Gadding About All Over

From saucy kings to Jane Austen, wild boys and insane monarchs strapped to punishment chairs, I'm talking about all thing long 18th this year; come along and have a listen!

Catherine's Forthcoming Events 

The Scandalous George IV, Cannon Hall, West Yorkshire, 7th July TICKETS

Join me for an evening of tales delving into the scandalous life of George IV. It has everything with its illegitimate children, scheming mistresses and even a strapping Italian solider. Lots of scandal and “three people in this marriage” as another Princess of Wales once said…

An Evening with Jane Austen, Jane Austen Festival, Bath, 10th September 2017 TICKETS
A magical evening with Jane Austen’s most memorable characters, from the comic absurdity of the Dashwoods to the heartfelt passion of Wentworth and Anne, not to mention the charming duplicity of the notorious Mr Wickham! With Caroline Langrishe and Adrian Lukis, alongside period musical entertainment from  Rosie Lomas and Camilla Pay. The evening will be introduced by historian and author, Catherine Curzon.

Jane Austen and the King of Bling, Jane Austen Festival, Bath, 11th September 2017 TICKETS
This lively talk delves into the sometimes shocking, always scandalous, private life of ‘the first gentleman of England’. It suggests why Austen boldly declared she ‘hated’ this monarch even after she was his honoured guest at London’s most prestigious address. The other side to this saucy Sovereign was a man who championed Jane Austen and her works which secured the Regent his very own dedication from the author he adored.

The Mad King and the Coronation Chair, Stamford Georgian Festival, 23rd September 2017 TICKETS
The madness of George III is legendary. Restrained, gagged, blistered and plied with leeches, the king suffered humiliating and brutal treatment at the hands of those who were charged with his care. In a country wracked by upheaval both at home and abroad, the monarch’s madness left Britain in turmoil whilst, imprisoned at Kew, he ranted and foamed at the mouth.

The Curious Story of Peter the Wild Boy, Stamford Georgian Festival, 24th September 2017 TICKETS

In 1725, hunters led by King George I captured a feral child in the forests of Germany and took him home as a pet. Nicknamed ‘Peter the wild boy’ the little boy became a novelty at court and was brought to England to entertain and amuse the royals. Living in palaces, adored by princesses and heralded as a celebrity, Peter was a curiosity to thrill seekers and scholars alike. Yet when the glamour faded, what became of Peter the wild boy and, more to the point, where did he come from?

An Evening with Jane Austen, Stamford Georgian Festival, 24th September 2017 TICKETS
Join us for a magical evening in the company of Jane Austen’s most memorable characters introduced by Catherine Curzon and performed by actors Caroline Langrishe, star of such BBC favourites as Lovejoy and Judge John Deed and Adrian Lukis, a familiar face from the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and ITV’s Downton.

The Scandalous George IV

Join me for a look at the scandalous love life of George IV in the gorgeous Cannon Hall!

Tickets

Join us for an evening of tales from author Catherine Curzon on the marriage of George IV and his wife. It has everything with its illegitimate children, scheming mistresses and even a strapping Italian solider. Lots of scandal and “three people in this marriage” as another Princess of Wales once said…

Includes a glass of Prosecco, Paid Bar

£12 per person

14+ Parental Guidance

DETAILS 

DATE: 

July 7 

TIME: 

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

COST: 

£12 

WEBSITE: 

http://www.cannon-hall.com

An Orphan of the Regiment

It's my pleasure to welcome Jude Knight, to discuss the fate of children born to camp followers in the Peninsular War. Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win an eBook of A Raging Madness!

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To modern ears, the term camp follower may imply someone who follows an army in order to ply one of the oldest of trades.

For most of history, the meaning was far broader. A camp follower was any civilian who provided services to an army on the move. From the Crusades to the Crimean War, this group included blacksmiths, surgeons, cooks, launderers, nurses, and sutlers. And, for just as long, the wives of soldiers have filled at least the last four roles.

Anthonie Constantijn Govaerts - The Sutler

During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, British Army regulations specified the number of wives of ordinary soldiers who could travel with the regiment and receive an army ration. The number may have varied by regiment—I’ve seen four wives per one hundred soldiers, and also six. In a regiment of 1500 men, that’s somewhere around 75 wives. Off to war with the men. 

In this post, it’s the children who interest me. Technically, wives with children couldn’t sail with the regiment, though some may have done so anyway. But wives and husbands in army camps do what wives and husbands do anywhere else, and in any posting of more than a few months, children would start to arrive. 

Their stories are hard to find. They were the sons and daughters, usually, of people who didn’t write letters or keep diaries, and they weren’t army, so were seldom referred to in military logs and dispatches. Their presence is hinted at with tantalising glimpses. For a start, they were assigned one quarter of the full ration given to a soldier. One ration for a soldier. Half a ration for his wife. One quarter for each child. No wonder the few brief mentions include stories of women and children falling behind the line of march.

