Jane Austen's World

102 Comments »

102 Responses

1. on February 9, 2008 at 00:59 Dennis K. Walker

   In several of her novels, Jane Austen refers to CLERICAL LIVINGS providing a source of income for young gentlemen that took orders in the clergy. I’m unfamiliar with that practice, and have been looking for an explanation of how it worked.

   How did the “living” provide a source of income? I understand that the man had some religious duties, but some JA characters didn’t do much but eat and drink. Did the “living” include an invested endowment that generated interest? Did some of the income come from farming the property, or renting it to a farmer or sharecropper? What was the source of the property? Who held title to it and paid the property taxes? Was the property part of a country estate? If not, how and why was the “living” provided by an estate owner?

   Can you direct me to any source of information on this topic?

   
   
2. on February 9, 2008 at 01:04 Ms. Place

   Perhaps this article on Understanding Society from JASNA will help answer some of your questions. Scroll down or search for “vicar.”

   
   
3. on February 10, 2008 at 23:41 Dennis K. Walker

   Ms. Place,

   Thank you very much for your prompt reply to my inquiry about the clerical livings mentioned in the Jane Austen novels. Your recommended article by Pamela Whalan was very helpful.

   My pursuit of diversions from our contemporary society has lead me to readings in a variety of escapist genres ranging from medieval adventures to western romances to science fiction. Although JA wrote of the real society of her lifetime, after two hundred years of cultural changes, it now seems as exotic to me as the imagined world of H. G. Well’s Time Machine.

   Incidentally, I found another good explanation of clerical livings in the “sources and resources” for your February 10, 2008 article titled “Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband”. The second reference (Jane Austen Economics, 20 p. PDF document) covers Church Livings from the top of page 9 to the middle of page 10.

   After reading those articles, I’m beginning to think that my superficial understanding of JA writings does not do credit to their depth.

   Dennis K. Walker

   
   
4. on February 10, 2008 at 23:46 Ms. Place

   Mr. Walker,

   As always I am delighted when a discerning reader begins to understand Jane’s depth. Thank you for your feedback. I have enjoyed our exchange.

   
   
5. on August 26, 2008 at 09:36 Another Austen Web Round-Up ….. « Jane Austen in Vermont

   […] cost of living values, a slang dicitonary, and many others.  But NOTHING compares to the links to Regency Social Life and Customs than those compiled by Ms. Place at Jane Austen’s World… if you have an extra 24 hour […]

   
   
6. on October 20, 2008 at 20:36 Jazmine Cole

   I’m inquiring the social status during this era. Its something that is discussed in not only all of her novels, but most other authors such as Virginia Woolf and Charles Dickens. I was just womdering if you could give me any feedback on this topic during this era????

   
   
7. on October 21, 2008 at 06:18 Vic (Ms. Place)

   Jazmine, See Social Classes in England, 1814 in the first section entitled British Culture.

   In addition, check these two links for peerage and precedence:

   http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/order_precedence.htm#Tables

   http://members.shaw.ca/jobev/title.html

   The British Class system was (and still is) divided into upper, middle, and lower classes, but the chart will give you a breakdown of numbers for the regency era.

   
   
8. on November 9, 2008 at 01:29 Colley

   Hello,

   Thanks for providing all these links!

   Here’s a quick question about dueling: what happened if a man in a duel cheated? Was he dishonored? Did the second of the other man do something?

   If you have any thoughts on this, please send them my way.

   Thanks!

   Colley

   
   
9. on November 9, 2008 at 10:34 Vic (Ms. Place)

   Colley, Dueling involved defending one’s honour. Most gentlemen caught cheating during such an event would never recover their reputation, though there are exceptions, see second link below.

   The rules for dueling were adopted in Ireland in 1777 and used in England and largely in the U.S. as well. Here is the link to the rules of dueling: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/sfeature/rulesofdueling.html

   There are some interesting stories on this PBS site about dueling, including one about Andrew Jackson who did indeed “cheat”, but it seems with impunity. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/sfeature/dueling.html

   A rather comprehensive discussion about dueling sits at this link as well. http://people.howstuffworks.com/duel2.htm

   Vic

   
   
10. on November 9, 2008 at 22:27 Colley

    Thanks! You solved my problem!

    Colley

    
    
11. on November 14, 2008 at 11:58 Sally Bishop

    why is colonel brandon astonished in sense and sensibility to hear that willoughby and miss grey’s plans for after the ceremony are to directly remove to combe magna? clearly this is a breach of some custom/etiquette – what would usually be done after the ceremony?

    Thanks
    Sal

    
    
12. on November 25, 2008 at 12:47 Betty Patch

    I am looking for information on Austen’s father’s library. Does any kind of catalog, list or compendium exist of the books he had in his library?

    
    
13. on February 22, 2009 at 16:34 Vic (Jane Austen's World)

    I know this answer is late, but I just wrote this description about Rev. George Austen’s library for Jane Austen Today. I could find no source that listed his books.

