Travel in Jane Austen's day!

It's all too easy to imagine travel of yesteryear as a time consuming mediaeval plod, and yet, in some respects travel during the latter half of the 18th century and early 19th was expedient when it came to mail coaches, post-chaises, and private drag companies;  the latter who were paid to ply the highways and byways of Georgian Britain on commissioned travel by clients, as did private drags owned by wealthy gentlemen and the aristocracy. Strange as it may seem, many wealthy men thoroughly enjoyed driving their own conveyances equally as well as their coachmen. It was also fashionable to drive curricles (high-top ) or a low-slung Tilney. 

For example, the mail coach runs! 

Travelling by mail coach from London to Bath, the average time on the road inclusive change of four-in-hand horses every 10-15 miles was 11 hrs. The greatest contributing factor to speed was ostlers at inns, who prided themselves on fast-changeovers of horses, thus the relief team were already harnessed ready to go, and the switch of horses could and was achieved in twelve minutes or less depending on weather conditions.    

From Exeter in Devon to Hyde Park Corner: the travel time of the mail coach was 15 hrs.

Private and Post Chaise Horses required two hours of rest per forty miles driven at a more leisurely pace than that of mail coach teams.   

Lighter weight chaises with two-in-hand (pair) were capable of matching mail coaches for speed but again required an hour of rest per 20-25 miles depending on terrain.

There's a bit of a myth on the author circuit teams of horses were for hire to anyone who stopped at any inn (or horse for hire establishment) and wished to change horses and drive onward, hence that statement is factually incorrect unless the owner of said horses was familiar with the person wishing to hire one and that person had credibility. What some inns, and often as not a local smithy (blacksmith/farrier) hired out, were emergency horses with a postilion if a horse had gone lame etc., and that postilion would later return with the horse/s when the conveyance was driven to its destination. Horses were extremely valuable during the time of the Napoleonic wars, and notably in short supply due to acquisition of equines for military service to replace those killed in action or shot when need be. Horse breeders of quality equines tended to be the aristocracy, or those providing horses for the Royal Mail and coaching companies.   

All coaching companies paid dues to keep a string of teams at various coaching inns en route, and canny innkeeper's kept a few spare horses if their inn was located close to a steep hill. Brake horses were ridden to the top of steep hills when coaches were due, and before descending the hill the brake horses were attached to the rear of the coach, the postilion in a position to assist the coachman with extra brake power. Likewise on the same hill ascending, two extra horses were attached to the pole to assist the team and then unhitched on reaching the top, especially important during inclement conditions and snowfall. Some farmsteads offered the same service of brake horses, the times of coaches passing through was pretty much on schedule barring mishaps.

Snippet of earlier history: The First stagecoach started up in 1610 from Edinburgh to Lieth. During the years of the English Civil War travel by coach averaged 7-8 days from London to Exeter. But as time progressed and Charles II was restored to the throne, more coaching routes were developed and travel times were lessened with better design of coaches and the renowned Flying Machine. In the years 1667-1670 announcements were commonplace:

"All those wishing to pass from London to Bath (to take the waters) or to any other place on their road, let them repair to the Bell Savage on Ludgate Hill London and the White Lion in Bath, at both places which they may be received in a Stage Coach every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which performs the whole journey in Three Days (if God permit), and sets forth at five in the Morning.
Passengers to pay One Pound five Shillings each, who are allowed to carry 14 Pounds Weight - for all above to pay the halfpence per Pound."  

Wars involved men travelling the length and breadth of the British Isles and overseas, not least those who became mercenary soldiers in the 30 yrs war, and those who fought in the Spanish, the French, and Dutch wars within the Low Countries on the Continent.
  
Thus the distance between "Land's End" at the most southern point of England in the far southwest of Cornwall, and to "John o' Groats" at the most northerly aspect of Scotland, represents the whole length of the main island of Great Britain. By road and highway it is 874 miles (1,407 km) betwixt the two and takes modern-day cycling enthusiasts 10 to 14 days; the record for running the route is nine days. 