One of the worst impediments to the free movement of the host came from the unhappy practice that then prevailed of allowing corps on foreign service to take with them a proportion of soldiers' wives…  They were always straggling or being left behind, because they could not keep up with the long marches the army often had to take. [Sir Charles Oman]

Pregnancy was seldom mentioned, unless women gave birth. For example, during the retreat from Corũna in the Peninsular War, a number of pregnant women gave birth, one to twins. 

 John Everett Millais – L’Enfant du Regiment

And tragic deaths might also get a line or a paragraph.

A soldier's wife had sought shelter beneath his (a dead drover's) cart, but she, too, was lying lifeless;· and the tragic part of it was that child, who was still alive, was whimpering and trying to find nourishment at her frozen breasts! One or two officers had the child taken from her, and wrapping it in a blanket, carried it away. [August Schaumann]

So what happened then?

The army had a system for sending widows back to England, though their half portion and their husband’s pay stopped as soon as the man died, and many widows chose to stay and speedily remarry (because in England they would be destitute). But the army didn’t offer such options to orphans.

The memoirs tell us that boys were sometimes adopted, by individual soldiers or by the regiment. But what happened to the daughters and the rest of the boys? A charitable fund , perhaps, if some officers’ wives took up the cause? And a trip back to England to an army orphanage? Or adoption by another camp follower with a kindly heart? That might be the best they could hope for, and a chance to grow enough to join the army as a boy soldier or the camp followers as a young  bride. 

A Raging Madness

Ella survived an abusive and philandering husband, in-laws who hate her, and public scorn. But she’s not sure she will survive love. It is too late to guard her heart from the man forced to pretend he has married such a disreputable widow, but at least she will not burden him with feelings he can never return. 

Alex understands his supposed wife never wishes to remarry. And if she had chosen to wed, it would not have been to him. He should have wooed her when he was whole, when he could have had her love, not her pity. But it is too late now. She looks at him and sees a broken man. Perhaps she will learn to bear him. 

In their masquerade of a marriage, Ella and Alex soon discover they are more well-matched than they expected. But then the couple’s blossoming trust is ripped apart by a malicious enemy. Two lost souls must together face the demons of their past to save their lives and give their love a future.

About the Author

Jude Knight’s writing goal is to transport readers to another time, another place, where they can enjoy adventure and romance, thrill to trials and challenges, uncover secrets and solve mysteries, delight in a happy ending, and return from their virtual holiday refreshed and ready for anything.

She writes historical novels, novellas, and short stories, mostly set in the early 19^th Century. She writes strong determined heroines, heroes who can appreciate a clever capable woman, villains you’ll love to loathe, and all with a leavening of humour.

Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudeKnightAuthor/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudeKnightBooks 

Pinterest: https://nz.pinterest.com/jknight1033/ 

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JudeKnight

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8603586.Jude_Knight 

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Jude-Knight/e/B00RG3SG7I

Buy the Book

Jude Knight’s book page: http://judeknightauthor.com/books/a-raging-madness/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/717569 

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/a-raging-madness/ 

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-raging-madness-jude-knight/1126227273 

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07111TCLR 

Excerpt

Kerridge was alone when she brought Ella’s evening dose of laudanum. Presumably Constance believed that Ella was still under the influence of the measure forced down her throat this morning, and would swallow Kerridge’s without offering a struggle. 

Constance was nearly right.

Even though Ella had managed to dribble at least part of what she secreted in her cheeks onto the pillow without Constance noticing, she was still mazed. Another dose would take her under, but Kerridge resented being forced to a task so beneath her dignity as a dresser, and would do no more than make sure the liquid arrived in Ella’s mouth. She would not insist on waiting until Ella swallowed, would not pinch her nose and hold her jaw shut.

Being too meek would be suspicious. Ella turned her head away from the spoon, her teeth clenched shut, but yelped at Kerridge’s sharp pinch and the dresser immediately forced the spoon into Ella’s mouth.

Glaring sullenly, she stopped struggling, and the dresser withdrew the spoon, stretching her thin lips into a smug smile.

“There, Lady Melville. This would go more easily for you if you would just do as you are told,” she said.

A Regency Picnic at Claremont: 24 June 2017

On Saturday 24th June, the nineteenth century returns to Claremont Landscape Gardens for an epic, costumed evening of music, games and promenades. Bring a picnic and a bottle, and for the full experience, don your fanciest dress (or breeches!) and join the a parade around the lake.

If you remember Claremont's fêtes champêtres in years gone by, you'll know just how fun it is to spend the evening in fancy dress. Go the whole hog and make or hire a Regency dress, or keep it simple and make a hat from a mat. After all, a Regency soirée is a great excuse to indulge in a posh picnic just like the Georgians!

You can let your hair down like an aristocrat with a game of Pall Mall on the amphitheatre, whilst nine-pins and quoits will also be provided for your pleasure. There’ll be live music throughout the evening and a chance to take a scenic row across the lake. If that’s all a little too energetic, sit for a portrait in front of Princess Charlotte’s tea-house.

At half past six, ladies and gentlemen in costume are invited to take the air on a grand promenade around the lake before taking supper, though budding Mr Darcys are requested to refrain from taking a dip!

Find out more at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claremont-landscape-garden/lists/regency-picnic-at-claremont-landscape-garden