    Jane Austen grew up in a bookish family. Rev. Austen was a great reader (and writer of sermons) and he read aloud to his children.When her family moved to Bath, Jane’s father sold or gave away over 500 books from his vast library, which must have crammed the parsonage in Steventon. Under her father’s direction, Jane read English, classical and foreign literature by such authors as Samuel Johnson, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Alexander Pope, George Crabbe, William Cowper, and William Shakespeare. Jane was also encouraged to buy subscriptions to the popular novels written by Frances Burney, Sarah Harriet Burney, Maria Edgeworth and Ann Radcliffe. Rev. Austen’s library at Steventon provided inspiration for the short satirical sketches Jane wrote as a girl and with which she entertained the family. To entertain each other, the close knit Austen family would also read to each other, play games, and produce plays. One imagines that Rev. Austen’s library played an important part in devising these amusements.

    
    
14. on April 13, 2009 at 14:35 mandy cox

    i am writing a regency romance novel and i am wondering how to find appropriate names, first and last, for my characters. Any help that you could give would be much appreciated!

    
    
15. on April 13, 2009 at 17:49 Vic (Jane Austen's World)

    I would look up British genealogy websites, and click on the appropriate period. These sites are chock full of first and last names. Here is a list of 10 sites. http://genealogy.about.com/od/uk_databases/tp/top_databases.htm

    Also, googling the term “popular British names 18 th century” should get you the information you need, such as this one: http://www.issendai.com/rpgs/names.htm

    
    
16. on May 18, 2009 at 07:01 Porlock » Een geletterde Coburg

    […] regent, of beter gezegd zijn bibliothecaris, had er al voor gezorgd dat Jane Austen haar roman “Emma” aan de hooggeboren prins had (mogen) opdragen. De corpulente prins-regent, de […]

    
    
17. on June 1, 2009 at 17:47 pimpernel

    Thanks for this fascinating list of resources, and also for linking to my blog.

    
    
18. on September 22, 2009 at 09:19 Kristie

    Hello and thank you for a wonderful resource. Dabbling in the regency in a spot of creative writing and was hoping to find some information on funerals and mourning customs. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction.

    Thanks once more,
    Kristie

    
    
    • on September 22, 2009 at 09:41 Vic

      Scroll to the bottom of this link, which will get you started:

      http://regency.getifa.com/sick.html

      I have also added a short section on funerals and mourning. Check after Fashion and before Furniture.

      
      
19. on September 24, 2009 at 20:11 Sydney

    Hey,
    I had a quick question regarding Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. What was his social status? I thought that the difference in his and Elizabeths respective social statures could have been a part of what made their marriage undesirable to some, but one of the charts on this site seems to imply that Darcy would be more of a “country gentleman”, and of the same status as Elizabeth and her family.
    Thanks

    
    
    • on September 25, 2009 at 09:37 Vic

      Not quite right. The social charts indicate that Mr. Darcy being non-royal and having no aristocratic title, would be known as a gentleman. There, the similarity of his social standing to Mr. Bennet’s ends. Both are gentlemen, to be sure, however Mr. Bennet sits far lower on Society’s ladder because of the disparity in income. Mr. Bennet is a gentleman because he has enough income not to have to work for a living, but his inheritance is entailed, placing his wife and daughters in an awkward position after his death. Mr. Darcy’s 10,000 pounds per year represents 4% of the income he makes from his considerable holdings.

      Mr. Darcy comes from an old and wealthy family. He inherited a family estate of such magnificence, Pemberley, that it is viewed as much as a museum as a house. People stop by to visit it at set hours, as Elizabeth and Gardiners did. The Darcys are highly regarded and well-connected (Lady Catherine de Bourgh is Mr. Darcy’s aunt and his mother’s sister.) And then there is his wealth, which sets him apart and above impoverished aristocrats on the marriage mart. Where Darcy’s wealth is old and settled, Mr. Bingley’s money is new, his father having acquired it through trade. Darcy, the older and more established gentleman, takes the younger Bingley under his wing, becoming his friend and mentor.

      In “How Rich is Fitzwilliam Darcy?” Economist Brad de Long describes Darcy’s wealth as such:

      Thus in relative income terms–relative to the average of disposable incomes in his society–Fitzwilliam Darcy’s 10,000 pounds a year of disposable income gave him about the same multiple of average income in his society as an annual disposable income of $6,000,000 a year would give someone in our society.

      On the other hand, my guess is that someone today with a disposable income of $300,000 a year can spend it to get the same utility as Fitzwilliam Darcy could by spending his disposable income of 10,000 pounds a year. This is a guess–a guess that our material standard of living today is some twenty times that of Mr. Darcy’s England.

      Mr. Bennet is more like a well-off retired person who lives off a fixed income, and Mr. Darcy is more like the Rothschilds, able to afford anything he pleases and travel where he likes. With such an income, Mr. Darcy could have chosen almost any eligible young girl to marry. That he chose Elizabeth, despite her vulgar family, makes her a lucky woman indeed.

      
      
20. on October 7, 2009 at 12:51 chelle

    Hi.

    I am curious to know how the peerage dealt with large debts aside from marrying for convenience or imprisonment. I understand that they would have to let go of their servants but would creditors also take away their possessions? (like a repossession now). What would this gentleman of title have to do in order to avoid imprisonment and still be able to manage without having to sell his ancestral estate?

