One of my favorite books to revisit when I’m trying to imagine Georgian England is Gretchen Gerzina’s BLACK LONDON. There are many free blacks from the era with whom some of us may be familiar: Francis Barber, Ignatius Sancho, Olaudah Equiano, Elizabeth “Dido” Belle, Jonathan Strong, Ukawsaw Gronniosaw. There is also the ever present black groom, footman, and page who are seen in art and mentioned commonly in letters and printed sources. What interests me most though is the thriving community of free blacks that clearly populated London. There were Africans sent directly by their families to England to learn English (mostly to further trade). There were shopkeepers, clerks, athletes, and musicians (LOTS of musicians!). Much of what we know about this community comes, sadly, not directly from them, but from their being mentioned in the news or by racists complaining about them. I’m going to quote directing from BLACK LONDON here (p.24):
Portrait possibly of Francis Barber, attributed either to James Northcote or Sir Joshua Reynolds
“A newspaper article from 1764 refers to ‘no less than 57 [black] men and women’ who held a party filled with music at a Fleet Street pub. Dozens of black people sat in the gallery at the famous Somerset suit in 1772, and hundreds celebrated afterwards at a Westminster pub…[Philip Thicknesse] complained in 1778 that, ‘London abounds with an incredible number of these black men, who have clubs to support those who are out of place.’ In other words, not only must a viable communal network have existed, but it could be quickly and effectively mobilized for the purposes of social and political action, even at a time when their political clout seemed non-existent.”
So, when picturing Georgian London, remember black Londoners existed then as now, not in isolation, but in relation to one another and to the community at large.
Do you find mid-January kind of bleak? The holidays are over, and I always feel a bit of a let-down. Putting away the decorations and what-have-you isn’t as fun as getting them out. Even the leftovers are usually all eaten up by now. (This year ours aren’t, yet, but that’s a different story.) As Charlie Brown might say, “Bleh.” But there are some good book deals out there this month, plus we’re not far from February now, the biggest month of the year for romance!
If you are looking for something new to read and you don’t mind reading “sweet” historicals, then check out this group of romances on special offer until January 20. You can find them here.
I think many of us here at the Riskies are on deadlines or involved in major projects presently. We are also, as we have been for the past year, pondering the future of this blog. Readership has definitely fallen off, but several of the regular Riskies have not been able to post this year and the rest of us haven’t been able to fill in with extra posts, for the most part. So there have been fewer posts to offer. Is that the reason for the fall-off, or is it just that blogs are less popular now than they used to be, before Twitter, Instagram, and so much else came along? I would guess it’s both….
At any rate, we are still here for now, and even if we decide to discontinue the blog at some point later this year, we don’t want the fabulous archive of all the past posts to disappear. We will certainly keep you posted if we decide to make changes.
In the meantime, happy mid-January, and happy reading! This is the very BEST time of year to curl up with a good story, the best antidote to the blah’s that I know of. What’s your favorite way to deal with mid-winter? Are you still here reading the blog?
New Year’s Eve has come and gone, and here we are, already three days into the new year. If you were hoping to increase your chances for a lucky year, it’s too late now for most of the folk lore and practices you might have tried!
The Risky Regencies blog has been around since 2005, so we have covered a lot of January beginnings by now. If you’re in the mood, scroll down through our archives list and pick some early January posts at random. Some themes are recurring –for instance, making resolutions for the new year, which Regency people seem to have done just as we do today. But some of the other old customs seem to have fallen by the wayside. In January of 2016 my post included quite a few gathered from a variety of cultures.
Just for fun, below is an excerpt from my 2018 December release, Lord of Misrule. The main characters are traveling on New Year’s Eve and must spend the night at an inn. Nevertheless, they make an attempt to honor a few old customs. How did you spend your New Year’s Eve? Did you try to follow any old practices to influence your year ahead?
“Tell me, what would you all have been doing to celebrate the new year in Little Macclow if I had not spirited you away?” Lord Forthhurst said, introducing a new line of conversation.
