The Regency Blog of Lesley-Anne McLeod

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Crime and Punishment in Regency newspapers

Our newspapers are full of accounts of disasters, crises, and crime. Newspapers of the Regency era were not very different. Their knowledge of global disasters was limited, and word of international crises took months to reach English newspapers, but there was plenty of local crime and accident to write about.

The Westminster Penitentiary from Repository of Arts March 1817

Here are some of the events and cases that excited British readers:

Trewman's Exeter Flying Post December 24 1818


Evening Mail London February 3 1800


Ipswich Journal July 15 1805

Bell's Weekly Messenger September 24 1815

Aberdeen Journal - Wednesday 30 December 1812

While there can be some comfort in knowing that the goodness of human nature has not changed over the centuries, it is sobering to realize that the darker side of humanity has shown little improvement.

Something more cheerful next time,
'Til then, all the best,

Lesley-Anne

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

A Regency New Year--"Begin as you mean to go on"

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in the Regency era in England was celebrated, it seems, very much like Christmas with:

Parties and celebrations~~

Stamford Mercury Friday 10 January 1812

Morning Post Tuesday 9 January 1810

particularly among the Royals:

Morning Post 3 January 1814

The Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser London Friday 3 January 1812

Gifts~~

The Courier Friday 17 January 1806

Morning Chronicle Thursday 25 December 1806

and acts of charity~~

Hampshire Chronicle Monday 7 January 1805

Bell's Weekly Messenger Sunday 29 December 1811

Salisbury and Winchester Journal Monday 14 January 1811

The newspapers could not avoid reporting New Year's tragedy as well:

Norfolk Chronicle Saturday 16 January 1813

But the news from Brighton was good:

Sussex Advertiser Monday 3 January 1814

And the new year--whatever year--promised to roll on, for rich and poor, much as the past years had done...

I hope you have enjoyed these clippings from Regency newspapers, and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne

Monday, December 7, 2015

A Regency Christmas -- from the newspapers of the time

Information on the Regency experience of Christmas has always been sketchy. Christmas was certainly not the consumer event that it is today. Scrooge, in the later Victorian era, was not all that unusual--business often took place on the 25th of December. But families still celebrated and often had the latest fashion in decorations--the Christmas tree.

An American picture circa 1812-19 by John Lewis Krimmel

Most Regency celebrations looked back, as we do, to simpler times, and more whole-hearted enjoyments. But in looking through Regency newspapers, I have come up with some of the events and ideas that formed the Regency Christmas.