    Thank you

    – Chelle

    
    
    • on October 17, 2009 at 14:26 Vic

      Many novels have been written on this topic! A gentleman could look for a rich bride. If he could not find one of his own class, he might court a wealthy merchant’s daughter or look abroad to the heiresses in America. Women married “up”, and thus they stood to gain a title, even if the coffers were empty. Many a rich father was willing to swap money for the title.

      Some gentlemen who gambled away their fortunes and inheritances chose to commit suicide or move abroad to the Continent, to while away their lives in exile. To lose one’s inheritance, and this did occur, was severely frowned upon. Others might sell their estate to a wealthy relative, keeping the lands within the family. There were so many approaches that one could take to “saving money” and running from one’s creditors, such as becoming a permanent house guest, and visiting one country house to the next.

      A gentleman who did not honor his gambling debts, lost his reputation, and thus he would have to pay up to his equals or superiors. As for paying a merchant, a gentleman deeply in debt would try to fob off such a person for as long as possible.

      
      
21. on October 11, 2009 at 00:21 jess

    I just wanted to say thank you for putting all of this information here. It’s fascinating and I may never leave. I read Sense and Sensibility when I was younger, and while I loved it, I didn’t really get certain situations. I have just recently returned to Jane to read Emma, and now that I’m older, the desire to really understand what I’m reading is great. This site is proving to be very enlightening. Many, many thanks!

    – Jess

    
    
    • on October 17, 2009 at 14:27 Vic

      You are so very welcome. Thank you for the compliments.

      
      
22. on October 30, 2009 at 15:13 Useful and Interesting Background « Introduction to Women's Literature

    […] ever want to know about Jane Austen’s times, written in a scholarly but fun manner, here is a blog you can check […]

    
    
23. on February 2, 2010 at 10:11 Tracey

    You have a really great website. I came across it while I was doing a Google search for regency period costume. It is very informative and asthetically beautiful.

    Tracey B.

    
    
    • on February 20, 2010 at 13:40 Vic

      A belated thank you, Tracey.

      
      
24. on March 8, 2010 at 17:55 Kerstin

    Hi there. I have recently discovered this website. The information is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing.

    If I want to add you to my list of works consulted for my essay, how do I find the author name, name of the sponsor of the site, the date of publication or last update??

    Thank you so much for your help!

    Kerstin

    
    
    • on April 4, 2010 at 14:16 Vic

      Please email me. This information is sent privately.

      
      
25. on March 13, 2010 at 11:30 The Secret Dreamworld of a Jane Austen Fan » Blog Archive » Just a couple of links

    […] I just wanted to post a couple of great links. First one to Social Customs During the Regency Era […]

    
    
26. on March 31, 2010 at 15:34 Lily

    Thank you for a wonderful website, Vic. As a lover of Jane Austen, I’ve been exploring the wealth of information here for awhile. I have a question, however, that I have not yet seen addressed.

    How wealthy was Mr. Knightley, and how much wealthier would he have been after his marriage to Emma? The novel speaks of his refusal to keep a carriage horse and his lack of ready money. On the other hand, he is considered a slight cut above the Hartfield family, with even Emma, an heiress with 30,000 pounds, considered lucky by some to catch him.

    Did Jane Austen intend Mr. Knightley’s economies to be a reflection of his serious and responsible nature (i.e., he’d rather pour the money into his estates & tenants rather than fuss with shows of status such as a carriage). Or was she showing him to be not so very wealthy? I would guess he’d be below Mr. Darcy’s 10,000 per year, but above Mr. Bennett’s and Colonel Brandon’s 2,000 a year, but where in that range?

    And then my follow up question: just how much would his alliance with Emma enrich him? Emma would add 30,000 pounds to their wealth, but would he also expect to be enriched by any inheritance from Mr. Woodhouse to Emma?

    Lily

    
    
    • on April 4, 2010 at 14:15 Vic

      Lily,

      Thank you for your compliment. Mr. Knightley’s land outstrips the Woodhouse’s. Hartfield, second to Donwell Abbey, sits on Donwell Abbey land. But the fortunes of the Knightleys and Woodhouses are just about equal, due to income that Mr. Woodhouse receives from other sources.

      “The landed property of Hartfield certainly was inconsiderable, being but a sort of notch in the Donwell Abbey estate, to which all the rest of Highbury belonged; but their fortune, from other sources, was such as to make them scarcely secondary to Donwell Abbey itself, in every other kind of consequence – Emma, Ch 16”

      Mr. Knightley’s responsibility towards his land and people weigh heavily on him, and he does not do anything for show. This passage from JASA’s site describes Donwell Abbey:

      “Donwell Abbey is fruitful, providing physical as well as spiritual nourishment for the community it serves. Donwell in fact is a representation of an ideal world best summed up in Emma’s thoughts…

      It was a sweet view – sweet to the eye and the mind. English verdure, English culture, English comfort, seen under a sun bright, without being oppressive. (P360)”
      
      Mr. Knightley sacrifices much in moving to Hartfield for Mr. Woodhouse’s sake. Jane Austen later told Cassandra that Mr. Woodhouse died two years after the wedding, so that Emma and her Mr. Knightley did get to live on the great estate fairly soon after all.

