ANNE BOLEYN AND THE TOWER OF LONDON (PLUS A GIVEAWAY!)

This gentleman has served 22 years in the Queen's service. 

Good Monday morning to you! Patty Smith Hall here with one of the beefeaters guarding the Tower of London during my recent visit to Great Britain. A good friend told me a trick on how to get the beefeaters to pose for pictures and as you can see, it worked out rather well!

Anne Boleyn's apartments. Notice the styling.

Today, we're traveling back to the early 1500s. Henry VIII has broken with the Roman Catholic Church over his pending divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his desire to marry Anne Boleyn. To please his soon to be wife, Henry begins working on the Tower's royal apartments, commissioning large wooden structures that would serve as Anne's home at court during the seven years in which they waited for Rome to decree a divorce. Once it became clear the Pope would not grant a divorce to the king, Henry formed his own church, The Church of England and married Anne in January, 1533.

The gate through which Anne was brought after her arrest.

But a happy union was not to be. Anne gave Henry a daughter--Elizabeth, then suffered three miscarriages that her husband viewed as punishment from God. In order to secure an heir, Henry needed someone who could give him a son and ordered an investigation of Anne. As a person in favor of religious reform, she'd made many enemies amongst the court who were happy to see her arrested for adultery and incest.

The execution block

In May, 1536, Anne was convicted by a jury of her peers which included her former fiancé, Henry Percy and her uncle, Thomas Howard.  She was executed four days later at the hand of a French swordsman, an expert in beheading ladies of the realm. Behind the execution block is the church which is Anne's final resting place.

A frontal view of the Tower

Tower Bridge, not to be confused with London Bridge

One of the famous black crows that lives on the Tower's grounds.

GIVEAWAY: The first person to tell me the legend of the crows that live in the tower's walls will win a lovely tour guide of Buckingham Palace!

The Fascinating Regency And Giveaway! J. Kent

The Prince Regent/George IV

When Secrets of the Heart was published in 2011 friends, readers, and some writers continue to ask me all kinds of questions about the Regency time period. Because I live and breathe this period of history and still don’t know nearly as much as I’d like to, I wanted to share some facts about this intriguing time in history. I work as a counselor during the day and write in the evenings and on the weekends. I’ve learned what I know about the Regency because of the many romance novels on the market that I’ve read through the years and especially because of The Beau Monde, a specialty chapter through Romance Writer’s of America.  

If you write historical novels or if you are working on one you hope to publish then you understand how easy it is to immerse yourself in the era you research and write about. I’m always wondering what else happened during the Regency and the answer is too much for me to relate here. Plus there’s so much I’m still learning.

The definition of REGENCY according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary states: “of, relating to, or characteristic of the styles of George IV’s regency as Prince of Wales during the period 1811–20.” The reason that the Prince of Wales stepped into reign but was not yet king was due to the decline of King George III’s mental health, thus he was called the Regent and not the King. See the connection to my fascination of being a counselor writing in this era now?

When I was in college I majored in Sociology and minored in Psychology. You can imagine my delight when I come across websites like Jane Austen World and the fabulous Nancy Mayer’s Regency Researcher site. Understand that I am not your typical Regency author. I love to explore the dark side of society and mental illness in this time. An awesome book called Regency Underworld provides a look into crime and the sinister side of London in contrast to the wealthy lords and ladies of society, the sparkling ballrooms, and the worlds of Emma, and Pride and Prejudice.

Also, medicine had not yet made great strides in helping people with physical illness and especially not when it came to mental illness. Author Roy Porter has researched and written much on these subjects. One of the things I hope to achieve by exploring these aspects of the Regency is to emphasize just how far we’ve come in these areas and yet how much work is yet to be done, especially in the field of mental illness. This was a time period when the vaccination for smallpox was just being discovered and there were no antibiotics. Can you imagine? 
 
Do you have a question about this time period? Do you have a specific time in history you enjoy reading or writing about? If you know something of interest regarding your favorite time in history and want to share that here, please do. If you'd like to win your choice of a copy of one of my three novels please leave a comment along with your e-mail address so I can reach you. I'll leave the contest open until midnight September 30th Pacific time and post the winner on October 1st.

I hope this brief look into the Regency provides some background that will be helpful to you as you read, research, or write about this fascinating era in British history.

Jillian Kent explores the darker side of Regency England. Her latest novel, Mystery of the Heart, released in January 2013. Her first novel, Secrets of the Heart will introduce you to asylum life, and Chameleon will take you into historic Bedlam itself. But never fear, romance is alive and well in all of Jillian's novels. She invites you to visit her new web page Jill's Quill.

