Back to Top

Monthly Archives: March 2016

I asked in a reader group what topics people were interested in having covered on blogs these days and got a whole list of things that I’ll be tackling in the coming months, but the one that seemed the most fun right off that bat was ridicules/reticules.

When hoops were worn and skirts were full, it was easy for a woman to carry about her sovereign purse, pines, etc. in her pockets. These were large, easy to access through the “slits” formed in the top of the petticoats by their being fashioned as a double-apron. But when the round gown became a thing at the end of the 18th century, pockets were no longer feasible. So what was a lady to do? She still needed to carry a few things with her as she went about. The earliest ridicule I’ve seen looks very much like a single pocket. Which makes perfect sense. You’d just tie the waist ties together to form a loop/handle and carry it with you (fashion historians often surmise that this is where the original name “ridicule” came from, as it women were ridiculed for carrying about their pocket).

The Victorian and Albert Museum has quite a collection of these, and all the images I’m sharing today are from their archive (I’m noting this as per their user agreement). As always, click for a larger copy of the image.

Classic set of pockets. These were tied around the waist, over the stays and underskirts, but beneath the top petticoat (aka the lady’s skirt).

18thC embroidered Pockets (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

18thC embroidered Pockets (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

This first bag is transitional, it retains the rough shape of a pocket, but has a drawstring at the top. It’s beautifully embroidered with flowers and a bird, most likely done by the woman herself as the embroidery does not appear professional in quality.

Silk, embroidered with silk thread, with string tassel and straps. c.1790-1800 (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Silk, embroidered with silk thread, with string tassel and straps. c.1790-1800 (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

The museum didn’t give much information about this little bag, but I love the hedgehog styling of the knit dags.

Knit bag, c. 1800 (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Knit bag, c. 1800 (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Netting was a popular pastime, and it’s possible these bags were made by the woman who used them. The smaller red bag is a “finger-ring purse”, the perfect thing for a lady who just needed enough money on her for vails or small purchases.

Netted silk and thread, with hinged gilt frame, 19thC (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Netted silk and thread, with hinged gilt frame, 19thC (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

This is a very basic square purse with absolutely amazing ribbon embroidery.

Embroidered silk satin with chenille thread, appliquéd with silk muslin, lined with silk taffeta. c. 1820-1830 (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum). muslin, lined with silk taffeta. c. 1820-1830 (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Embroidered silk satin with chenille thread, appliquéd with silk muslin, lined with silk taffeta. c. 1820-1830 (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Wool embroidery on canvas (basically needlepoint) bags. This was another common pastime. You see everything from slippers to purses to pocketbooks (wallets) to fire screens worked this way.

Canvas, embroidered with wool. 19th. (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Canvas, embroidered with wool. 19th. (photo credit: Victorian and Albert Museum).

Candice Hern also has a lovely collection that’s worth perusing if you haven’t already. She has everything from small beaded sovereign purses, to larger netting reticules and even miser purses of the kind a man might carry in his coattail pocket.

Thanks to Eileen for the question!

 

 

 

 

Mothering-Sunday-BannerIf you assumed that the British holiday of “Mothering Sunday” (this coming Sunday) is the equivalent of the American “Mother’s Day”, only celebrated two months sooner, you’d be making a historical mistake that even lots of Brits make. While it may be mostly true today, that was not always so. Mothering Sunday as observed in Regency times, and centuries before, sprang from both religious and more practical concerns. Did it still have anything to do with honoring mothers? If it didn’t, where does the name come from? Read on, my friends.

Mothering Sunday is always celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent. That should tell you it’s rooted in Christian tradition, unlike the secular American holiday. Depending on what sources you consult, some claim the early Christians co-opted the Roman celebration in March that honored mothers and the Mother Goddess Cybele, and in its place established Mothering Sunday to be a time of devotion to Mother Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. Madonna by memling4 priestess_cybele

The timing worked well. Early Christians were no dummies, and giving everyone a little break in the middle of the long 40-day fast of Lent no doubt increased the chances that people would stick with the disciplines expected of them. In some places, this mid-Lent Sunday was called “Refreshment Sunday”, or “Sunday of the Five Loaves”.