      Here is a link to a post I wrote on the topic of Emma’s marriage prospects.

      
      
27. on April 16, 2010 at 12:42 Joan

    Hi,

    First of all I’d like to thank you so much for this amazing site, I found it very interesting and fascinating, and although I haven’t read all of the resources here I intend to do so asap!

    I have some question that I’ve been trying to do research on (using the internet) but couldn’t find any answers. I’m hoping you might know something about this: in the early 1800s, is it common or surprising that a young man from a wealthy family (let’s say his father was made a Baronet) decided to become an advocate (i.e. lawyer)? If no how much typically does a (good) lawyer earn in those days (as in would that exceed the normal ‘allowance’ given to them)? and do they work like the barristers nowadays? As in do they have to go into ‘office’ everyday or can they just work at home?

    Sorry, I know it’s a lot of questions but I’ve been trying to find out the answer for quite a while now to no prevail…

    Thanks so much and please keep this great site going! =)

    Thanks,
    Joan

    
    
    • on April 25, 2010 at 02:32 Vic

      Joan, I don’t know much about this topic. I have provided a few links to get you started:

      The profession developed slowly and by the mid-1500s in England two distinct types of lawyers had appeared, actually creating two branches of the profession, which are still operating today: barristers and solicitors. A barrister is roughly equivalent to a trial lawyer and though a solicitor may appear in a lower court, he or she mainly advises clients and prepares cases for barristers to present in higher courts. But there was a natural conflict built into their class system. On the one hand, only people of the upper classes could afford to be educated well enough to practice law but it was thought to be beneath members of those classes to practice a profession at all. One should, in those days, have sufficient inherited income or income from property to have a secure livelihood without having a profession.” History

      Find a description of a lawyer/barrister in this link, who was intimately acquainted with the Prince Regent.

      
      
28. on May 7, 2010 at 02:19 Karen

    Just to say thank you for allowing to subscribe to this fantastic site. I stumbled upon when I was trying to research embroidery Jane may have done. I am very much looking forward to spending some time browsing all of the subjects here! Thank you in advance, everyone, for all of the information and hard work that has been done to create this extraordinary place for Jane.

    
    
    • on May 13, 2010 at 09:26 Vic

      You are very welcome.

      
      
      • on August 23, 2012 at 18:13 Joyce

        Hello Vic, I wanted to bring to your attention a very old Pride and Prejudice movie on Streampix, which is part of Xfinity. It stars Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson as D’Arcy and Elizabeth. The reason for this email is to let you know that the costumes in this movie, made in the 1940’s are not even close to the correct Regency style. As an Austen devotee, I thought that I would being this to your attention and perhaps you would like to comment. The military uniforms seem to be accurate, however the women’s costumes are beyond description with balloon sleeves and huge bonnets. Men’s costumes seem accurate, however.

        
        
29. on May 20, 2010 at 13:11 Norma

    Hi!

    I love this site!! Thank you so much for providing it to all of us of this shared interest. I think it’s going to be of great value to any topic I want to learn of!

    Right now I’m doing some research about heritage and inheritance in Jane’s era and I was wondering if you knew or knew where I’d find out if the eldest son of the family was adopted and the second son was born of the father and mother, would the adopted son still inherit the estate?

    Thanks for your time and input!~

    
    
    • on July 24, 2010 at 11:08 Vic

      It depends on the will, of course, and how it was written, but one imagines that fortunes and titles are reserved for heirs who are genetically closest to the family, and that such provisions would be stipulated. If they are not, and if the will is unassailable, I imagine that the adopted son’s claim would prevail.

      
      
30. on June 4, 2010 at 20:48 janice keltz

    what would happen if some went through the legal proceedings for an arranged marriage and then decided or needed to back out of it? is it something that needed to go to court or see a lawyer about?

    
    
    • on July 24, 2010 at 11:25 Vic

      A gentleman was not allowed to back out of an engagement. If he did, his reputation was toast.

      There would be financial consequences if the legalities had been arranged and one side was not happy with the breakup of the relationship and was relying on the incoming cash.

      If both sides agreed, there would be no difficulty.

      
      
31. on June 9, 2010 at 20:35 Andrea

    I came across this site, and have it bookmarked for any future references I might require. It’s a fantastic site that should prove very helpful.

    One question I have is how the Regency society viewed foreign, nonwhite individuals. As an example, say an individual of high ranking in Indian society during the Regency were to travel to England. How would he be perceived and treated by English society?

    Thank you so much for any help you can provide!

    ~Andrea

    
    
    • on July 24, 2010 at 10:52 Vic

      I think that high ranking individuals were viewed as exotic and were given all the respect they were due, but that most, including the rich nabobs who returned from India flush in the pocket, were not regarded as having the same social status as those who were born in Great Britain. There was an attitude of cultural imperialism, and that the English ruled the world in more ways than one.

      Take early 20th century boxer Jack Johnson. While this black man might have attained great success in his profession, woebetide him for consorting with white women. http://www.pbs.org/unforgivableblackness/rebel/

      
      
      • on December 6, 2010 at 09:19 Capucine

        “including the rich nabobs who returned from India flush in the pocket, were not regarded as having the same social status as those who were born in Great Britain.”

        A nabob was a Briton who had made his fortune in India. Usually he would have been born in Britain and left to make his fortune. In general he was not regarded of the highest class because he had been in trade.

        So it’s not an answer concerning how Indians or other non-Europeans would have been treated.

        
        
32. on July 3, 2010 at 13:27 sophie

    hi i hate this site it did not help me !!!!!!!
    i am very angry

    
    
    • on July 9, 2010 at 22:40 Vic

      Oh, dear.

      
      
33. on July 7, 2010 at 05:19 deep

    hi…. please suggest me what to write in an essay of the social background of Jane Austen.

    
    
    • on July 9, 2010 at 22:41 Vic

      Simply Google the topic and all sorts of interesting topics pop up.

      
      
34. on July 25, 2010 at 20:54 Charles Bazalgette

    Prinny’s Taylor – the Life of Louis Bazalgette, Tailor to George, Prince of Wales

    http://chasbaz.posterous.com/

    I have been researching the life of Louis Bazalgette for about 15 years now. I have almost completed the first draft of his biography, which I hope to publish next year. The blogs on this site are partly extracts from the book and partly different angles on Louis and his relationship with the Prince, which may of course end up in the book too.

    Louis is completely unknown and the fact that he was Prinny’s tailor for 32 years is unrecorded in any book that I have seen. This is a good thing for me, as the material is mostly very fresh, and hopefully will be new and intriguing to those who are interested in Prinny and in Georgian London

    
    
35. on August 3, 2010 at 18:15 Olivia

    This website is an absolute gem! I’ve just started research for a Regency novel I plan to write and I can’t tell you how this has helped me.

    I’m curious, how old was a gentleman when he began/ended university in the Regency?

    
    
36. on August 3, 2010 at 18:40 Charles Bazalgette

    I’m sure you will see a more expert answer, but since a gentleman went to a public school and they didn’t have GCSE exams etc, he would most likely enter university earlier than now. For example, one of my relatives, born 1801 entered Balliol College, Oxford in 1818 – aged 17. He got his BA in 1822 and MA in 1825. So if they joined earlier they might stay at university longer, depending on how far their studies took them. If you check obituaries in periodicals like the Gentleman’s Magazine (e.g. in Google Books) you will see more examples I’m sure.

    
    
37. on September 1, 2010 at 13:23 Leetid

    I am loving this website!!!! Finding out so much information that need to help start writing regency era romances.

    Thanks for the brilliant links and info.

    
    
38. on September 5, 2010 at 22:46 Yaskara

    Greetings!

    Oh my God, I absolutely loved your website! Amazed of this much information. I live in Brazil but since a child I felt in love for the Regency times and costumes (thanks to the novels lol), but never was able to find good material to read. So thank you very much!

    
    
39. on September 28, 2010 at 17:29 Elizabeth

    Hi:

    I was interested in learning why the prejudice against Elizabeth’s relations? One of them is an attorney which I thought a noble profession. Can anyone answer?

    
    
40. on October 2, 2010 at 13:29 Bella

    This site is soooooo helpful. It has been a great help for my writing ( I’m writing a book and most of the story takes place in the Regency Era). Thanl you so much.

    
    
41. on November 22, 2010 at 04:49 Dee Doherty

    Can anyone tell me about law enforcement during the Austen years? Also did illegitimate children have any rights to inheritance? I am also curious to know if Georgiana in P & P would inherit anything?
    Loving this site!
    Dee

    
    
42. on November 25, 2010 at 15:44 lc

    Thank you for creating this wonderful site! It is an excellent resource for me; I have writing an AP Literature term paper on PP and SS.

    
    
43. on December 21, 2010 at 01:12 Stephanie

    I love your site. I used to volunteer and sat on the board of an historical house museum, Tate House 1754, Maine and we did a very spare house. In Puritan New England there were no holidays like Christmas – they wouldn’t set a date to it, and excessive decorating was not the thing. But entertaining was big, as was courting and weddings as it was a time families might be together.

    Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust
    email: steph@fangswandsandfairydust.com
    twitter: @fangswandsfairy

    
    
44. on December 27, 2010 at 17:24 Nora

    Hi, just wanted to drop a line and say that I adore this website. Any info I’d previously learned about Regency times came sporadically from novels and a few books available to me. When I stumbled upon this site I fangasmed over how HUGE and beautifully put together it is. The only downside is there’s not enough hours in my day to drool over all the info! Keep up the awesome work!

    
    
45. on January 3, 2011 at 02:15 Regency Terms: Introduction « Angelyn's Blog

    […] https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/ this marvelous(!) site could not be more comprehensive. […]

    
    
46. on February 7, 2011 at 11:53 Theresa Mckay

    Great website and very useful! I love the Regency era. By the way, I see you have mentioned the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Did you know that it is the oldest operating theatre in the world, and therefore one of the most important in the English-speaking world?

    Thanks again for the site.

    
    
    • on February 9, 2011 at 12:50 Vic

      I agree with you, Theresa. Drury Lane is so important. Thank you for stopping by.

