"The Mariner's Chronicle" and thrill-seeking literature of the Regency era

When I first encountered "The Mariner's Chronicle" I thought it might be some worthy treatise of sea-faring matters for an island people. I was soon disabused of that notion; the 'purple prose' and the melodramatic illustrations were clearly aiming to provide a different sort of instruction. The title page made it plain.

This was no informational exposition. This was entertainment.

Lieut. Jones exhorting the Crew of the Wager to their Duty

There are however a great many facts among the stories, and some of them may be true. The shipwrecks described cover one hundred and fifty years of history, and some no doubt were dramatized from years of retelling. The more recent accounts have a ring of authenticity, but all the stories are told to elicit emotion from the reader.

The story of the Proserpine is harrowing:

Loss of the Proserpine Frigate in the River Elbe Feb. 1799

As are the details about the Winterton:

The Loss of the Winterton East Indiaman, off the Island of Madagascar, Aug. 20, 1792

 The story of the Apollo and its companion ships is epic.

Narrative of the Loss of the Apollo Frigate, and Twenty-nine Sail of West Indiamen, near Figuera, on the Coast of Portugal, April the 2d, 1804

 

This genre of Regency literature is far from the decorous presentation of information in the Gentleman's Magazine and the likes of La Belle Assemblee or Ackermann's Repository of Arts. And there were more books like The Mariner's Chronicle available.  

The Criminal Recorder looks titillating. Search for it here

 And The British Trident is sure to stir patriotism. It can be found here

These books give a fascinating view of a certain segment of Regency society: what they found entertaining, what they found noteworthy, and even the styles of writing they preferred. But I am sure the appeal crossed all kinds of boundaries--an earl's teenage son would find them as interesting as a printer's apprentice would, and a squire's daughter would shed tears over shipwrecks as readily as a debutante. Take a look; you will be entertained!

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne

Treasure from 1809

At the last book sale I attended, I was fortunate to discover a little treasure from 1809. It is a survivor, worn and separated from its companion volumes, from the Regency era: a book, by Miss Maria Edgeworth, Volume II of "Tales of Fashionable Life".

I cannot explain to you the thrill, for me, of encountering a genuine piece of Regency life. This book might have been read by one of my characters! (For I do visualize my characters as real Regency people.) This book was held by a person wearing a silk gown and a cap, or jean half-boots, or a tail coat and pantaloons. It might have been read in post-chaise, or a drawing room, or the Bath Pump Room. My mind reels with the possibilities.

The printer is Wood and Innes of Poppin's Court, Fleet Street

It is a small book--4 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches--with worn brown marbled covers and a brown leather spine and corner caps. The pages are foxed, and there is that indefinable old book smell that intoxicates book collectors. It is certainly legible, and no pages are missing.

Of course an antique such as this has been through many hands, and the people who owned the book are nearly as interesting as the book itself. Inside the front cover of my treasure is this inscription:

I discovered that Ormiston Hill is in Kirknewton, Fife, nearby Edinburgh. It is also known as Black Cairn Hill. Ormiston Hill House was a 17th century building, home of the Wilkie family. It was replaced after 1851 by Ormiston House in the Scots Baronial style. I know nothing more of Miss Margaret except that she owned this book!

And one more survivor--tucked into the pages of the book is a calling card. It is certainly Victorian, but I have no expertise in dating such ephemera.

I feel that it might be 1860's or 1870's, but I have no basis for that other than the look of the artwork. It surprises me that there is no 'Miss' before the name, and the name itself is interesting; an unusual spelling of Charlotte, I believe.

I wonder what Margaret and Sharlet thought of Miss Edgeworth's stories. Did they have all three small brown volumes? And if so, when did the other two volumes become parted from this one?

An antique book tells two stories: the one printed on its pages, and the other--more mysterious--of its travels, and its owners.

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne

Radicals and Free Love in Regency England by Guest Blogger Vicky Dreiling

Mary Shelley is well known for her novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, which she wrote in her late teens while in Switzerland with the likes of Byron and of course the renegade poet Percy Shelley. But she was the product of a couple who were regarded as radicals: Mary Wollstonecraft, the early ‘feminist’ who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and William Godwin, a radical political philosopher. Though Godwin and Wollstonecraft were certainly not traditionalists, but they married a few months before the birth of their daughter. Ten days after Mary’s birth, her mother died, and this death had a profound effect on her.

Growing up, Mary was surrounded by books and exposed to literary discussions among the likes of Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Hazlitt. Little wonder, she began writing at an early age. Mary’s life took a downward turn, however, when her father married for the second time as her stepmother supposedly favored her own children. The discord proved too much for Godwin who sent his daughter to board with friends.

Upon returning home at age fifteen, she first met Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was expelled from Oxford for writing a tract about atheism. In 1814, Shelley encountered Mary again, and though he was married, he became infatuated with Mary. They apparently spent time at her mother’s grave and became intimate. When Godwin found out, he tried to forbid the relationship. But after Shelley threatened to commit suicide, Mary ran away with him to France. But this was not the love match that we all love to read in modern romance novels. Many associate the 1960’s as the decade of free love, but Shelley certainly ascribed to it and took other lovers. He also encouraged Mary to enter a liaison with his friend Hogg, but she was pregnant and refused.

She endured money troubles and the loss of five children. After Shelley drowned in a boating accident, Mary published several other articles and books, but her Frankenstein has endured the test of time. She died in February 1851.

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.” A native Texan, she holds degrees in English literature and marketing. She is a triple finalist in the RWA RITA awards, and her debut novel How to Marry a Duke won the HOLT medallion for best historical romance. Her most recent novel How to Ravish a Rake was published April 1!

Website: http://www.vickydreiling.com/index.php
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