Chameleon, finaled in the Selah Awards at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference this year as well as the Daphne du Maurier Award through Romance Writers of Americas Mystery and Suspense Chapter.

www.jilliankent.com 

@JillKentAuthor on Twitter

Jillian also writes and coordinates, The Well Writer, for the Christian Fiction Online Magazine.

 

Tidbits from Plattsburg

If you're like me you have probably never heard of Plattsburg—unless you have family move in or near the area. A couple weeks back I had the opportunity to visit the area and stumbled upon a great find. On September 11, 1814 (Ironic date) the Battle of Plattsburg was fought during the War of 1812. The city goes all out for this event, and now they are gearing up for next year when it will be the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Plattsburg. In summary, the Battle of Plattsburg was fought on two fronts, land and sea. The land battle held off the invading English troops. The Americans did not win, but they did what was necessary to hold off the English while the sea battle was being implemented. The battle at sea was won by the Americans and helped turn the tide of the War of 1812.

There's a great little museum in Plattsburg depicting the war, and includes period costumes for kids to try on, relics from the war and great info about life in the area at that time.

Below are some pictures from the reenactment:
This image is some of the American's as they step back to line up for the next round of shooting they used a Napoleon style of fighting, which the British were used to because of the war with France.

Lining up to fire against the British

British Marching toward the Americans

French Canadian Troops fighting with the British

Below is a picture of the type of ship used during the Naval Attack. There was a much larger war ship involved as well, but these were some of the ships the locals used to help with the attack on the British ship that surrendered.

Inside the ship looking toward the bow

The City of Plattsburg has many other historical tidbits but this is the one I concentrated on during my recent visit. If you're ever in the North Country you might want to take the time to stop by. And if you can experience next year's 200th anniversary you'll be in for a real treat.

This month, Courting Holly was released and I"m happy to be giving away a free book to the winner of a drawing for the book. The winner will be taken from those who post a comment from today's blog. I am traveling from New England to Florida today, so I'll be in touch with the winner in a couple days.

If you're interested in historical tidbits you might want to check out my 19th Century Historical Tidbits Blog

Wild Food of the West and Southwest

by Linda Farmer Harris

As I mentioned in my CFHS blog post on July 27th, the Southwest Indian Detour Couriers were considered a walking information desk. They had to be conversant with all the flora and fauna in the West and Southwest. This would include knowing about edible and useful plants.

While I was musing about what they might tell the “Dudes” about plants that would help them survive should they get lost in the desert, I was watching the birds flitting among the cattails in Yellow Jacket Creek in our back yard. During the previous week we had torrential rains and hail in Southwest Colorado. Bird nests that were once high among the cattails were now submerged or dipping into the water. Other than to shelter birds, provide roots for our resident muskrat and beaver, or grace a long necked vase, what good is a clump of Cattails?

Here’s what I found: Indians used the flowering heads as a cure for diarrhea. The starchy substance mixed with animal or fowl grease was used to heal burns. The leaves were used for chairs and mats. Rootstock is edible and can be dried and ground into meal. The sap was prized as candy. The down of the Cattail was used to stuff pillows and mattresses or as fire tinder. Nothing of the plant went to waste.

Enough musing about cattail stuffing for the dog beds, it was time for lunch. We’re trying to eat more salads so I sprinkled on the garnishes to encourage my meat and potatoes husband to finish his side salad. Along with a sparse sprinkle of real bacon bits, I used Watercress. I knew that in 2010 the University of Southampton found that consumption of watercress may inhibit the growth of breast cancer. What are other benefits of Watercress?

Here’s what I found: Watercress is considered an excellent food for people with deranged mind. [note to self — get more watercress.] Watercress is often recommended for children to make them strong. Leaves or juice can be applied to freckles, pimples, or spots on the face at night and washed away in the morning with beneficial results. [note to self — get lots more watercress.] Mixed with vinegar, the juice is thought to be good for drowsy feelings and lethargy. Plus, as mentioned in the Talmud, vinegar and watercress is able to stop bleeding.  Indians used the plant for liver and kidney issues, and to dissolve gallstones.

Still flourishing in our backyard is the white parachute seeds of the Dandelion. Considered a weed by most, the dandelion is one of our most common herbs. Watching the wind scatter the seeds, I'm reminded that Ralph Waldo Emerson said "a weed is simply a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." According to herbalist Gregory Tilford, the dandelion is one of the most complete plant foods on earth. Apparently, it has all the vital nutrients in a single source and in quantities that the body can easily process and fully absorb. This would definitely be a survival food source.

Indians used the leaves for their medicinal as well as cooked with fat meat, a good source of Vitamins A and C. Root tea helped with yellow jaundice, liver, kidney complaints, and heartburn. Fresh young spring leaves are still used in salad and wine is made from the flowers.