      
      
47. on February 13, 2011 at 03:28 Clare

    Is there any way I can get a digital copy of the picture with the regency women walking along the path and across the bridge at the top of the page?

    I’d love to get it printed and made into a laminated poster, it’s a beautiful picture.

    Thanks!

    
    
    • on February 18, 2011 at 11:05 Vic

      Hi Clare. I had the image photoshopped for me, and it is not of high enough quality to blow up to poster size. So sorry! Vic

      
      
48. on March 28, 2011 at 15:52 Fairy King

    Carli…

    
    
49. on March 30, 2011 at 16:30 Erin

    Can you explain to me what the big deal was with “connections” in P&P?

    
    
50. on April 21, 2011 at 21:51 Sharon

    Hi, I love this site, but I do have a few questions.
    (I’m trying to write a book based around the Regency Era)
    I’ve done some research and can conclude that “siblings-siblings” marriages were acceptable; is that right? Can two sisters marry two brothers from another unrelated family? Also, is a marriage between a woman who is slightly (by less than a year or several months) older than the man an unacceptable marriage?
    I would really appreciate it if you could help me with those questions (: !
    Great site!

    
    
51. on May 23, 2011 at 20:54 Kristi Thetford

    Thank you for sharing all this wonderful info about the Regency Era, as well as Jane Austin. I have utilized some of the information you have included to make some childrens clothing that remind me very much of this era. Some is available on Etsy. Thanks again!

    
    
52. on May 28, 2011 at 17:31 Regency customs | Greenvaluereport

    […] Social Customs During The Regency Era « Jane Austen’s WorldTo learn about Regency customs and life from the people who actually lived in the era, please visit the Original Sources page on top of this blog. You will find many of the resources you are seeking there. […]

    
    
53. on June 11, 2011 at 18:13 Penny

    What a wonderful site! Thank you for all the hard work that must have gone into creating this delightful Austin interlude! I found this site while trying to research information pertaining to English identity laws during the Regency period. No luck yet. Can you answer my questions or point me in the correct direction to find the answers to:

    If a male child, son of an Earl, disappeared, presumed dead, and then showed up again in his late 20’s, how would he go about proving his identity, and how would he claim his inheritance? Father is now dead and uncle is now Earl. Any help you could give me on this would be GREATLY appreciated!

    And please keep this site going!

    
    
54. on June 22, 2011 at 17:12 ladylavinia1932

    I hate to point this out, but I spotted some errors in Tracy Mark’s article, “Social Classes, Money, and Servants in Austen’s Society”. She said this about the Bennets in “Pride and Prejudice”:

    [“The Bennets are lower gentry, or “pseudo-gentry” since they don’t own their land or house, and their income depends entirely on one breadwinner. They will drop to lower class after Mr. Bennet dies unless their daughters marry into wealth. Mr. Bennet’s inheritance was entailed – not passed directly to him but passed on from generation to generation only through male heirs. Since he has no sons, it will pass to the closest male heir – Mr. Collins.”]

    Mr. Bennet is a landowner, a member of the gentry (lower class or otherwise) and a member of the British upper classes. He is the owner of the Longburn estate. However, due to the entail, he cannot pass the estate to his daughters. This is also the case for many other members of the upper classes – including aristocrats like the Earl of Grantham in “DOWNTOWN ABBEY” and other untitled members of the gentry.

    As the daughters of Mr. Bennet, they will remain in the same class that they were born into – namely the upper class, regardless of their income upon his death.

    This is Regency England we’re talking about. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, as long as you come from an old family that has ties to an estate. Which is exactly the case for the Bennet family (aside from Mrs. Bennet, who comes from the middle classes).

    [“Mr. Bingley is “nouveau riche” upper gentry, soon to become a landowner. The Bingleys inherited money made in trade in northern England – probably the Yorkshire cotton mills. Miss Bingley’s snobbery is an attempt to deny her lower respectability as as a result of her family’s background in trade. She is eager for her brother to purchase an estate and become landed gentry.”]

    Mr. Bingley IS NOT a member of of the “upper gentry”. He is not even a member of the gentry or the upper class. He is “trade”. And regardless of his income, a member of the middle classes. Jane Bennet comes from a higher class, despite her father’s lower income. The only way Mr. Bingley is going to become a member of the upper class is to purchase an estate and get rid of all of his financial ties to the way he earns his income – namely his factories.

    
    
    • on June 22, 2011 at 23:05 Vic

      Thank you for your assessment! I will reread the article and remove it if so much of it is wrong. Vic

      
      
55. on July 14, 2011 at 15:31 Persuasion (July Discussion) | Bossard Booklovers

    […] Social Customs During the Regency Era (Jane Austen’s World) […]

    
    
56. on September 23, 2011 at 13:21 bron

    Hi
    I am a huge Jane fan and reread her books probably once or twice a year. What I am fascinated with, although it may cause a blush in some, is the sex education of the time. Ive looked for information about whether the girls were prepared for what happened on their wedding nights, or even if the boys were and I cant seem to find anything. There was tons of erotic literature back then, but would any of them have been able to read any of it and understand what was happening to them? Did mothers/governesses have conversations about what was required of them and how they would fall pregnant? Was a woman even ‘allowed’ to enjoy her sexuality back then or was it strictly a mating ritual and something for men to enjoy? Im so curious about this as its a topic that seems to be avoided in favour of love in most classics.
    Bron

