyone who can afford one of the other options would do so.

A license. For "a few pounds," a couple can skip having their pending marriage announced and get a license from a local clergyman. They are then allowed to marry in a parish that at least either party has lived in "for at least fifteen days." If someone can't afford a special license, this is what they go with.

A special license. This is what all the wealthy and well-connected couples obtain. It's what Mrs. Bennet insists on in Pride an Prejudice once she hears Lizzie is going to marry Mr. Darcy. Bridgerton S1 might give the impression that special licenses are for emergency situations only but that was not the case. A special license simply means a couple could marry at any parish at any time. Only the Archbishop of Canterbury can give them and they are done at his discretion, so the couple has to be well-connected. The price? "Twenty-eight guineas in the middle of the century." Guineas were literally a rich people unit of currency and one was equivalent to twenty-one shillings, so just over the value of a pound (twenty shillings). So, twenty-eight guineas was 588 shillings, so just over twenty-nine pounds. Since England actually had deflation between the Regency Era and the middle of the 19th Century, twenty-nine pounds in 1850 was equivalent to fifty-seven pounds in 1813. That is £5,059.19 ($6,646.90 USD) today. To put that in perspective, a marriage license in the county I currently live in is $25.00 USD/£19.04.

There is one other way to get married and that is running off to Gretna Green, a small town just over the border in Scotland. No parental permission, banns, local residency, or license needed. A couple says their vows in front of a witness (usually the blacksmith) and they are legally married. (It's what everyone assumes Lydia and Wickham were going to do in Pride and Prejudice until they find out that no, they're actually just living together.) Gretna Green is the option for people who are desperate and (society assumes) have low moral character.

Source: What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist -- the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool

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Age of Adulthood in the Regency Era

When did upper- and middle-class young people in the Regency Era become adults? That depends on the definition of "adult."

The de jure (according to the law) age of adulthood was 21. Before that age, the Law saw them as minors and, among other things, they needed parental permission if they wanted to marry.

The de facto (in practice) age of adulthood was whenever they were considered mature enough to enter adult society. For women, it was usually seventeen or eighteen (this is why Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice makes a big deal of Lydia marrying at "just sixteen"). For men, it was when they had either finished their time at university "or outgrown the awkwardness of adolescence," according to What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool.

Our modern society balks (and rightly so) at the idea of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl becoming the wife of a grown man and a mother before she herself has finished growing but the Regency Era upper and middle classes saw little to nothing wrong with it.

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"The Season"

All quotes are from What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist -- the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool.

How many people participated in the Season?

"The fancy London society ... was composed of perhaps some 1,500 families in all, totaling among them some 10,000 people."

It would have been physically impossible to have the entire ton at one event, so hostesses restricted their invitations to families they had some sort of connection to, even if that meant simply nodding acquaintances. (People often complained about overcrowded parties, known as "crushes." Presumably, that came from hostesses inviting more people than they had space for since they assumed that not everyone would attend.)

When did the Season start and end?

"As a rule, the nobility and gentry began coming to town to the West End from their country estates sometime around Christmas to prepare for the opening of Parliament. 'The Season depends on Parliament,' wrote a contemporary, 'and Parliament depends upon sport.' Until then, the shooting and fox hunting made leaving the countryside more or less unthinkable, or, as an observer put it, 'the sessions of Parliament cannot be held til the frost is out of the ground and the foxes begin to breed.'"

"The height of the Season, however, did not come until sometime after the opening of Parliament, and through midwinter, indeed through March, many families still remained in the country. ... It was not until after a short Easter holiday -- during which Parliament adjourned and families returned briefly to the country -- that the real Season began, a dizzying three-month whirlwind of parties, balls, and sporting events."

"... It was only a short time until August 12th, which, when it came, signaled alike the end of the Season, the adjournment of Parliament, and the retreat of everyone who was anyone to the north -- August 12th marked the opening of the grouse season."

The UK's social Season on Wikipedia

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Bridgerton is not set in the Victorian Era

I haven't received an ask about this but I've seen so many people mistakenly describe Bridgerton as Victorian that I have to explain why it's not.

Bridgerton S1 and The Duke and I are set in 1813. This is six years before Princess Victoria, the future Queen of England, is even born.

1813 is the middle of the Regency Era (1811-1820), the time when King George III was unable to rule because of his rapidly declining mental health, so his eldest son George, the Prince of Wales, ruled as the Prince Regent.

