Regency Reader Questions: Maps, research and making up names

I must first say that I LOVE getting your questions (so keep them coming). Yes, the flattery and kind words of course stroke my ego, but more than that I love learning about what you are interested in.

Like Becky, I know a lot of you are readers and writers. And like Becky has learned, historical accuracy is not only a great addition to the fabric of your stories and in many cases a potential source for plot points but it also can be a journey of discovery…(including to never trust Wikipedia).

Moniker/Name: Becky

Your Question: Hello Anne, My name is Becky and I like to write stories in my free time for fun. While they aren’t serious, I do like them to ring with as much authenticity of the time as I can. I have been TRYING to do research on the web, but continue to find dead ends or nothing at all other than Wikipedia, and I refuse to use it since it is not a reliable reference or resource. I stumbled across your website quiet by accident, but it has been an amazing help, but I do have some questions for the latest book I am playing with. If you could help at all, I would be grateful.

I have Greenwood’s Map of London, but sadly some of the street names are too small or become grainy when I attempt to zoom in. Also it doesn’t say what areas belong to which class (so to speak). I also don’t know what area on the map is considered the East End. A helpful nudge would be great.

Also, one of my characters is a lady’s maid, and I can’t find a diagram or drawing of what even one attic room for servants may look like. let alone what any other rooms of the house may look like. From reading other regancyrom authors, I can picture them in my head, but I would like to know for sure so I know what I can work within. But there isn’t normally anything about the servants quarters.

This next one may seem like a very obviously answerable question in the positive, but I would like to ask just to be safe. Do authors make up the name’s, titles, locations, and family structures that they write about? Obviously romantic fiction is just that, fiction, but the long titles, and family’s they use, are they made up? Also I know the different country counties are real, but are the Estates and the like they write about based on actual structures? or are they also made up?

And lastly, can you let me know some good, reliable, useful websites I can use for figuring out the political climate of 1826ish time in Britain and greater Europe? It would be so very much appreciated! Your web page is a God send, an amazing resource, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. -Becky

Source of Question: Research

First, maps. Oh maps. Around my house (and my sibling’s) reading maps is a favorite passtime.

The absolutely premier cartographer, giving us a clear picture of London poverty was Charles Booth. However, his poverty maps date around 1898, so do not capture the Georgian or Regency era and any changes that occured during the century. They are a good general reference, and do give a general idea of class breakdown within London. Because the modern census did not commence until the mid 1800s, I often use guidebooks from the Regency era as a reference for understanding neighborhoods. The hyperlinked guidebook (from 1838) gives a general description of the different boroughs in London, including the East End.

Traditionally, the East End was east of the medieval Roman wall (part of which runs through the famous Barbican). Including Whitechapel and Stepney, the East End was used as a derogatory term indicating a pocket of poverty beginning in the latter half of the 19th century. During the Regency, it would have been more of “land of the cit” or military fellow needing to go about business around the docks and warehouses.

For the best Regency era street reference (and also check out the topographical maps) http://mapco.net/wallis/wallis23.htm takes to you the Wallis Plan Of The Cities Of London And Westminster 1801. You can zoom in to streets and get a great birdseye view of parks, squares and street names. The map also has a handy shaded key which helps to locate churches and other areas of interest, and at the bottom right corner there is an explanation of regulated hackney coach fares.

This site also has a variety of other maps that are wonderful resources for the Regency era, including the “Pigot & Co.’s Metropolitan Guide & Book Of Reference To Every Street, Court, Lane, Passage, Alley And Public Building, In The Cities Of London & Westminster, The Borough Of Southwark, & Their Respective Suburbs & Miniature Plan Of London & Vicinity With The Geographical Bearings From The Dome Of St. Paul’s c1820″.

Jane Austen’s world has a wonderful post on 19th century domestic life, including some amazing visuals and floor plans. Vic also includes a healthy list of additional resources for further reading on the subject.

I also found a fun blog where the author makes miniatures. She reconstructed a Regency London house, attic quarters included: http://www.teebylo.com/2011/08/attic-rooms-in-regency-town-house.html!

There are also a sprinkling of paintings from the era. Otherwise, I recommend taking some “tours” of homes from the era to find pictures of the servants quarters. You can also get a sense from some pictures of servant quarters in Tudor England here: http://education.gtj.org.uk/trails/tudor/tudor21.html.

As for names, estates and the like I can only speak from experience, research and in vague generalities. My preference is to peep at the Peerage, look at estates in areas where I am setting my story, and generally use history as a guideline. The rest is fiction.

In some cases, authors will use actual people, places and things but usually as secondary characters, cameos and accents to their stories. I think as a general rule, artistic license with history is a given within the genre. However, personally I do like to take virtual tours of areas, people, places and things to help give living, breathing flesh to my stories.

As for political climate in England and Europe, you can’t do much better than straight from the horses mouth. Thanks to the digital age and wonderful resources like the Project Gutenberg, original resources including books, magazines and newspapers are readily available for view. I most enjoy reading letters, as they are filled with wonderful passages and witty commentary for any student of the era.

For the specific time period, I have collected a couple resources which will be a good start and given you an idea of the political climate of the day: