In researching for the latest story in my Gentlemen Series, I’ve been looking at life in the British Royal Navy of the period. I have to say, a lot of it made grim reading. If women had a hard time with lack of independence, and limited means of making a living during the early 1800s, […]
Last week saw me on my travels again, this time to the historic Cotswold town of Tewkesbury, which lies at the confluence of the rivers Severn and Avon. It was the scene of a decisive battle in 1471, when the House of York defeated the House of Lancaster in the Battle of the Roses. But […]
Last week I enjoyed a short break in one of my favourite places — Falmouth, Cornwall. Why do I love Falmouth? Lots of reasons, not least the wonderful feeling I get of being somewhere on the edge of an adventure. Falmouth was after all the jumping off point for many people travelling to different parts […]
Just a short post today. Earlier this week I visited Mechelen, a city close to Brussels in the Belgian region of Flanders. Mechelen has also been known as Mechlin (English) and Malines (French). It was just a flying visit as, having set off reasonably early on Tuesday morning to drive there via Eurotunnel, we didn’t […]
A major contributing factor to Wellington’s success in his Peninsular Campaign was the role played by the British Royal Navy. The British economy at the time of the Napoleonic Wars was based on trade, insurance, and financial services. Portugal, and access to its colony of Brazil, was crucial to Britain’s commercial interests. British woollen goods […]
This post first appeared on the English Historical Fiction Authors blogspot I expect most people will have heard of the Elgin Marbles and the controversy surrounding them. The focus of their story has always been Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine, and whether he acquired the marbles illegally. But […]
I thought I’d share with you a little bit more about my recent trip to Lisbon.Apart from the one day tour we’d booked months previously with the British Historical Society of Portugal, husband and I didn’t have any set plans. However, enticed by our hotel receptionist, we signed up for another guided tour, this one […]
Researching for my next book, I’ve discovered a lot about the Falmouth Packet Service, and thought I’d share it with you here. The ‘King’s Post’ had been an established entity for some years, set up to carry mail such as State letters and dispatches both on inland routes and internationally to and from Great Britain. […]
After a packed morning visiting the sites of the first two battles of Wellington’s Peninsular campaign (read about that here), we headed off in the afternoon with our excellent guide Mark Crathorne, to discover some of the forts that make up the Lines of Torres Vedras. Wellington, or Wellesley, as he then was, always thinking […]