“Oh, playing
cards or charades, roasting chestnuts, singing or dancing, teasing each other
with puzzles and riddles to try our brains,” said Lady Anne.
“Dining on
plum puddings and mince pies. Listening for the peal of the bells to tell us
the new year has begun,” the Squire added.
“We might
have been entertaining any visitors in a similar manner,” Miss Tamworth said.
She had resumed her seat and turned her unfathomable blue eyes on him. “I had
considered asking you to be our midnight caller.”
“The old
first-footer custom?” He knew no one who followed it. Mostly it was practiced
up in the northern counties and Scotland.
Still, he was flattered. The first person to step into a house after the stroke
of midnight was supposed to bring luck and set the tone for a good and
prosperous year. He doubted he was a likely candidate for any such thing. “I am
honored, but why in heaven’s name would you ask me?”
“Oh, just
because it is considered much luckier if the visitor is a handsome man.” She
shrugged, her tone utterly off-handed.
He looked for
any sign that she was flirting. Catching her eye, he tested her with a devilish
grin. “Ah, so you admit that you find me handsome?”
Her frank,
clear gaze seemed perfectly in earnest. “I needn’t admit it–I say so quite
freely, Lord Forthhurst. It is simply a fact about you, one that must be
obvious to anyone with eyes. …”
…“’Tis a
shame you’ll not have the opportunity to be first-footer at the vicarage, Lord
Forthhurst,” Squire said, rescuing him from having to respond. “The vicar
serves a very tasty punch on New Year’s Eve that I suspect you would like. It
has rendered many a visitor barely able to make his way home again after
indulging.”
“That sounds
quite wicked for a vicar. Indeed, I am sorry to forego both the honor and the
pleasure.”
A short while later,
they decide to leave their private parlor to join in the revelry downstairs in
the public room.
“I think we
should all go down and celebrate the new year’s arrival with everyone else.”
She looked pointedly at Cassie and the viscount. “Did you bring new clothes to
wear?”
“New
clothes?” Lord Forthhurst tilted his head, looking bewildered. He clearly did
not know much about country customs.
“Yes, to
bring luck and prosperity in the new year.”
“I see. I’m
afraid I did not bring any.” He sounded unconvinced.
“I did not
have any to bring,” Cassie admitted.
“Well, I have
a splendid idea how to fix that,” Lady Anne declared, her hands sweeping up
into the air. “I shall loan Cassie one of my shawls, and Squire can loan Lord
Forthhurst one of his cravats. The items will be new–to you, at least. I feel
certain that will serve. Oh, do let us get ready, and then go down.”
Belated or not, I and my sister Riskies all wish you the very best in 2020. That includes lots of happy reading!
I am the lady of this house, not an exalted country house, but a respectable one and I must not dally any further. I must prepare for Christmas, once again. It is a daunting task in this modern age – 1820. There is so much to do.
Once before I wrote about preparing for Christmas (see blog of 12/3/12). Alas, this year is no different…well, maybe slightly altered.
First I must check to see if Cook has prepared the Christmas pudding. She should have done so five days ago on Stir Up Sunday. I must discuss with her all the food we shall need for the holidays, because the rest of the family and some friends will gather here and they will stay through Twelfth Night.
I should send invitations to the families near here to come for a Christmas meal. I believe I shall have my daughter write them. She has a better hand than I. Soon it will be time to send the footmen out to gather greenery and we must hang a ball of mistletoe to generate some excitement during the party.
Then there are gifts to purchase. I shall make a list and have my husband’s people purchase them in London and send them to me here. Amazon, the butler in our London town house will see to it. And I must exert myself to embroider some handkerchiefs for everyone, because that is the sort of generous person I am.
Speaking of generous, we will also make up baskets of food for those less fortunate than we. I am certain the kitchen staff and maids might take an afternoon away from their duties to assist in filling the baskets. My dh, Lord P–, and I will, of course deliver them to the families. It will take the better part of the day.
