Weymouth

If you are following the Olympics you will no doubt have noticed that Weymouth in Dorset, on the south coast of England, is the venue for some of the water sports, in particular, sailing.  As you can see from this picture it looks ideal

But that was not why I went to Weymouth.  Weymouth was one of George III's favorite places.  It is where he went for his summer holidays, before Prinny, the Prince of Wales, his son made Brighton famous.  It was his brother the Duke of Gloucester who built Gloucester (pronounced Gloster for those who like to know) House and the King spent fourteen holidays there over the course of many years.

It is a very old seaport, but has become a tourist place probably because of the Royal patronage initially.  But it really does have a very beautiful beach with find soft sand. 

Here is a statue erected to the King by the Town in celebration of George III's 50 years on the throne.  And I thought you might like a close up of the old fellow.

This is Gloucester Lodge where the King spent his holidays, it is right on the sea front, The Esplanade. There is a road and a walking promenade and then the beach.  So nothing in the way of the view of the sea and the bay.

Just a few steps along from here is the Royal Hotel. It is a Victorian building built on the sight of the Old Royal Hotel which also provided the public Assembly Rooms which would have been in use during the Regency. The are a number of Georgian and Regency buildings along The Esplanade.

Running parallel to the esplanade and behind the buildings which face the sea is St Mary's street with shops and restaurants and an old pub now called the Black Dog but was called The Dove Ale House in George III's day.  Apparently the King was a regular customer.  It also happily boasts of a murder on the premises.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to the seaside. Until next time, Happy Rambles

Punch and Judy at Weymouth

Hands up if you have ever seen a Punch and Judy show!  I have nearly always seen them at the seaside in Britain, pretty much as you see this one pictured here.  It is basically a glove puppet show with a formulaic and traditional story designed to get the audience, these days usually children, involved.  A "look behind you" sort of feverish yelling.

I wonder how many of the characters you can remember, Mr Punch, Judy his wife, the baby, the policeman..... don't forget the sausages!

Punch and Judy, or Joan as she was known in the early days, has been around a very long time. Originally showing up in marionette (puppet on strings) theatres, they gradually moved to  the narrow box like structure you see in the picture. Originally they might be covered with any kind of fabric, such as mattress ticking, but over time the red and white stripes became the stock in trade. The puppeteer works inside the box with the puppets appearing on the tiny stage and his bottler drawing the crowd and passing the hat for money.

In the Regency, you might have seen the show at a fair or on a street corner. Anywhere, in fact, that a crowd might gather and be convinced to part with a copper or two. But watch out for the ever present cutpurses.

I have quite a bit more to tell you about Weymouth, and in fact hadn't planned to talk about Punch and Judy at all. I had quite forgotten taking this picture, but when I saw it, I decided to talk about it instead. Oh, I think there was a hangman in it too.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Falmouth

Falmouth was one of the last places we visited on our trip to
Cornwall.

The Cornish word for Falmouth is Aberfal.

Together with Carrick Roads it forms the third deepest harbour in the world, so I am told.  Quite a feat when you think of the length of coastline around the world.

Because of the harbour and the estuary it has always been an important port in the defense of the country, hence the twin castles built in the 1540's on the headlands on either side of the entrance to the harbour. 

Of interest to me was the role of these defenses between 1807 and 1813 when Falmouth acted as a re-supply base for the British Army while at war with France in Spain and Portugal .   We visited Pendennis.  The castle was modified during later wars so one has to pick and choose what is relevant to our time.

This shot shows the gun battery as in the 1730's overlooking Carrick Roads.  In the foreground is the field train shed, and is the remaining half of an original structure build in 1805 for a field train of mobile guns, wagons, gun carriages, wheels and baggage, stored until needed

The tower itself was built as a gun tower, with guns to be fired on all three levels. By our time, the tower was used for living space, with the guns outside, and on the roof. The small round tower on the very top being a look out turret.


There were many changes made to the castle during the Napoleonic wars which were changed again in the late nineteen early twentieth century.  In particular a half moon battery was placed just outside the Elizabethan fortress with a command of the sea.  At the height of the war, Pendennis was defended by 22  24-pounder cannon, 14 18-Pounders and 12 carronades.  Meanwhile Falmouth along with Plymouth formed the main supply depots for the British Army. During this time, mail packet ships were armed with cannon. Many building went up at Pendennis, including barracks and a hospital.

Here is a video of what the gun platform might have looked and sounded like in the castle's earliest days.

So that last is just a bit of fun, if it doesn't interest you pass on by.

Until next time, Happy Rambles

News

Gosh, blogger has changed again. Hopefully this post will work the way it is meant to.
First, my  book, the Haunting of Beresford Abby is finished and sent in. Yay! So I can get back to chatting. I find I get very focussed when I am at the end of a book, and can't do anything else, so if you noticed I was missing, that was why.
Second, Contest finals

Lady Rosabella's Ruse is a finalist in the Greater Detroit Booksellers Best Awards, results will happen at the RWA National Conference in July

And both the Gamekeeper's Lady and Captured for the Captain's Pleasure are finallists in the Golden Quill Contest run by the Desert Rose Chapter of RWA.

The results of this will be announced in June. Two books in one contest, now that is quite extraordinary.
Thanks so much to the judges who obviously liked these stories.


Thirdly, and by no means last

Here is the cover for my July Book.  The Laird's Forbidden Lady.  Now, what do you think of the cover?  Yummy scruff of beard, do you think?



This book is available June 19 in some places and July 1 in others depending on how the scheduling works for the format, location you choose.




That is it. You are all caught up, so we can get back to regular programming. Until next time, Happy Rambles

More Tin Mining in Regency Cornwall

Back down the mine, here is a miner having his tea break.





And this next is a video. You will not see anything, it was too dark, but you can hear the constant sound of water. And a little bit of our guide.  But it was the sound I wanted to capture. You can almost imagine the water rising up to fill those tunnels.

And how did they get rid of all that water. Well there were a couple of pumps available, a bucket lift for shallow depths and a rag and chain pump.

These diagrams show the rag and chain pump in action.  The next picture shows part of the bucket lift.

 

This next picture is of the stamping machine, you an see the water wheel behind it that drove the heavy weights used to crush the ore so it can be smelted.

They say that sailors used the noise of these machines located at the cliff top mines to navigate the rocky coastlines and I think this next video will explain why.

I have a few more tidbits to tell you about the mining of tin, but hope this is enough to keep you going for now, since I have a book to finish. :)

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

RT Roundup

Back home, it all seems a bit of a blur, but I had to share this picture of the book signing. I had two books to sign, Lady Rosabella's Ruse and Captured for the Captain's Pleasure.

Speaking of another kind of pleasure it was a delight to meet so many enthusiastic readers.

There were over 300 authors at the signing last Saturday and lots and lots of people who came to see them.


Here are four of the Hussies (Harlequin Historical Authors) after a lunch and a stroll in the sun. It was a lovely day for a walk.  From left to right, Ann Lethbridge (me), Blythe Gifford, Deb Marlowe and Michelle Willingham.
And here are the gift bags the Harlequin Authors put together for the Wednesday event, with Michelle Willingham and Blythe Gifford admiring their hard work putting them together. Of course we could not have done it without Kimberly Lang who was our Captain and got us all organized. She writes for presents and I am very much looking forward to reading her book.

Well that is it. Home again and looking forward to getting back into routine, until next time  Happy Rambles

Readers Are Such Fun

 #RomanticTimes Convention

Here we are, the Harlequin authors, at Celebrate History, Action and Homtown Heroes setting up for our wonderful readers to come and play with us. As you can see, lots of books to give out, goody bags being packed by the lovely Michelle Willingham and in the background our famous Superromance Author (RITA winner) Molly O'Keefe unpacking all the books Harlequin so generously sent us.

Here we are, mixing and mingling and getting ready to play our pub quiz. You can see all the books in the foreground, including Lady Rosabella's Ruse.

The elegant lady in blue is Blythe Gifford.  See who else you can spot among the authors and the readers.

Well, the results?  Molly O'Keefe knows her romance. Her group came first, my group, oh dear, but do you know the consolation prize was almost as good as those who came first and everyone came away with lots of books.

I had a fun time meeting everyone. In fact such a good time I forgot to take more pictures, so hopefully this is enough to give you the idea.

Apologies for the earlier blank post, Blogspot was so eager to get going today. Such a surprise.  I will try to bring you more pictures as the party continues.

Until then, Happy Rambles

Romantic Times Convention 2012

RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago - April 11. 15. I hope to see you there over the next few days but if not look for my photos here on this blog where I hope to capture all the fun and games.

My Events are on Wednesday and Saturday, but be sure to talk to me when you see me wherever you find me.

News

Want to curl up with a book this Easter Weekend? Ninc has you covered.

