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Blog

Penny Hampson

Foodie Heaven? Head to York

September 23rd, 2021

Last week I went up to York for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Afternoon Tea. It was an extra special occasion for me as I was one of the eleven finalists for the 2021 Joan Hessayon Award, for my book, The Unquiet Spirit. Deciding to make the most of things, the husband and I travelled up […]

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Finding the Right Spot

September 7th, 2021

A couple of weeks ago I made a trip to Falmouth in Cornwall; it was mainly for research purposes for my forthcoming book due out later this year, but I can’t deny that I also enjoyed my visit and it wasn’t all about work. It was sad to discover that, thanks to Covid restrictions, one […]

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A Cure for Every Ill?

August 13th, 2021

Having recently purchased one of the most popular domestic medical advice books of the Regency period – Buchan’s Domestic Medicine Modernized– I thought I’d look at a few common ailments and see how they were treated in the past. If you’re a bit squeamish, look away now! FeversAccording to Buchan, fevers are usually caused by […]

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Wellington: Was his one failure the making of him?

May 27th, 2021

I thought I’d write a little bit about a real-life Regency hero, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852). From unpromising beginnings, Wellington rose to become one of the towering figures of the nineteenth century. His reputation for integrity and devotion to duty make him stand out in an age when these qualities were seldom […]

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Will You Take the High Road? A Tour of Scotland

March 22nd, 2021

Regular readers of my blog may recall my article about John Byng, Viscount Torrington, an 18th century diarist who wrote about his travels round Britain. Well, in the Gentleman’s Magazine, I discovered yet another chap who enjoyed touring the country. Amongst the ecletic mix of articles in the July 1812 edition, one in particular caught […]

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News Flash!

March 7th, 2021

This is just a brief post to let you know about my latest publications. When I got the rights back to A Gentleman’s Promise, I decided to bring out a new edition. I hope that readers will find that this is a much improved version of the tale I originally told back in 2018. It […]

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You’ve Got Mail: A look at the mail coach service

February 20th, 2021

I’ve written before about the various ways in which mail got delivered in the past, specifically the packet ships . Now I’m looking at the mail coach service and John Palmer (1742-1818), the mail coach pioneer. John Palmer was born in Bath to a family of wealthy brewers. As well as the brewery business, his […]

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Learning the Drill:The Good Soldier, Part 3

February 3rd, 2021

Here is my third and final post about Sir John Moore’s system of training. Today, I’m looking at drill. Drill was an important feature of a soldier’s training. Recruits were initially taught this on an individual basis, then as they progressed, they were taught in squads, then companies and battalions. Starting with close order drill, […]

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Who is the Black Sheep?

December 28th, 2020

I’ve recently enjoyed re-reading another of Georgette Heyer’s Regency novels, Black Sheep. It tells the story of Abigail (Abby) Wendover, a genteel, single lady of twenty-eight years, who lives with her considerably older sister, the invalidish Selina. Also living with the sisters is their orphan niece Fanny, a wealthy heiress, whose unwise infatuation with a […]

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