It is such a busy time! What are you doing to prepare for the holidays??
I know one thing you can do. You can purchase my scribbling friend Darlene Gardner’s latest Christmas Romance, The Christmas Cupid. It is set 200 years in the future (2019), but I am certain you will love it.
Now I shall lie down for a bit. All this planning has quite exhausted me.
If you do a Google search on “ghost sites london”, guess how many hits you can get? About 31.4 MILLION!! Needless to say, I am not going to claim that I went through all of those in putting together this post. But I am aware that London is considered one of the most haunted places on the planet, and as it is such a central location in our Regency world, I thought a quick visit on the blog might be appropriate for the day after Halloween in the U.S., or “All Saints” in the Christian Church.
The Spaniards Inn, with the old turnpike toll house across the road from it
PUBS: Old pubs are everywhere in the British Isles, but not all are haunted. Probably the best-known London-area “haunted pub” that pre-dates the Regency is Hampstead’s The Spaniards Inn (built c. 1585), where highwayman Dick Turpin (1705-1739) is said to hang out –pun intended –(and his horse, too). His father at one time owned it, and Dick may have been born there. One of the area’s oldest pubs, the place is so iconic it was immortalized in literature by Dickens and in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Two other ghosts are said to haunt here, one a former landlord murdered by his brother, and the other one of those seemingly ubiquitous “Ladies in White.” But I have a question: Dick Turpin is also supposed to haunt Loughton Camp in Epping Forest. Can a ghost be two places at once?
The Grenadier, Belgravia
The “soldier ghost” and the story of The Grenadier Pub, tucked away down a mews in
Belgravia/Knightsbridge supposedly date from Regency times. In 1720 the place
was an officers’ mess for the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards in the
courtyard of their barracks, but it opened as a pub named The Guardsman in 1818.
Later it was renamed more specifically to honor the Grenadier Guards’ actions
in the Battle of Waterloo. The ghost is assumed to be “Cedric,” a young
subaltern caught cheating at cards and beaten to death for it. Modern visitors
to the pub put currency on the ceiling to help pay off his debt.
Highgate’s haunted pub, The
Flask, claims to have two ghosts, one a Spanish barmaid who hung herself in
the cellar when the publican broke her heart, and the other an unidentified
Cavalier who apparently won’t give up hanging out at the bar. But this pub is
also supposed to be the site of one of the first-ever autopsies, performed
illegally in the back room on a body stolen from the nearby cemetery.
The Ten Bells Pub
The Ten Bells Pub in Spitalfields is said to be haunted, either by two victims of Jack the Ripper who were last seen there before they were killed in 1888, or perhaps also by the Ripper himself who may have imbibed there while scouting for victims. Since his identity to this day is still unconfirmed, who can say? But the pub dates to at least 1755, when it was known as the “Eight Bells” –named for the peal of Christ Church which was next door. The name was changed between 1788-1794 when the church got a new set with –you guessed it –ten bells. The pub relocated in 1851 to its present nearby location due to the construction of Commercial Street and is still noted for its Victorian flair.
The Old Queen’s Head
in Islington is yet another haunted pub, one Time Out: London calls “flamboyantly historical”. This
one claims an unidentified woman ghost and also a very active little girl ghost
who weeps, runs around in the pub and on the stairs, and slams doors. Sounds
very naughty to me! But no one seems to know who they are or why they would be
haunting the pub. Too crowded at the other haunted pubs?
THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE. Now here’s a bright spot that harks back to Regency days –well, actually, much farther back, to 1663 when the first theatre was built here. There are supposed to be several ghosts, and seeing one is supposed to be good luck for actors working here. The most famous is “The Man in Grey”, supposed to be an “18th century murder victim” by his distinctly Georgian clothing, including powdered wig, tricorn hat, cape and sword. Is he the victim whose skeleton was found inside a bricked-up passage in 1848? I do wonder how he could be when the theater was demolished in 1791, rebuilt in 1794, burned down in 1809 and rebuilt again to open in 1812. Numerous refurbishings followed. Maybe the 1848 discovery was someone else –a Regency victim? If so I’d say he had reason to haunt the place.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, reopened in 1812
Joseph Grimaldi, the so-called King of Clowns (1778-1837), is said to haunt here, although why he should I’ve only a slight idea. Much of his long career was spent at Sadler Wells and other Regency theaters. He had struggles & tragedies in his life, including the suicide of his son J.S. Grimaldi, also an actor during the Regency. But some say ghosts haunt places of either greatest happiness or sorrow. Grimaldi’s star-power was burning brightly when he performed here. Another ghost some sources mention is actor Charles Maklin, who killed a fellow actor here in an argument over a wig in 1735. Talk about artistic temperament! But wouldn’t you think the man he killed there (Thomas Hallam) would be more likely to haunt the place? I wonder if he could be the Man in Grey!!
HAUNTED HOMES: Sutton
House & Breaker’s Yard. This Tudor brick house (1535) belonging to the
National Trust (in Hackney, far enough east of the city to have survived), is said
to be haunted by “The White Lady” (how many of those there are!!) –a woman who
died there in 1574 giving birth to twins. But this site has been called “the
most haunted in London” (maybe because it’s so old?) and howling hounds and
another woman dressed in blue are also said to have made themselves known here.
Catherine Howard
Hampton Court Palace boasts a “haunted gallery” where Catherine Howard (beheaded by Henry VIII) is reputed to reenact her departure, screaming, but since she died at the Tower of London…do you think she just got tired of being where so many other ghosts were crowding in? One story says Catherine was dragged from that gallery to go to her death at the prison. Maybe she opted for the Palace rather than share space with Anne Boleyn, another of Henry’s ex-wives reputed to be a Tower ghost. However, another of Henry’s ill-fated wives is also a ghost at Hampton Court: Jane Seymour, who is said to haunt the Clock Court and the stairs to the Silver Stick Gallery. There’s also a “Lady in Grey” who has worked her spinning wheel in one of the upper palace rooms ever since the palace church was torn down.
THE TOWER OF LONDON. With six centuries of tragic and deadly history behind it, little wonder that the Tower is reputed to have numerous ghosts. Among the long list are: Anne Boleyn (as mentioned), and also Guy Fawkes, Lady Jane Grey, the two little princes, and Henry VI. The Tower has its own “Lady in White.” Another ghost is said to be Thomas à Becket, but really, I’m pretty sure there are too many possible candidates here to count.
CEMETERIES: Ghosts might be expected in a cemetery anyway, but Highgate is a huge cemetery in north London, constructed at the beginning of the Victorian era and highly fashionable in its time. The vast expense of upkeep on such a large tract led to it being abandoned in the 1960’s and then of course it became creepily overgrown and in disrepair, used for movie settings and known for hauntings. Were angry ghosts protesting? And who invited the rumored vampires? Among the notables interred here are Karl Marx and George Eliot. Since 1981 a Friends Trust has taken on the responsibility for the upkeep, and some burials still take place here. Pop musician George Michael and author Douglas Adams are buried here, for instance, but apparently aren’t haunting the place.
Brompton Cemetery and Kensal Green are other Victorian-era London cemeteries where haunts are supposed to occur. Also creepy is the West Norwood Catacombs, a Victorian underground repository full of the shelved coffins of people who did not want to be interred in swampy cemeteries with victims of the cholera epidemic. No specific reports of ghosts there, though, so apparently they were satisfied with their final resting place!
Do you believe in ghosts? Ever had a spooky experience, in London or anywhere else? London has innumerable “ghost tours” that I’m sure take in far more sites than the handful I’ve touched upon in this post. Would you go on one of those? Happy Halloween (slightly belated)!