 Novelist Inc has published Cast of Charcters an Anthology with  a stellar cast of authors. You can find out more here: http://www.ninc.com/ninc_books

TWENTY-EIGHT LEADING VOICES IN FICTION – INCLUDING ELEVEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORS – JOIN TOGETHER IN A CELEBRATION OF GREAT STORYTELLING. We love fiction. It’s in our blood and it’s in our souls. Great stories thrill us and inspire us in a way that nothing else can. If you’re like us, then we invite you to revel in this anthology of all-original stories we’ve created for you.

Contributors include: CATHERINE ANDERSON, VICTORIA ALEXANDER, JO BEVERLEY, BARBARA BRETTON, JULIE COMPTON, TANYA ANNE CROSBY, CAROLE NELSON DOUGLAS, ROSEMARY EDGHILL, ANGIE FOX, HEATHER GRAHAM AND JASON POZZESSERE, GREG HERREN, VICKI HINZE, MARIANNA JAMESON, WAYNE JORDAN, KATE KINGSBURY, CJ LYONS, KATIE MACALISTER, ASHLEY MCCONNELL, JODY LYNN NYE, JULIE ORTOLON, DIANA PETERFREUND, LAURA RESNICK, PATRICIA RICE, DEB STOVER, VICTORIA STRAUSS, KAREN TINTORI, DIANE WHITESIDE And STEVEN WOMACK.

On top of that, what is personally exciting for me  is that in addition to the Anthology, there is an ebook full of sneak peeks of new novels including mine, The Laird's Forbidden Lady, which is out in June, available for free download at the Novelist Inc Website.http://www.ninc.com/ninc_books  All you have to do is go here and subscribe:  http://www.ninc.com  to be thrilled with oodles of excerpts from multi published authors.


Go order the anthology and check out the wonderful writers at Novelist Inc.

Next time, more on Cornwall.

More Tin Mining in Regency Cornwall

Now we have the technical details, or at least all we need, let us do a little exploring.

The first thing we came across was a shammeling shaft.  If you look closely, you will see the figure of a man (waxwork) eight foot up inside this shaft.  This was as high as a man standing below him could throw a shovel full of ore, so he could throw it up another eight feet.  Backbreaking work, and think of all the rubble falling back down on the person at the bottom.  They would do this all day long, too. Having climbed down into the depths of the mine down a shaft like this one.

Here we saw how they would follow a narrowing load in hopes of finding a another wider section. You can imagine working in such a narrow space.

Also they left parts of the lode in tact, joining one side to the other to stabilize the walls,you can just make out one of those bridges in this picture.

In addition to being hand shoveled up from one level to another, there was also a system of iron buckets called kibbles being pulled up by horses hauling on rope around a wooden drum at the the surface.  This is called a horse whim.


To the left is an example of a kibble. It doesn't seem to hold all much, but remember how heavy that ore was and a man had to lift it into order to get it onto the horse whim. 

To the right is the evidence of years of mining. A granite wall worn smooth by all the kibble dragging up this shaft to the surface.



Taking photographs underground turned out not to be the most successful of operations, but there are a few more sights and sounds (yes, a bit of atmostphere) I want to share with you. Since blogger is slow on the picture posting, I am going to get back to writing now, and will leave a few more pictures and words for next time.

Until then, Happy Rambles

     

More Tin Mining in Regency Cornwall

Last time we talked about how tin mining started on the surface, in streams.  The people who undertook this kind of mining were called streamers.  And streamers were still around in the Regency. But most of the really profitable mining by this time was underground.

The mine we visited was originally known as  Wheal Roots.   Wheal is the Cornish word for mine. If you want to know what Cornish sounds like and learn some words you can find several links on the web. This is one. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/connected/stories/new_cornwall_language1.shtml

The picture above shows what is called Blue Peach. Veins like this formed the Wheal Roots Lode, the source of tin and therefore the place to start digging. This lode was found on the surface and followed into the hillside.

The tin bearing ore had to be dug out, crushed then smelted into ingots.  While waiting to go down the mine, I was handed a lump of tin ore.  It was amazingly heavy for its size.

To get down into the mine in regency times and before, miners would climb down a ladder like the one shown in the shaft  on the left. Only their ladder would have been made of wood and rope.   You can just see daylight at the top and this was only a small part of the distance they would travel down into the ground. In the winter, they would go down before it got light and not go back up until after dark, day after day.

