Finding Time for Historical Research

Finding time to research historical facts by reading non-fiction.

Last night my five year old granddaughter had a sleepover at my house. This morning, as a reward for her excellent behaviour for the last month I took her to Gambados, an indoor play area. We were there for two hours. In spite of the loud background music, parents talking and many children having a good time, I got on with my research.

I read and put post it notes with remarks on pages of particular interest. An added bonus were the ideas for the plot and descriptions in my new clean Regency novel, Tuesday's Child.

The Regency Era and The Minuet

I enjoy historical research. Today I have been reading about dancing and music. In 1816 Thomas Wilson, a dance master, insisted the stately minuet should open a ball. In 1813 the Prince Regent held a ball that began and ended with a minuet. As far as I know, it was unusual to end a ball with one,
In towns such as Bath where there were many elderly people balls began with a minuet during the first quarter of the 19th century and, possibly, later.

Historical Research

It is all too easy to become careless about research when writing a novel whether it is contemporary or historical

I knew that young boys in the Regency wore dresses and ankle length drawers. However, I assumed they were breeched by the age of three.

The heroine in my new novel, Tuesday's Child, has a three and three quarter year-old son.

I researched children's clothes. Boys wore skeleton suits. The ankle length trousers fastened with buttons to a tight jacket that had a double row of buttons fastened down the front. Alternatively, the trousers were fastened to a shirt, so that the jacket could be left open to reveal frills down the front of a blouse, which had a wide collar edged with a frill.

I described young Arthur in his 'skeleton suit' and tried, unsuccessfully, to find out if the term was used in the Regency period.

After much more research I found out that boys were not breeched until they were about five years of age. Arthur now wears a  gown with a high waist and low neck, ankle length drawers, and white stockings. When he goes out he wears a top hat instead of a bonnet that girls wore.

I still need to research fabrics - materials, wool, cotton, silk, plain, sprigged, patterned or tartan.

As a historical novelist I try my hardest to be accurate. 

Rosemary Morris

http://www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

http://rosemarymorris.blogspot.com

Historical Research and Dull Weather

The weather was dull today so I made myself comfortable indoors with some historical non-fiction. I'm researching Brussels on the 14th and 15th of June, 1814 and the famous ball held by the Duchess of Richmond. I'm beginning to visualise the scenes, the officers who did not have time to change and joined their regiment still wearing ballroom slippers. And I can almost here the drums, bugles and bagpipes calling the men to arms. I've made notes and know how to begin the next chapter of Monday's Child, the follow on novel from my published novel Sunday's Child, which is on special offer from Amazon Kindle until the 31st of October.