Not all travel by horse was taken along highways! 

Dorset Ravine

A man and horse taking more diverse routes across country via bridleways, drover roads (ravines), and along old Roman roads in the 1800s and early 1900s matched that of the cyclists of today, and  with no change of horse en route. Hence the distance between the two extreme ends of the Island of Great Britain could be achieved in less time than imagined in yesteryear Britain. 

Pack-horse Drover Bridge

Although the main Roman roads ceased at the border between England and Scotland (Hadrian's Wall), where old drove roads and bridleways had afforded relative safety for lone travellers, so too the same sense of safety was preferable to riding the main highways with the threat of highwaymen. 

Many Drover roads were ancient track-ways traversing north, south, and east across England, and to the far west across Wales. Thus riding these routes across country, and over moorland, saved valuable journey time as opposed to conventional roads and highways.  

The same feats on horseback today require long diversions due to modern road systems, many of the original tracks are long since built on, and old Roman roads such as Ermine Street/Dere Street, known today as The Great North Road on which Dick Turpin rode with his famed Black Bess, now lie beneath tarmac. 

This is part of Watling Street (Roman way)

Part of Old Watling Street -
 registered as a green lane and bridleway.

Part of the Old Foss way  

Of other Roman roads there are many, not least The Foss way (220m), and Watling Street (200m), again great stretches now major modern roads. Of famous bridleways-cum-drove roads the most famous is The Ridgeway, an ancient track-way dated pre Roman times stretching longer than 87m, which is merely the wild section running along the Ridge of the Wiltshire and Berkshire Downs, above the famous Uffington White Horse. The Ridgeway remains as a track-way from start to finish. 

Although much of a second track-way, the Inkfield Way was built upon in more modern times and all but disappeared within the Home Counties, but in 1972 by slight deviations it was re-connected to The Ridgeway, hence once again providing a route almost as its original route from the Dorset coast to East Anglia. So, all in all, travel for lone riders, even troops of soldiers, much greater distances could and were travelled along the old track-ways than the more conventional routes which traversed town to town, city to city. 

Whilst coaching inns provided provisions for travellers, so too, along these old routes were taverns and inns aplenty in small villages. It's quite astonishing to think  Oliver Cromwell's great feat of marching his army and heavy cannon from Scotland to Worcester, covering 25 miles a day (1651). This feat is well documented. Whereas his cavalry and foot marched 40-50 miles a day to catch up with and to trail Charles II's Royalist forces from Scotland to Worcester. Charles had a head start of several days, thus the mammoth feat of Cromwell's men, all told, was one of endurance riding and marching, much of it along ancient routes and the great North Road (Dere Street), and thence to engage in battle within less than twelve hours of respite. And, what is more, Cromwell's men won the Battle of Worcester. 

Map of Roman Roads traversing England.

Jane Austen's Meryton - where was it?

Before I pose the theory Jane Austen did as many authors do today, and indeed shuffled the location of Meryton and Longbourn, thus placing it a county removed, she probably did so out of politesse to relatives and friends. After all, she had numerous connections within Berkshire, not least the Leigh side of the family. She also attended a boarding school in Reading, which was markedly different than Reading of today. She no doubt made friends, some better liked than others, a quite natural consequence of boarding establishments. It was known she was fond of Windsor and Wargrave, and Windsor itself was markedly different in her day. It was much smaller and rural in extremes, aside from the castle, as were other well known market towns and villages once situated outside London and now part of Greater London. Jane was an intrepid traveller as can be seen from reading her letters, and the distance between Reading, Wargrave, and Windsor pretty much traverses Berkshire. So with that in mind, hold that thought...   

This water colour of Jane Austen was painted by her sister, Cassandra. That much we do know!

But, there are several portraits purportedly that of Jane Austen, and not one of those portraits can truly be verified with absolute surety they are that of Jane Austen. I suppose desire to see the lady's face probably inspired artists to create impressions from descriptions, and while it may seem odd to us that there is no definitive record or extensive collection of Austen family portraits thus depicting Jane and Cassandra, one has to remember portraits were jolly expensive items in her day.       