But as with anything that old, there are multiple roots entwined with these beginnings, and very little documentation. This particular Sunday was also known as Laetare Sunday in the pre-Reformation times. As Christianity and the proliferation of churches spread during the medieval period, the distinction was made between smaller parish churches (known as “daughter” churches) and the major cathedrals in each diocese (the “mother” churches). Important sacraments, such as baptisms, were done at the “mother” churches, presided over by bishops, rather than the local parish priest. On Laetare or Mothering Sunday, families were expected to gather together to make the pilgrimage to their “mother’ church to honor Mary and their own baptisms.

Mothering Sunday-Victorian Church

Victorian children bring flowers to church to honor the Virgin Mary.

Since most children were put to work by the age of ten, many lived away from home, serving as apprentices or learning to be domestic servants. A half-day holiday was often not long enough for them to be able to return home, so once a year, on Mothering Sunday, they would be given a full day holiday to visit their families and go to their “mother” churches. That they might pick flowers on the way and perhaps bring small gifts to their mothers is easy enough to believe. Mothering_Sunday2

The first known dated written reference to Mothering Sunday is from 1644, when a royal officer from Essex was visiting Worcester and reported that “…all the children and godchildren meet at the head and chief of the family and have a feast.”

Special foods like simnel cake became associated with Mothering Sunday. (In some places it was called Simnel Sunday!) Kind of like the holiday itself, simnel cake is a mixture of things, part fruitcake and part pastry, both boiled like a pudding and baked like a cake. It may have a hard outer crust, and may be coated and decorated with almond paste (11 marzipan balls represent the Apostles minus Judas). Simnel Cake-classic  An early reference to it being brought as a gift for “mothering” also dates from the early 17th century. It was usually served with “braggot” (hot spiced ale) or “frumenty” (a spiced drink made from boiled wheat), depending on location.

Simnel Cake-pc

After the Reformation, and increasingly up to the Regency period, the emphasis for Mothering Sunday focused far less on the church-going and far more on the day for apprentices and servants to be given time off to visit their families. Imagine how important that day would have been to them, if they could only see their families once a year!

The observation of the holiday declined during the later 19th and early 20th centuries as other kinds of employment became more common. Mothering Sunday had about died out by WWI. But the United States had created Mother’s Day in 1913, and other countries adopted the idea.

Christopher Howse, writing for The Telegraph (2013), says “the revival of Mothering Sunday must be attributed to Constance Smith (1878-1938), and she was inspired in 1913 by reading a newspaper report of Anna Jarvis’s campaign in America. …Under the pen-name C. Penswick Smith she published a booklet The Revival of Mothering Sunday in 1920.” Smith did not want the day to be connected to any one Christian denomination and pushed the revival through secular organizations such as scout groups. Howse adds, ‘“By 1938,’ wrote Cordelia Moyse, the modern historian of the Mothers’ Union, ‘it was claimed that Mothering Sunday was celebrated in every parish in Britain and in every country of the Empire.’” Transformed into a modern holiday! Has it become less meaningful?

Do you live near your parents? How often are you able to visit your family? Do you believe “absence makes the heart grow fonder” or would you stay close if you could? Did you already know this history of Mothering Sunday?

imgresLast night we saw the final episode of Downton Abbey, the most popular drama in the history of PBS and a worldwide hit. Needless to say, Julian Fellowes, the creator and writer of Downton Abbey, tied up all the loose strings and brought us what we Romance authors and readers love–the happy ending.

There won’t be any spoilers in this blog. Instead I want to talk about what this series can teach us about writing good historical romances.

Write great characters.
One of the things I love about Downton Abbey was the characters. The characters were vividly drawn and complicated. I know some would say the characters were stereotypes. Certainly they were recognizable in their roles, but each of them came with a few surprises and twists.

Include lots of conflict.
Downton Abbey thrived on conflict, both internal and external, mostly creating barriers to romance between the characters. Consider Lady Mary, whose class snobbery almost cost her each of her husbands. We tuned in to see if she’d choose love or her idea of what an aristocrat should be. Or think of the disasters that befell Edith every time she was close to having a happy ending to her romantic relationships.

