Jaimey's Writerly Blog

—Regency Wednesday— The Old Bailey

5/4/2016

Hello, again, my lovelies! Wednesday's here mean a Regency themed post. For today's post, let's take a look at The Old Bailey. I clipped an image from the June 1814 edition of Ackermann's Repository. There's quite a lengthy description too, but I've not included all that here. Enjoy! ♥

—Regency Wednesday--
The Old Bailey

"The accompanying view exhibits a representation of the north end of the street called Old Bailey; the Sessions-House being on the right; Newgate in the centre; and part of St. Sepulchre's church on the left.

The Sessions-House, separated from Newgate by a tolerably spacious yard, though not an inelegant modern building, is not equal to what a stranger would expect to find in the criminal court of the metropolis of a rich and mighty empire. It is built of stone and brick, the entrance being in the front which faces the prison. Here sessions are held eight times in the year for the trial of offences committed in London or the county of Middlesex, before three of the twelve judges, the lord mayor, the aldermen in rotation, and the recorder. The sheriffs also in general attend. The juries are composed of householders for offences committed in the city, and of freeholders and leaseholders in Middlesex for the county."*

It goes on for a few pages after that, explaining the history of the Sessions House and then going into some detail about Newgate Prison. And as is the case with many historical writings (and modern, lol), the author puts a bit of his own opinion into it. All in all, interesting reading.

Thanx for stopping by! Have a lovely week!

*Taken verbatim from Ackermann's Repository, June 1814, p. 345. Get the Google e-book HERE.

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—Regency Wednesday— Almack's Assembly Rooms

3/23/2016

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For today's Regency Wednesday, I decided to go way back in my original blog and repost one of my older articles. Enjoy! ♥

Below you'll find word for word the original post I did on my old blog. This was originally posted September 2, 2009.

I have decided I will do themed blog posts on Wednesdays and Fridays. Today is Regency Wednesday, in honor of the fact that Almack's assemblies were held on Wednesday nights during the British Regency.

I am not going to do a long post full of details. More along the lines of a simple explanation for those who may not know very much about the time period.

I will start with the place that inspired me to use Wednesday as my "Regency" themed day.

Almack's Assembly Rooms

Almack's was a social club attended only by the crème de la crème of Regency Society. Located in King Street, St James, London, it was ruled by six or seven patronesses at any given time during the Regency. In 1814, they were Mrs Drummond Burrell, Lady Esterházy (who was Princess Esterházy after 1833), Lady Jersey, Lady Cowper, Lady Castlereagh, Lady Sefton, and Lady Lieven (who was Princess Lieven after 1826).

To attend, one had to apply for vouchers at a cost of ten guineas. Eager attendees were allowed in only if they had one of these coveted vouchers. Being denied vouchers for any reason could ruin the social aspirations of the seeker. If one received vouchers only to lose them later, one may as well pack one's bags and leave London.

The outer appearance of Almack's was nothing special but neither was the interior. The patronesses wanted the focus to be on the Society within, the people and manners, not the amenities. It was a social club to the core, a place to see and be seen.

Dancing was the premiere entertainment at Almack's with gossip running a close second. Reputations were made and broken with shocking regularity.

Almack's was an important part of Regency history. The famed novelist Georgette Heyer often mentioned it in her Regency romances. At times, she is even credited with having invented Almack's. It was a real place, however.

If anyone has something about Almack's they'd like to share, please leave a comment. Even if all you want to do is point out where I've erred.

*Dates were taken from the Wikipedia article Almack's.

I remember this article fondly, as it was my very first in honor of a time period I've grown to love. ☺

There is some confusion, at least on my part, when it comes to Princess Esterhazy. One source claims she was a countess until 1833, when she became a princess. Other sources claim she was a princess from the start. If anyone can clear this up, I'm all ears! And thank you, in advance.

Next week I'll try to post new content, time permitting. Thanx for stopping by!

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