Nonetheless she has become the most admired lady authoress of contemporary fiction - yes contemporary novels set within, and penned within her own lifetime. One can only ponder what Jane would have felt if she had become as popular in her own lifetime as has been her latter literary fortune since the mid 20th century and now into the 21st century, therefore, does not the word "ecstatic" leap to mind?   

Press images to see full size.

The original Lambourne House had Stuart connections - so what did Jane think of it? 

Now to the teaser questions that have puzzled Jane Austen fans for simply ages:

a) where is Meryton and where is Longbourn situated? 

b) was it wholly fictional, or did such a place exist in her time? 

c) did she change the name to disguise the places mentioned

This is a house once situated near Bath but no longer exists, and it was two counties distant to Berkshire, but Jane probably looked upon it with some regularity when passing by on her way to or from Bath. So much of old England is gone, the landscape changed from the days of the Georgian period, but as authors today search for houses and interiors suitable for depicting the lifestyle of fictional characters, Jane probably utilised those of which she was already familiar, or those she could only admire from a distance but readily suited to her fictional families.    

Rather than beat round bushes and lengthen suspension, or mayhap stir disbelief, I'll come out and say it, for I believe she pulled the same stunt as I do within my novels. by locating houses in differing places and changing the names. 

Is it not likely Jane Austen swapped the setting of Longbourn from Berkshire to Hertfordshire, thus she protected the occupants of the house she had used as inspiration for Longbourn. She had family connections within Berkshire, knew it extremely well. Perhaps mini anagrams exist and one day a clever person will unravel a puzzle Jane posed as a teaser game - find Meryton you'll discover Longbourn, or vice versa.     

Windsor was estimated at 24 miles + from London in Jane's time ,  and Jane was not only acquainted with Windsor (fond of it and the castle), she had resided in Reading as a boarder (school), and stayed in Wargrave, all three places on several main coaching routes to Bath, Gloucester, and Holyhead. Her family connections in the county cannot be denied. Aside from which, numerous country houses and estate parkland she would have seen and probably paid visit to on occasion, many vanished (demolished) to make way for modern  rebuilds or municipal housing in later times, plus modern post WWII housing estates were built in and around original parkland and grounds of former glorious houses, often the original estate's name then utilised for road names in like to example: Manor Hill Drive, Manor Hill Crescent, Manor Hill Terrace.      

Add the extra snippets, how at fifteen years of age she wrote an account of history. It was a tad satirical and amusing, but she revealed a great and abiding interest and affection for the Stuarts - Mary Queen of Scots to Charles I and presumably to the remainder of the Stuart era. Could she therefore be deemed a Royalist sympathiser or was her interest nothing more than general observance of those troubling times? We shall never know, but the tragedy of the French Revolution and the guillotine impacted on the Austen's in a personal sense. And her immediate family were later affected by the Napoleonic wars as were no doubt others of her acquaintance and theirs. No wonder then she chose to pen escapist writing, of a lighthearted and amusing bent, not only to escape the dreadful realities of the war dead and the returning wounded, there was always the constant fear great loss could befall the family all over again.        

Might that sense of knowing Berkshire too well set Jane to sage thought of exchanging one county for another? Could it be Meryton and Longbourn reflect places she knew within Berkshire? No one can know for sure, but it adds a new dimension in the search for both places, and perhaps a county distant for the fictional setting eased her conscience in writing of places she knew inside and out! 

Goodnestone Park Manor, Kent, the very house and family Jane Austen's brother married into. 

Here's another thought on Rosings and Pemberley, for Goodnestone Park Manor House was built in 1704 by Brook Bridges. It is accepted as fact the house build was started in 1704 because a brick on the main front declares it thus. We also know from early paintings there were extensive formal gardens, which were redesigned in the 19th century when Sir Brook Bridges, the 3rd baronet and great-grandson of the builder, replaced the gardens with a landscape parkland setting in the fashion of the time, later turned back to smaller contained gardens. He married Fanny Fowler, co-heiress of the ancient Norman barony of FitzWalter, though it was much depleted by the 19th century. In earlier times a Fitzwalter was one of the men who forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. The FitzWalters were renowned as courtiers (politicians too) and became Earls of Sussex with many cadet branches of the family. 

But back to J. Austen, for Brook and Fanny's daughter, Elizabeth, married Edward Austen, Jane Austen's brother, thus the pair's early married life was conducted at Goodnestone estate within the family fold until they removed to nearby Godmersham Park. There is a strange circumstance related to Edward Austen, for why did the Knight family adopt Edward from the Austen's and to later inherit the estate he had to change his name to Austen-Knight.  

Needless to say, Jane was a regular guest at Goodnestone in the early days of her brother's marriage. A significant factor therefore is that Jane began writing her first novel, Pride and Prejudice, immediately after staying at Goodnestone Park in 1796.

Did Jane utilise Goodnestone as Rosings, and Godmersham Park as Pemberley?  

Godmersham

She probably knew Brook Bridges (extremely wealthy) had bankrolled the marriage to Fanny by loans afforded to the ailing Fitzwalter estate. 

And of course Darcy's mother, Lady Anne Darcy and her sister Lady Catherine de Bourgh, were "Fitzwilliams"! We know the fictional Fitzwilliam (colonel Fitzwilliam) and the earldom had fallen short in monetary quarters, i.e. the estate was run down as was the Fitzwalter estate. 

Hence Jane, again, no doubt set Pemberley in Derbyshire to allay any connection with houses she was indeed familiar. Added to which she does indeed say Elizabeth and the Gardiners ventured to great houses of Derbyshire, not least that of Chatsworth.

The truth of the matter, it's a little sad how TV dramas and Movies have effectively provided Mr. Darcy with houses he could only dream of. 

The Duke of Devonshire's income was £35,000 from his estate at Chatsworth, copper mines and coal mines. 

The following two pictures are houses that were featured as that of Pemberley within TV dramas, namely:

Chatsworth.

Dyrham Park too provided an income of 20, 000 + from 250 acres and business interests. Twice Darcy's income. 

Dyrham Park

Both Chatsworth and Dyrham are almost as large as Blenheim Palace, the seat of the Duke's of Marlborough, and all well in excess of Darcy's  Regency era income.

Blenheim Palace.    

Food for thought, what say you, in how Jane Austen rarely if ever ventures to great detail on houses and fashions etc., and here's a little teaser: 

Jane began writing Pride and  Prejudice in 1796 and it was first published in 1813. It is said PP is set in 1812, so did the publisher, as they're of wont today, suggest she update it to a later time-frame, because it was completed long before its publication day.  Remember Jane lived through the years of the French Revolution 1789-1799.

After all, two of her brothers were naval officers and both were involved in action at sea. Jane had a cousin, the Comtesse Elizabeth de Feullide, Elizabeth sought sanctuary back in the family fold when her husband the Compte went to the guillotine. Elizabeth later married Henry Austen, and no doubt this is why Jane sought escape from the horrors of reality. In retrospect her novels are not a true depiction of her day despite her social awareness and collective impressions of wealth Vs poverty and bettering one's prospects. She did indeed gloss and paint a picture of rural delights with happy carefree picnics, soirees and much dancing as though the country was not at war with France and in 1812, America.  

   

Penning earthy Georgian and Regency Romances.

“...she had never thought it was possible to fall in love at first sight...”

An arranged marriage against her will and Erica Townsend is at odds with her father, and worse, he is not the father she had thought he was when friends and acquaintances of his pay visit to the family house. Albeit initially intrigued and voyeuristically mesmerised by an event that unfolds within the garden arbour, she and her younger sister decide they cannot remain within a house where Erica’s betrothed debauches other women at will, as does their father. Desperate in seeking the help of a gentleman neighbour who is sweet on her sister, their chosen escape route is fraught with temptations along the way. Whilst Erica dares to appear bolder than she is, can she truly trust the Earl of Epsom, or is he as much a libertine as her betrothed?