    
    
    • on October 1, 2011 at 12:52 Vic

      Bron, If you are a college student, your university library probably has access to the journals in Project Muse. Try this source: http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/studies_in_eighteenth_century_culture/v037/37.agin.html

      The Voltaire Foundation also suggests a book: http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/www_vf/default.ssi

      Let’s face it, women shared their knowledge with each other. They probably saw the sights of animals copulating in the country or of a woman giving birth. In fact, most women acted as assistants for female neighbors, friends and family during the birthing process. One gets the sense that the Victorians and Edwardians had hang-ups about sex and discussing the topic, but I would say that the Georgian and Regency eras had a more matter-of-fact and earthier approach.

      As with women today, some knew more than others and some enjoyed the act more than others – it depended on their personalities and upbringing. As for access to books, that depended on the father, who probably had control over the books in his library. Young ladies were rather restricted in their education, so that, yes, they would not have much access to erotic literature, but they did view the naked statues and nudes in paintings, which were prevalent, and they did discuss intimate matters among each other. Would they have learned about sex as a young girl from their male relatives? I doubt it.

      Contemporary literature (Tom Jones and Moll Flanders come to mind) demonstrates that young boys were initiated into the joys of sex by harlots or older lusty women. Jane Austen certainly knew about Tom Jones, and Hogarth’s prints about A Harlot’s Progress were widespread. Clarissa, Samuel Richardson’s novel about a heroine’s rape, was hugely popular. Again, would a father have allowed his daughter to read these novels? That depended upon the individual.

      I hope this helps. Vic

      
      
57. on October 19, 2011 at 12:36 Bas de Groot

    Just a short question: although the catalogue of links and articles is impressive (I peruse them quite often, and always find something new and interesting), I wondered why there was no category about the military and the Napoleonic Wars, considering the fact that these played quite a large role in everyday Regency life for the span of over 20 years.
    Just wondering, no negative comment implied.
    All the best,
    Bas

    
    
    • on October 19, 2011 at 12:38 Bas de Groot

      As you were, found it under ‘History’. Belay that last comment there ;-)

      
      
58. on November 3, 2011 at 05:37 Moira

    Hello! I wonder that you might be able to answer a question for me. Do you know if JA makes any any reference to birthday celebrations in any of her novels (I can recall none)? Or in the Regency era in general? I am at a loss as to whether or not folks in the Regency era celebrated birthdays, and in particular those of children? Thank you kindly!

    
    
    • on May 17, 2013 at 12:54 Vic

      There were no celebrations like the ones we celebrate today, as far as I know. That there would be a remembrance, some special cake, or a toy, most likely occurred in the upper classes. Perhaps a lower class child might receive a candy or some small favor.

      
      
59. on December 4, 2011 at 22:05 Whit

    I looked under “Pets” but could not find what I was searching for. I wanted to know if dogs and cats were viewed differently in Regency England than now? That is, did people see them as companions who stay inside the home?

    
    
    • on May 17, 2013 at 12:56 Vic

      Yes and no. Working dogs did serious work, and cats were mousers. But Lady Bertram in Mansfield Park treasured her pug, and there were gentlemen who favored certain dogs and hounds. The lower classes had no extra resources to feed pets. I think, like today, those who had the means kept pets, those who didn’t thought about them as ulitarian companions.

      
      
60. on January 14, 2012 at 18:29 arlette

    About the question of Rape or Incest. What was the penalty for the that, against the one that was being accused, espically in the upper class.

    
    
    • on May 17, 2013 at 13:02 Vic

      If an upper class gentleman raped a woman, there would likely be no consequence. A married man could rape his wife, for she had no legal rights in the marital bed. A man who raped an upper class lady – now that was another story. He would be hanged. As for incest, this was taboo. The individuals would be ostracized. Keep in mind that marriage between first cousins was allowed, especially among the aristocracy.

      
      
61. on January 22, 2012 at 18:54 Eileen

    Superb writing and collection of links! Thank you.

    I know it’s a difficult topic to research, but I would like to know more about knitting for the leisured classes.

    I am a knitter (and prefer early 20th century patterns and styles as a rule) and so far as I know there are few, if any published Regency patterns available. Would a few of these been included in the pattern publications of the time? Perhaps lace knitting, or shawls?

    
    
62. on April 21, 2012 at 22:30 Mark

    A popular form of entertainment in the Regency was the charade, a type of rhyming riddle. These were popular at gatherings and appeared in magazines, books, and on the folding fans carried by the ladies at the time. Readers may be familiar with the role that these riddles played in Jane Austen’s novel Emma. Please feel free to visit my blog devoted to Regency charades: praytellme.blogspot.com.

    
    
    • on April 21, 2012 at 22:41 Vic

      Thank you, Mark. I placed the link on Facebook as well.

      
      
63. on May 16, 2012 at 14:29 Margaret Fell

    I recently read a murder mystery taking place roughly during the Regency, in which the culprit was the earl’s heir… thru the female line. But wouldn’t it have to be strictly thru some male line, even if a cadet one? Wouldn’t even one female in the line of descent for that person invalidate him as heir?

