What’s the Time?

Highlighting the facts behind the fiction with Jude Knight who brings us the origins of time keeping. Most of us know that, once upon a time, everywhere in the world took their time from the sun. Water clocks, candles, and sundials—all attempts to be more precise, were calibrated by the sun. That state lasted far […]

Forced Marriage in Regency England

Highlighting the facts behind historical romance with Jude Knight and thoughts on marriage in the Regency era. 1140 was a watershed year in the Western understanding of the institution of marriage. In that year, the Benedictine monk Gratian published his canon law textbook, Decretum Gratiani, ruling that the consent of the couple was essential for […]

Has the Wind Died Down?

I’ve been blown hither and yon for the last several days and not just because the urban wilds of the east coast were hit with a major winter storm! I’ve been running all over social media. I have two more Facebook “takeovers” this week and two more guest blog posts, but they are all (at […]

Lifting the Fallen Women

Highlighting the facts behind Historical Romance with Jude Knight. In Georgian and Regency England, women who had sex out of wedlock were regarded as ‘fallen’. (Unlike men who had sex out of wedlock, who were only doing what came naturally, according to the opinions of the time.) It’s hard to know how many of those […]

Into the Slums with Aldridge

I travel. Sometimes I travel by boat, plane, or automobile. Sometimes I travel by book. Sometimes I explore the real world. This week I rambled through the worst sections of London with the Marquis of Aldridge. I wouldn’t normally dare go to St. Giles, Seven Dials, the Devil’s Acre etc., the lairs of thieves, murderers, […]

The Slums of London in Regency England

Highlighting the Facts behind Historical Romance with Jude Knight Like any big city, London has always had slum areas. In the early nineteenth century, they were noxious and dangerous. I’ve been studying them for the last two novels in my Regency series, The Return of the Mountain King. In 1800, over a million people lived […]

Paradise is a Garden

Highlighting Historical Romance with Jude Knight’s thoughts on inspiration in a garden Creative inspiration is an amazing thing. Artists — storytellers in particular — are often asked where their ideas come from. The answer ‘everywhere’, though true, is unhelpful. What questioners really want to know is ‘why did this idea strike you at this time’. […]

The Seeds of War

Highlighting Historical Romance with Jude Knight’s thoughts on war and seeds of war at the Cape of Good Hope In 1806, the British fought and won a battle near Cape Town. At stake was the control of the only port in Southern Africa for ships making the long journey from Europe around the Cape of […]

The Capetown Slave Lodge: Dark, Wet, and Dirty

Highlighting Historical Romance with Jude Knight on Capetown’s dark history. The second oldest building in Cape Town is a cultural history museum. It was once the offices of the British government who occupied the colony in 1806, and later the Supreme Court and then the home of the Legislative Council of the Cape Colony. This […]

Gun Rights and Armed Retainers

Highlighting Historical Romance with Jude Knight on gun rights and constitutional law in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. I was researching English gun rights before the recent massacre in my peaceful little country. I wanted to know what English law said about armed retainers in the early nineteenth century, because I want my characters […]