If you feel inclined toward realistic and earthy accounts of Georgian and Regency romance and love stories that are often linked in some way, you may have discovered from reading some of mine, that characters from one book often reappear in another. I sincerely hope readers enjoy discovering who fraternises with whom in the years spanning the Georgian period and the Regency era!

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Update on New Release and the joys of a Collaborative Anthology

This is a collection of Georgian and Regency novellas, and all written with a charitable aim in mind, which means all the royalties will go to a chosen charity.

.
The actual getting together  for a collaborative working relationship is just the first stage in finding like-minded people, more especially when the participants are from all around the globe and not one member of the group has met the other in person. Trust is a major factor, but as the group slowly bond so mutual support from within builds, and almost every aspect of the process becomes enjoyable as the project proceeds. 

.
In the early stages of our anthology characters came to light and names were cross-referenced, and thereby namesakes cropping up in different storylines saved the anthology from falling foul to the unmentionable of a Lady Jane Marchment in one story, and a Miss Jane Whitcombe stepping out in another story. Admittedly Jane is a common enough name for the eras depicted, but two Jane's in the same anthology . . . Well, simply put, we were not at home to Mr Cockup.    

.
As always in writing stories, blood was sweated, tears were almost shed, laughter arose from amusing quips, and we came through with  a Sensual blend of Chocolate, Romance, Murder and Mystery at "Masqueraders".

The background setting is the beautiful City of Bath, famous for its Roman Spa, its Abbey, its Pump Room; Assembly Rooms, and Sally Lunn’s bun shop. The city itself has been made famous within the literary world by the likes of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and other authors of Georgian and Regency historical novels. Thus Bath is renowned as a place for intrigue and romance, but few readers will have stepped across the threshold of Masqueraders’, a notorious and fashionable Chocolate House, that existed within the city from 1700 to the latter part of the reign of William IV. What happened to it thereafter, no one knows, for sure. Nor does anyone know why Sally Lunn’s bun shop disappeared in the mid 1700s  and remained undiscovered for decades until renovation work and the old ovens were rediscovered behind panelling in the 20th century.

So it could be said, essence of chocolate drifting on the ether denotes where the seemingly mystical Masqueraders’ once existed, and it is that spiritual essence that has brought authors together from around the globe, to pen a delightful collection of Georgian & Regency romances, that are, all, in some way, linked to The Chocolate House. We sincerely hope you will enjoy the individual stories, and be assured all the royalties earned will be donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London.

The stories:
A Rose by Any Other – Giselle Marks.
A Fatal Connection – Elizabeth Bailey
The Runaway Duchess – Francine Howarth
Death at the Chocolate House – Susan Ruth
A-Pig-in-a-Poke – Jessica Schira
A Little Chocolate in the Morning – David W. Wilkin.

   Amazon UK - Amazon US 



Venturing to the darkside of erotic fairy tales!

For this novella I've stepped back in time with an erotic fairy tale theme, admittedly with a twist in the tale that may, or may not please some readers. But there really are no rules in the game of writing love stories, and predictable stereotypical romance heroes are just that, predictable from the moment they step to the page. Thus, this story is far from predictable, and the hero far from stereotypical in the way he conducts himself, or in the way he wins the heroine's heart.

The back cover blurb:

~

A Gothic tale of lust and love in the vein of Beauty and the Beast: the classic fairytale.

Thus, on Putney Heath in the year of 1783 stands a house renowned for two ghosts of a scandalous bent, none of which deters patronage to Madame DuPont’s infamous abode by wealthy gentlemen. With the sudden death of Madame DuPont, and accrued debts of which her daughter has no hope of paying, Celeste is faced with the horrors of the debtors’ prison or the unspeakable of having to sell her body for monetary gain: as had her mother. But fate intervenes with a guardian angel, and marriage to Captain Wendover is soon the answer to her prayers but not her dreams. Life though has cruel twists and turns and Celeste discovers true love runs deep, much deeper than she had anticipated when a man from her past steps back into her life.

  

Amazon UK   Amazon US