Heather Moll's Blog 
Excessively Diverted 

I work in a piece of Georgian jewelry into all of my stories. Sometimes they’re sentimental gifts and sometimes they’re significant plot points. In this era, London was filled with independent jewelers and goldsmiths catering to all social levels. Austen’s characters visit Thomas Gray’s in Sackville Street, and the nobility patronized Philips and Hamlet’s. But by far the most iconic and well-known jewelry store in Napoleonic-era England was Rundell, Bridge, & Rundell. Rundell

Realistic travel times for Pride and Prejudice locations, with some reasonable guesses for where those made up places might be.

When you're sick in 1812, which doctor are you calling: physician, surgeon, or an apothecary? They're not the same, and they can't all be...

Loving Miss Tilney is about Eleanor Tilney, a secondary character in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey , which itself is a parody of the...

In Without Undue Pride , recently widowed Elizabeth Fitzwilliam learns her husband’s life savings is gone because the country bank he...

Prior to marriage, a woman in regency England could execute a will, enter into contracts, sue or be sued, and sell or give away her...

Despite what you read in regency romances, London was not teeming with parks on every corner for convenient walks with your beaux. And...

When in Regency London, you might rely on a servant to deliver your notes and invitations to save time and money. But what if you don't have a footman to spare? Fortunately, there was an efficient postal system that operated in London independent of the national mail delivery. London had its own local delivery since 1635, when Charles I opened the Royal Mail. The government eventually took over a private penny post in 1682 that covered letters received and sent within ten mil

A whispering gallery is a circular or elliptical enclosure, typically beneath a dome of a vault, in which whispers from one side can clearly be heard in other parts of the gallery. The sound waves travel the circumference, clinging to the walls. The Statuary Hall in the US Capitol building is a well known example and St. Paul's cathedral in London is another. I've actually been to both and was able to experience the phenomenon myself. The pictures in this post aren't mine, th

While researching another book, I came across a reference to a handbill from about 1820 that described a subscription matchmaking service...

I usually feature a piece of Georgian jewelry in my full-length Austenesque novels. I love the sentimentality and bold gems popular in...

I’m back with more modern sounding words that are actually regency-setting appropriate. Check out my first post about the “Tiffany...

I’m a fan of Georgian era jewelry and work a piece into most of my novels. When I decided to write a book about Eleanor Tilney, the decision

When you think of smuggling in England, what comes to mind? Is it a man from Cornwall rolling a barrel into a cave off the beach? While...

We all know that by whatever metric or conversion calculator you use, Austen’s Mr. Darcy is rich. He owns a lot of land, supports his local community, and has ready cash to pay off scoundrels. He’s a member of the gentry, meaning a portion of his income comes from rent. He likely has other investments because there would likely be non-inheriting children that would need some source of income after his death. (He’s not Mr. Bennet, after all). But most of that ten thousand a y

Stage Coach and Riders in the Yard of an Inn Preparing to Depart 1789-95 What was it like to travel and stop at a coaching inn in Regency England? Inns for travelers existed for centuries before the Georgian era, but it was the Royal Mail’s development in the 17th century that necessitated the improved roads, faster coaches, and affordable fares that allowed more people to travel throughout Great Britain. Turnpike trusts, consistent coach schedules, and a proliferation of gui

I love putting real places in fictional worlds. Most of my books are set in London, Hertfordshire, or Derbyshire, so it was a treat in...

Is sending valentines on February 14 is a modern concept? Valentine’s Day was actually big business in Georgian England. Preprinted cards didn’t exist, but would-be sweethearts and lovers exchanged handmade valentines through the mail. c 1802 handmade valentine There were customs and lore from centuries before the regency era about Valentine’s Day. Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowls portrays birds choosing their mates on that day. Shakespeare’s heartbroken Ophelia mourns Valentine

In January 1817, Jane Austen wrote to her niece Caroline Austen: 'Your Anne is dreadful - . But nothing offends me so much as the...

Did the people in Georgian Britain live up to their stereotypes when it came to sexual behavior? Sex and Sexuality in Georgian Britain...