After George III dies, Prince George rules as King George IV for another ten years. So, the Regency Era is part of the Georgian Era (1714-1830), which spans the reigns of Kings George I - George IV. George IV's younger brother William succeeded him as King William IV, but since he only reigned from 1830-1837 and things weren't remarkably different, his reign is often considered part of the Georgian Era.

George IV and William IV's niece Princess Victoria then became Queen Victoria. Her reign was so long (1837-1901) and so different that it is known as the Victorian Era.

TLDR: The people during the era of Bridgerton S1 & S2 are Georgians living in the Regency Era, not Victorians living in the Victorian Era.

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Regency Era hygiene

People always wonder how people in previous eras bathed. By the 1810s, shower technology existed but it was in its infancy. If you're writing a Bridgerton/Regency fic, only a character who is really interested in the absolute latest technology would take showers, provided they can afford it. (The PBS Regency House Party miniseries has an example of the type of shower available at the time.)

Realistically, baths were how everyone kept clean. How often, you ask? It depends on how wealthy and fashionable they were.

From the Wikipedia entry on Beau Brummell, the Regency Era's trendsetting dandy: "His personal habits, such as a fastidious attention to cleaning his teeth, shaving, and daily bathing exerted an influence on the ton—the upper echelons of polite society—who began to do likewise."

If you could afford to have water heated then lugged around daily, then that's how often you bathed. Otherwise, it was once a week (usually Saturday night, according to "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew"), with daily neck, arms, and hand-washing the rest of the week.

So yes, the Georgian standard of hygiene wasn't the same as ours since many of them didn't have the same opportunity to bathe daily, but no one's saying that a fic needs to be that authentic.

[regencyama]

Bridgerton is not set in the Victorian Era

I haven't received an ask about this but I've seen so many people mistakenly describe Bridgerton as Victorian that I have to explain why it's not.

Bridgerton S1 and The Duke and I are set in 1813. This is six years before Princess Victoria, the future Queen of England, is even born.

1813 is the middle of the Regency Era (1811-1820), the time when King George III was unable to rule because of his rapidly declining mental health, so his eldest son George, the Prince of Wales, ruled as the Prince Regent.

After George III dies, Prince George rules as King George IV for another ten years. So, the Regency Era is part of the Georgian Era (1714-1830), which spans the reigns of Kings George I - George IV. George IV's younger brother William succeeded him as King William IV, but since he only reigned from 1830-1837 and things weren't remarkably different, his reign is often considered part of the Georgian Era.

George IV and William IV's niece Princess Victoria then became Queen Victoria. Her reign was so long (1837-1901) and so different that it is known as the Victorian Era.

TLDR: The people during the era of Bridgerton S1 & S2 are Georgians living in the Regency Era, not Victorians living in the Victorian Era.

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What's the rules of etiquette for children when it comes to being at home when Important Company comes over? Do they have to leave the room or are they allowed to stay as long as they follow certain rules?

Good question, thank you!

Upper- and middle-class young children in this era spent most of their day with their governess in the nursery eating, playing, and learning. If Important Company came over before dinner, from what I can gather, children could be in the room as long as they were on their best behavior and, more importantly, no one had any objections to their presence.

According to What Jane Austen Ate And Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool, the children were expected to have dinner with their governess in the nursery but teenage girls who were not yet fully part of society could have dinner with the adults if they "did not speak unless spoken to and then it was only to answer questions yes or no." Pool doesn't mention what applies to teenage boys who weren't in society yet, presumably because a teenage boy spent most of his time at school/university. I assume they can also dine with the adults if they behave themselves.

The Bridgertons are highly unusual for their era by having the younger kids eat dinner with the rest of the family, as noted by Simon in S1.

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About this Blog

This blog is for anyone curious or confused about England's Regency Era (1811-1820), the era of classic works like Pride and Prejudice and modern works like Bridgerton. I'm not a professional historian but I have resources available (which I will cite) and a thirty-year love of the Regency Era, Jane Austen, and modern novels written for the Regency genre.

Anons are welcome and I will answer all questions as promptly as my free time allows.

Current Topics:

Etiquette for children when company comes over

Bridgerton is not set in the Victorian Era

Regency Era hygiene

The Season

Age of Adulthood in the Regency Era

Getting married in the Regency Era