The flowers are also used for wine and beer. Now that I've heard of, but never tasted.
 

The dried, roasted, and ground root is used as coffee. Have you ever had dandelion coffee? 


   

dandelion picture courtesy of the  
Observer Magazine Allotment Blog, 5/22/08
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/allotment

 Relegating a plant to weed status is definitely in the eye of the beholder. Every time we traveled the interior of Mexico, we watched men chop down the Bird of Paradise plants in ditches and drainage areas and pile them to be burned. In Texas, we paid a high price for these decorative "weeds." The flowers, leaves, and stems can be dried for tea. I suppose not many folks know that Bird of Paradise tea is a gastrointestinal tract medicine that is astringent and anti-inflammatory. A poultice is soothing to rashes, stings, and bites, plus is beneficial in relieving poison ivy and chemical sensitivity rashes. One man's weed is another man's curative.

 
You’ve probably seen the long-armed, scraggly Joshua Tree and wondered what good are they besides being used as fencing or thorny reminders of their presence. They were used as fuel for ore-processing steam engines. The Indians made a red dye from the red rootlet for baskets, but could they eat any of it? Yes, after roasting, the flower bulbs can be eaten hot or cold. They are so sweet, they are often given to children as candy.

 

The more I explore herbal medicine of the American Southwest, the more I'm impressed with the information the Southwest Detour Couriers had to learn. Their knowledge included herbs, wild growing plants, as well as the medicinal value of trees such as the Cottonwood, Aspen, Balsam Poplar, and the Willow. I wonder if we traded down instead of up when we abandoned the primitive for the modern. I wonder how much plant and herb knowledge has been lost because it was old-fashioned.

Until the 27th of October, try a splash of pinon nuts on your salad.

In God's care and under His grace,

Lin

 

The Confectionery Store

Hi!  Winnie Griggs here.  In my upcoming October release, A Family For Christmas, the heroine Eve runs a confectionery shop.  As part of the research for this book, I looked into what sorts of treats might be sold in such an establishment in 1896, the time period this story is set in.  Today, I thought it would be fun to share a bit of this info with you.  (Oh, and you'll also find information about a giveaway I'm sponsoring today at the bottom of this post)

When I looked into the items you’d find in a small town confectionery during this period, I was surprised by some of the things I did - and didn't - see.

Some of the expected items on the list were butterscotch, peppermints, lemon drops and sugar plums.  Marshmallows, gum drops and sour drops were a few of the things on the list that I didn’t expect to see - I hadn’t realized they’d been around that long ago.  Another surprise -  popcorn was classified as a candy during that period.  One thing conspicuously absent from the lists were references to any sort of chocolate candies.  Apparently, even though chocolate WAS around at this time, it hadn’t made into everyday use as a children’s treat.

Most of the candies offered by a general store would be hard candies such as peppermint sticks, butterscotch, lemon drops, hoarhound candy or rock candy.  I decided I’d prefer my heroine, however, to concentrate on softer treats such as bon-bons, taffies, nougats, gum drops and fudge.  She also makes brittles and pralines.  It was great fun coming up with a list of offerings for her shop!

One thing I learned in my research is that fudge is an American invention.  The exact origins are a matter of some dispute, but the first mention of it is found in a letter written by a student at Vasser College, Emelyn Hartridge.  In the letter dated 1886 Emelyn mentions that the relative of a schoolmate made the confection and sold it for forty cents a pound.  Emelyn obtained the recipe and made about 30 pounds of the sweet treat for a school fundraiser.  It was a huge success and a tradition was born.


If you’d like to get a look at some of the early recipes, you can check them out at this link:
 http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/candy/old/history-of-fudge2.asp

In addition, I thought I’d share a much more modern version, namely my personal favorite.  This is made the old fashioned way so it takes a bit of time and attention, but whenever I make it, I think of making it with my mom and sister back when I was just a kid - that always adds to my enjoyment of the treat.
Here it is:

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1.5 cups milk
4 tblsp butter, softened
1 tsp almond extract

Add first four ingredients to heavy saucepan and stir to combine.
Add mix, stirring until thoroughly mixed.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.
Discontinue stirring, allowing to maintain a low, rolling boil, until it reaches soft ball stage (approx 234 degrees F)
Remove from heat and add butter and almond extract without stirring.
When mixture reaches 110 degrees F,  beat until fudge thickens and becomes less glossy.
Quickly spread in a lightly greased pan (8 or 9 inch square works best).
Allow to cool before cutting
Enjoy!

So tell me, what is your favorite confection?

And to celebrate the October release of my book A Family For Christmas, I’d like to give one of today’s commenter an advanced copy of the book.