Both men and boys worked down the mine. The small wooden barrow on the right would have been used by a lad. The men were called to work from their homes by means of a bell and signaled that the shift was up by that same bell.  The bell also was rung to summon help when there was an accident. And given that they were using black powder to move rocks it was likely to be a dreaded sound.

Lots more to come. Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Tin Mining in Cornwall

Do you remember the series Poldark?  About tin mining families, set during the late Georgian period.  Well it just so happens that the book I am working on now is set in Cornwall.  And while my family is aristocratic, they own a tin mine. Mining in Cornwall had its hey day during the Regency. Copper became the most sought after and most profitable metal.

So last summer when I had the chance to go to Cornwall, I found a way to get myself down a tin mine.  And guess what, it is call Poldark.  It wasn't originally called that. I think they thought it would make for a good tourist attraction.  The day we went it wasn't exactly teaming with people. Which was nice for us because that meant I could linger.

Here is our party, all ready to go down. Don't look too excited folks! I know it wasn't how you wanted to spend your vacation but....

While it was the middle of summer, it was quite a damp rainy day. But that wasn't why we were all done up in our rain coats. You will see why later.  Helmets were required. And I for one was glad of mine.  Hah, no pun intended.

Miners wore felt hats in those days, like these pictured here that were discarded and later found in the old workings.  The hats were dipped in pine resin to make them hard and stiff like a helmet. And because they were uncomfortable, miners would wear a cotton skull cap beneath them. This practice continued into the modern day with some miners wearing the skull caps beneath the kind of hard hard hats we wore.

There was no electricity in those days, as you know, so a miner would light a candle made of tallow, or animal fat, drip the wax (tallow) onto the front of his hardened hat and stick the base of the candle into the hot wax. And there you have it, your own personal hands free light on your head.They also used lumps of hard clay to hold their candles.

They would carry the candles in bunches, lik the ones you see pictured on the left, handing them around their necks.  My guess is that they didn't last all that long, so you'd need a few for your day's work.  They also attached them to ladders and the handles of their tools so they could light an area or the spot where they were working.


It was around this time that Davey was inventing the safety lamp, but one can imagine that those would be a luxury, and take a long time to to catch on. Indeed, one of the bunches of candles on display at the mine dated from the 1850's, so they continued to be used until around the time the mines became unprofitable.

Before we enter the mine itself, it behooves us to learn a bit about the ore and the history of this form of mining in Cornwall and its importance to the local people and mine owners.

Tin mining in Cornwall goes back to prehistoric times.  The first mining, as has been discovered with regard to many other forms of precious minerals, was not mining but simply a scooping up from the surface, or from streams when ore bearing rocks had been exposed by the natural erosion of the land.  The richest deposits of alluvial tin deposits were locted on Bodmin Moor, the moors around St Austell and Pokellis Moor near Wendron.

The earliest known artifacts from these surface workings date to 3,800 years ago.  Tin works were worked by family groups or groups of tiners who roamed anyone's land looking for their bounty and only had to pay the land owner a fifteenth of their profit, or the "Lord's Dish" from the ore they found.

Tin mining was so important that in King John's time they were given their own Stannery Parliament, which set rules for taxation and excepted tin miners from military service. In 1337 when Edward III created the Duchy of Cornwall, it was confirmed that the tin miners were exempt from all civil jurisdiction other than that of the Stannary Courts, except in cases affecting land, life or limb. A rebellion in Henry the eighths time put this at risk,k but a payment of one thousand pounds to aid the war against Scotland put things to right again.  This whole topic is extraordinarily interesting, but we have to move on to mining I'm afraid.  So next time, early tin mining and then on to our visit below ground.

Searching for Regency England

Wardour Castle (Continued)

In the 18th century, Wardour Castle became a romantic ruin to a new house for the Arundel's built across the lake also created in the 18th century during the landscaping of the park. How romantic is that view.

The small building to the left overlooks that lake and was built as a summer picknic pavilion. Quite honestly I was surprised to see that the pavilion looks back across that lake  rather than at the ruin itself. Built in the gothic stylepopular in the 1770's, I thought the windows rather small. By the 1830's this summer house had become a public refreshment room and dining room. These days it is used for weddings and such.

 I took many many pictures inside the castle, none of which are relevant to our topic, all about that medieval I will write one day I suppose, or the fantasy playing out in the back of my mind.  But since  I am writing a Regency-set gothic, and I definitely have a thing for towers and circular staircases, and some of the feeling of these will show up in that work, no doubt.