800px-Highclere_Castle_(April_2011)Make setting matter.
Downton Abbey was always lush in its settings and paid attention to small details in the setting. Think of all the scenes at meals and how the details of place settings and food and how it was served helped to make those scenes come alive. Think of how the costumes of Downton Abbey enthralled us. The costume designers tried to make the costumes as accurate as possible, down to the smallest detail.

Make the history matter.
From the very first episode, the real history of the times affected the story. The inciting incident was the sinking of the Titanic. Throughout, the history was woven in to the story.

Don’t show the dirty bits.
I don’t mean don’t show love scenes or naked ladies. I mean don’t show the stark reality of the time period. Downton Abbey certainly idealized aristocrats, making them seem more benevolent of their servants than most probably were. And the Crawleys were probably more flexible and forgiving than their real counterparts, but they were what we’d wish them to be. I don’t want to write about Regency sanitation or about the bugs and vermin that were prevalent in the time period. I’d rather create a world my readers and I would enjoy inhabiting.

Watch the pacing.
I’m sure those who watched the final two episodes were left with the impression that the story lines seemed rushed, as if Julian Fellowes was in a hurry to tie up all those loose strings. How often have you read books where the endings seemed rushed? It is a pitfall we need to avoid when we plot our books.

I am sad to see the series end. I find myself hoping the actors all find other good roles to play, as if they were their characters and I want them to go on living. I know it was little more than a costume drama/soap opera. But soap operas have fiercely loyal followers. I should be so lucky to have those numbers of loyal fans.

How about you? Did you watch Downton Abbey? What do you think made it such a popular series?

Hello, Risky Readers!

I am busy writing the third book in the Sinclair Series. This is Emily and Devon’s story. I’m about 30% in. It’s going about as okay as writing tends to go. I’d say this is the hard part, but come to think of it, all the parts are hard. I don’t, yet, have any research subjects that are worth sharing but I expect that to change as I get far enough in that I can’t just type in “RESEARCH THIS.”

I do have a novella to tell you about, though. And, to help celebrate, I’m giving away a stash of print books. All of them are Romance. Leave a comment per the rules below and one person will win ALL THE BOOKS.

An Unsuitable Duchess is on sale now as a standalone story.

A lady demurely looking at a fan. Don't be deceived. George isn't really demure.

Cover of An Unsuitable Duchess.

Where to Get An Unsuitable Duchess

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Google Play | All Romance | Print

 

About An Unsuitable Duchess

The duke of Stoke Teversault has well earned his reputation for bloodless calculation. Indeed, recently widowed Georgina Lark has no idea he’s loved her since before her late husband swept her off her feet. Stoke Teversault means to keep it that way. The cold and forbidding duke and the blithe and open Georgina could not be less suited in any capacity. And yet, when Georgina and her sister arrive at his home, his ice-bound heart may melt away.

Georgina Lark has never thought of the duke of Stoke Teversault as a man capable of inducing passion in anyone. He’s long disapproved of her, but she will be forever grateful to him for his assistance after her husband died. It’s been a year since she’s realized he’s not the man she thought. Can she find a way to convince him to open his heart to her?

An Unsuitable Duchess is a Regency romance novella featuring an austere duke and a sweet, playful widow. If you like charming love, steamy passion, and when opposites attract, then you’ll love Carolyn Jewel’s entertaining read.

Buy An Unsuitable Duchess to watch the Duke stumble into love today!

Rules and How to enter

Void where prohibited. Must be 18 to enter. International is OK. Winner chosen at random via “And The Winner Is” plugin. Leave a comment to this post in which you tell me your favorite flower. Deadline to comment is 11:59:59 PM Eastern, Tuesday, March 15, 2016. No purchase necessary. Multiple comments will not increase your chances. If the winner does not respond to my notification email within 5 days, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Follow
Get every new post delivered to your inbox
Join millions of other followers
Powered By WPFruits.com