    
    
    • on September 8, 2012 at 17:55 Vic

      Not necessarily. If the heir was adopted and took on the earl’s name and if the succession allowed this, then it would be possible.

      
      
64. on June 5, 2012 at 13:43 simplecherishes

    You have been nominated for 2 awards! http://simplecherishes.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/receiving-gratefully-the-very-inspiring-blogger-and-one-lovely-blog-awards/

    ~ Warm regards from http://simplecherishes.wordpress.com/

    
    
65. on September 8, 2012 at 17:40 Whit

    I am curious about attitudes towards corsets during pregnancy and pregnancy fashion in the 18th Century in general? Did women let out dresses throughout the course of the pregnancy or did they share maternity clothing among themselves? Greatly appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.

    
    
    • on September 8, 2012 at 17:49 Vic

      18th century women let out their corsets. Clothes were certainly recycled, especially among the middle classes and lower gentry. Here are a few links: https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/baby-jane-austens-first-two-yearshappy-235th-birthday-jane/

      and http://larsdatter.com/18c/maternity.html

      The high-waisted gowns presented fewer problems than the tight gowns of the early Georgian and Victorian eras.

      Here is an image of a wanton turned out of doors, 1796: http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l35/TondaFuller/DiligenceDissipation1796.jpg

      This image shows pregnant female servants: http://lwlimages.library.yale.edu/walpoleweb/oneitem.asp?imageId=lwlpr03847

      Good luck! Vic

      
      
66. on January 23, 2013 at 17:29 sarahel17

    Did men usually go straight to a university after they finished their primary education or did they typically wait a few years? Also, did they finish their primary education at age eighteen as we do now, or were they younger/older?

    Oh, and wonderful site by the way. I’m working on a story and this has helped tremendously!

    
    
    • on May 17, 2013 at 12:52 Vic

      This question is so complex that it is hard to answer. Older sons went on a Grand Tour to polish off and round out their education. Younger sons needed to find employment. For the upper classes and gentry this meant the clergy, military, or some refined employment such as a physician or law degree. There were distinctions – a middle class lawyer and a surgeon were lower down the social scale than an upper class physician. If a younger son had no income, he would typically have to find employment right away or go to university to acquire the necessary skills.

      
      
67. on January 30, 2013 at 17:36 Christina G.

    Hi!
    I’m doing some research on blindness and blind individuals during the regency period. Is there a place where I can look up information on this topic? I’m looking mainly for information as to whether there were special facitilites (asylums) blind individuals were sent to. Also trying to find out if blind individuals were considered “competent” to handle their own affairs or if they had to have family or a caregiver take care of matters for them.

    Thanks in advance!

    
    
68. on January 30, 2013 at 17:53 Charles Bazalgette

    Christina, you mighty ask Joanna Waugh at http://www.joannawaugh.blogspot.ca/
    Her novel ‘Blind Fortune’ implies she may have some knowledge that will help you.

    
    
69. on March 15, 2013 at 02:39 Vintage-inspired weddings this spring | The Dress Revolution

    […] empire waistline for wedding gowns this season is modelled after the Jane Austen era in the early 1800’s. This season’s empire waist is complimented with either a halter top or […]

    
    
70. on May 3, 2013 at 16:25 Kat, Incorrigible, by Stephanie Burgis (book review) – magic, manners | BooksYALove

    […] for the well-to-do who have little of importance to do. Jane Austen’s works set in this time period tell us of love, family, and social custom. Manners and lovely clothes are a must in this era, but […]

    
    
71. on May 23, 2013 at 02:02 Rachel's blog » 05 Bibliography

    […] Web. https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/ […]

    
    
72. on June 9, 2013 at 22:37 Patricia in OR

    question: were there or were there not socially “acceptable” (usually VERY rich) black people in Austen society? People who would be unquestioningly asked to Assembly Balls? much discussion going on about the May “behind the scenes” BBC documentary going on here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1yWRbyRX7Y&feature=youtu.be&t=01 and I can’t find doc. Although I’m very sure I’ve seen a different BBC documentary several years ago about an Austen period “house party” that included at least one black, VERY wealthy Caribbean heiress, very fashionable to have at your event, was the impression I got. thx much!

    
    
    • on June 16, 2013 at 20:56 Vic

      I don’t know of many, but I will give you four names, two gentlemen and two ladies: Ignatius Sancho, the protege of the Duke and Duchess of Montagu, and Olaudah Equiano, educated in schools aboard warships.

      The two women are Jean-Etienne Liotard and Dido Elizabeth Belle, born about 1761, was the daughter of a Royal Navy captain and a woman who was likely a slave. She became the ward of the Earl of Mansfield and was educated with her cousin, Lady Elizabeth.

      You can look up their histories online. I do recall the Regency house party you alluded to, but if I remember, this lady did not get very far with the gentlemen in the party. Good luck!

      
      
73. on June 16, 2013 at 20:59 Vic

    Sadly I have stopped allowing comments due to spammers. I want this blog to be a safe place for you to visit. You can still share information via the sharing buttons and show your approval via likes. Vic

    
    

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