 Our last picture is a view of the house built to replace the castle during the late 1700's. So we are really in the garden looking back at the house.  It is not open to the public.

Until next time, happy rambles. 

Posting a Letter in the Regency

It was too soon for Mary to send Sally a letter, too much to ask her to pay for so little news.

I wrote this today in my current work in progress. But was I right? I thought I had it right, but really, what do I know about sending a letter in Regency England.

After hitting the my own files and some of the sites, I discovered more than I ever wanted to know. Here are a few things I thought you might find of interest.

First of all, I was right about the receiver of the letter having to pay the cost of mailing.  In this case from St Ives in Cornwall to somewhere near Old Sarum in Wiltshire.

All letters went via London. So in this case, the letter would pass Old Sarum, then be sent back there.  Letters were charged according to distance and  and the number of sheets of paper:

Within Great Britain:-
Not exceeding 15 miles	4d
Above 15 but not more than 20 miles	5d
Above 20 but not more than 30 miles	6d
Above 30 but not more than 50 miles	7d
Above 50 but not more than 80 miles	8d
Above 80 but not more than 120 miles	9d
Above 120 but not more than 170 miles	10d
Above 170 but not more than 230 miles	11d
Above 230 but not more than 300 miles	12d
Above 300 but not more than 400 miles	13d
Above 400 but not more than 500 miles	14d
Above 500 but not more than 600 miles	15d
Above 600 but not more than 700 miles	16d
Above 700 miles	17d

 For example, a typical single page letter from Dublin to London would cost 1s 3d - a lot of money in those days, when you consider that a Dairy maid 6 pence per day, less than half this amount. Can you imagine sending a letter at the cost of a whole days pay?  Two sheets of paper doubled the cost, three tripled it. And paper was not a cheap commodity either.

This high cost is partly because you paid twice. Once to get the letter to London, and again to get it to its destination. And sometimes cities added their own charges for delivery also, usually a penny.   And this is why, out of respect, the sender would keep their information to a single page and only write if needed. To save paper they would "cross their lines"  turn the paper at right angles and write in that direction as shown in the picture. In most places one had to go the the post office to collect one's mail rather than it being delivered to the door. Which is apparently something we are returning to these days.

By the way, there were no envelopes in the Regency. The sheet of paper would contain the address on the outside, and be sealed with wax or a wafer.  Additional sheets would be folded inside.

Not all mail had to be paid for. Letters from, Members of Parliament, Commons and Lords as well as newspapers travelled for free. It was intended for official business, but as we so often read in books, Peers etc were often asked to frank  (sign and stamp the letter as official) letters for friends and relatives to save the high cost of postage . This example dates from 1930.  The postal system was overhauled not long after this and the franking of letters was abolished in 1840.

If you want to dig deeper than I do at present, I would recommend starting with http://postalheritage.org.uk

No doubt there will be a new question on my mind requiring information in the not too distant future and until then, Happy Rambles

Royal Weddings, family weddings and more

It came as quite a surprise when I discovered that the story I did for the Royal Wedding last April, is now coming out with the other stories as a print anthology in the UK.  It's a bit like getting the wedding cake out of the freezer on the first anniversary, I suppose. 

For those of you in North America, I know you will be hugely disappointed to learn that this print version is only available in the UK.  Sigh. Oh but wait! You can order it from The Book Depository, no shipping charged for delivery.  Yay!

What do you think of the new cover, as against the generic one for the e-book? Just a bit tasty don't you think?

So back before Christmas I said I would publicly track my progress on this cross-stitch project as a way of motivating me to get it done!  This is the photo I took at the end of January. Now if you look very very carefully, and compare to the last picture (as if you would) you will see that the outside border is finished, beads and all. And I have rolled it upwards a fraction to start on the embellishment to the fountain scene. 

I have been working away during February on that scene and will post another picture at the end of the month.  And just to brag a wee bit, I also made the dress. I love the smocking part, but have to force myself to construct the garment. This one with its lack of sleeves went together very well.


I just returned from a delightful family wedding in Trinidad, hence the lack of posts, accompanied by a bit of fun in the sun on the Island of Tobago.  While the weather was a bit on the damp side, it was lovely to meet up with old friends and catch up on all the family gossip.

In true Royal Wedding tradition, I wore my fascinator.  Felt like a Princess for a day.

There you have it, what I have been up to since you saw me last. Next we return to our regular programming.  Until then, Happy Rambles.