The Victorians consider the Regency: Magazines and Newspapers

This past August I wrote a blog about 1865 in the Regency. My new book, due out in February 2019, is titled The Governess's Peculiar Journey. (It just received an excellent review; I am so excited.) The governess in question time-travels from 1865 to 1815.

This is problematic for her as the mid-and late-Victorians found nothing to admire in the world of their fathers and grandfathers. Indeed they seem to have despised it, and regarded it as an embarrassment.

Victorian books on the recently past eras of George III, the Prince Regent (George IV) and his successor William IV abounded. And they weren't complimentary.

The book "When William IV was King" by John Ashton, published in 1896, began with the death of George IV in 1830. After reproducing articles on the sale of his Majesty's effects, he goes on to say that there was not much interest in the items and very little respect for either the late king or his possessions.

 And,

 "The Dawn of the XIXth Century in England: A Social Sketch of the Times" also by John Ashton, took on a more blatant note of disrespect, poking fun at ladies' fashions.

 And at the educational system of the earlier time:

"Follies & Fashions of our Grandfathers" by Andrew W. Tuer is designed in imitation of the journals popular at the beginning of the century. By taking unusual items from original magazines the author makes a new journal dated 1807 (some eighty years before the publication date). It pokes fun at the early days of the century whenever it can and the introduction contains some telling criticisms.

"The Year 1800 or The Sayings and Doings of our Fathers and Mothers: 60 Years Ago" by F. Perigal exposes the early part of the century in a different way. The author uses original newspaper and magazine items to illustrate different topics such as 'Amusements' and 'Science'. The items are carefully chosen to show the 'ignorance' of the earlier age.

Every era looks back at those before it with a certain degree of pity, and something of nostalgia. That Victorian era looked back to its Regency roots with disdain and distaste shows the Victorians in a unattractive light. 

My heroine revises her opinions about both eras! See more about the book at my website - http://www.lesleyannemcleod.com/

Next month, we'll look at Christmas...

'Til then, all the best,

Lesley-Anne



N.B. All books cited above should be available at Google Books for download.

Taylor's Architectural Library

I love buildings and architecture, but particularly I love houses. So when I am searching through Google Books, I am always attracted to early books about them. As I was looking through several of these books the other day, I noticed that many of them were published by J. Taylor, The Architectural Library.

1802

1815

In about 1770 Isaac Taylor, an engraver, took over a printing, publishing and bookselling business which specialized in architectural publications. By 1797 he had handed over The Architectural Library to his son Josiah. The publishing firm printed hundreds of different volumes; an advertisement in one of the books lists thirteen pages of titles for sale.

Some of the volumes were reprints of early titles. Grotesque Architecture had first been published in 1767.

 It included plans for hermitages, greenhouses and rustic seats, as well as grottoes and cascades.

Other publications were more modern and original.

These cottages are very austere, to my eyes, but they do have interesting floor plans. I must admit though to preferring the 'cottage ornee' style.

The Architectural Library also printed extremely usable handbooks such as: The Builder's Price Book, New Principles of Linear Perspective, The Carpenter's Pocket Directory et al.
And the following useful, and thorough, guide...

It has all kinds of plans:

Plan for a Farmyard

Plan for a Brewhouse, Washhouse & Bakehouse

Farmhouse and offices

I'll be looking through Google Books for more from The Architectural Library. I think we can be sure that readers, for nearly a century from the mid 1700s to mid 1800s, watched for their publications also.

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne

Source: All titles from Google Books

Peacock's Polite Repository

While researching other things recently I came across, quite by chance, "Peacock's Polite Repository or Pocket Companion".

I thought it was a charming and very handy book. It was also a very long-lived publication. Appearing yearly, from about 1788 to at least 1830, it was a small book (115 mm x 74 mm), often in a slip-case. It contained diary space and an almanac of all sorts of useful information. It was exactly the sort of thing that anyone new to the country, or desirous of exhaustive information about the country, would have owned. In my new book, the hero buys the heroine a copy; she is definitely in need of the information.

From 1790 to 1811 Humphrey Repton supplied the illustrations for the books, generally a frontispiece and headings for the diary pages. The copy I am using is from 1812, and I have not yet discovered the illustrator but the pictures are charming.

St. Bernad's Well near Edinburgh

The information that filled the pages--about 125 of them--was wide-ranging.

With the number of dukes appearing in Regency fiction these days, it is interesting to have the actual list of those peers. There weren't very many.

 Below is the type of calendar that appears for each month before the diary blanks.

Each month has an illustration in the diary.

 

 

The universities figure large in the plethora of information:

Holidays which seem to have been organized by major organizations or business were not neglected. A little more explanation of them would not come amiss. There are more than I would have expected.

It was not a completely insular book. Below is part of the list of foreign rulers:

Even the esoteric was covered by the Repository:

I wonder what were the duties of heralds in 1812? I can feel more research coming on!

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne


Sources: a Google search on Peacock's Polite Repository will bring myriad results. I used several of them, but cannot list one definitive source.