An Unexpected Gift 

Eve Pickering knows what it's like to be judged for your past. So she's not about to leave the orphaned boy she's befriended alone in this unfamiliar Texas town. Since Chance Dawson's offer of shelter is the only way to look after Leo, Eve is determined they'll have a warm, welcoming home for the holidays.

Chance came from the big city to make it on his own despite a painful secret. But Eve's strength is giving him a confidence he never expected—and a new direction for his dream. With a little Christmas blessing, he'll dare to win her heart—and make their family one for a lifetime.

Old-Fashioned Mercantiles

As of July, I began writing my next western novel. Since the opening scene is set in the town mercantile, I found it necessary to describe the store. However, it had been a lot of years since I watched Little House on the Prairie. I didn’t recall what the interior of Mr. Oleson’s Mercantile looked like, and I certainly didn’t recall a lot of the details of what a western mercantile might carry. It was perfect timing that we took our short vacation in St. Augustine when we did.



Outside of the Oldest Store Museum
© Jennifer Uhlarik

The first stop on our July vacation was to the “The Oldest Store Museum.” This museum is modeled after a historic store owned by Mr. C.F. Hamblen. His mercantile opened for business in 1875, and the store grew right along with the city of St. Augustine. When Mr. Hamblen died in 1920, the store was bought but continued to operate in one form or another until 2012.
The museum was a fun one, set up like Mr. Hamblen’s store would have looked in the early 1900’s. My story is set in 1873, so some of the featured items displayed in the museum were too “new-fangled” for my purposes, but in general, I still got an excellent idea of how such a mercantile would have looked.

We were met on the mercantile’s porch by a store clerk who offered to give us a tour. Had she been unavailable at that time, there were several rocking chairs on the porch where we could have waited, or where we could catch up on the town gossip fresh from the proprietor after our shopping was done. Since the clerk was ready, she told us a little about Mr. Hamblen and the history of how he opened up shop in the 1870’s, then showed us inside.



Selection of gingham and calico fabrics
and sewing notions.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

The interior of the building was lit with sunlight that flooded in through two large windows on the front and side of the building, as well as a few oil lamps hanging from the tin ceiling. The center of the room had displays of blankets and other goods. Along two sides of the rectangular room stood more large-sized goods, such as a large coffee mill standing about four feet tall and just as wide, or gingham and calico fabrics and sewing items that the women-folk would want to see up close.



Mercantile counter and shelves, including stick candy in jars, old
cash register, and the Edison cylinder music player (far left).
© Jennifer Uhlarik

The other two walls were lined with long counters, one with glass-front drawers containing beans and spices. Behind the counters stood floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with canned goods, tins, fashion items, and other merchandise. On one of the counters sat three large apothecary jars filled with stick candy in various flavors. We were given our choice of root beer, cherry, or watermelon flavors—on the house. At the end of that counter stood a glass case with many types of patent medicines to cure what ails you.

 

Patent medicines and elixers in a glass case.
© Jennifer Uhlarik


The clerk explained that they were the largest store in Florida, and if they didn’t have something in stock, they could order it. If they couldn’t order it, we must not need it. She then proceeded to show us several modern gadgets to outfit our homes. A cream separator, a milkshake maker, a cork sizer, and an Edison cylinder music player, among other things—all of which could be ordered and would arrive in “just two weeks time.” We were given demonstrations of some of the merchandise. That silver-tongued clerk talked us into ordering several of the items on display (including the latest styles of women’s shoes—two pair of each color).


Store counter displaying cream separator (bottom left), women's shoes (center),
hats and unmentionables (in countertop glass case), and men's shirt collars (above the shoes).
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Bicycle inside the warehouse portion.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

After we finished in the main showroom, we were led past the in-house butcher and into the store’s warehouse. The warehouse was like a large barn and had all kinds of interesting goods to consider. Bedroom furniture, bicycles, typewriters, firearms, farm tools, various types of washing machines (including the latest, greatest goat-powered version). We talked a while with the warehouse manager, then were allowed to look on our own for a few moments at the other warehouse displays.


Selection of firearms and hunting traps.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Overall, the museum was amusing and educational, and it certainly was a real help to me in getting a feel for what a mercantile would have looked like back in the day. I hope you enjoyed learning about it.

It’s your turn. What historical tours or sites have you seen that you most enjoyed?


Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won the 2012 CWOW Phoenix Rattler, 2012 ACFW First Impressions, and 2013 FCWC contests, all in the historical category. She is also the winner of the 2013 Central Florida ACFW chapter's "Prompt Response" contest. In addition to writing, she has been a schoolteacher of English, literature, and history, as well as a marketing director. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

Frontier Teachers: A Book in One Hand and a Gun in the Other

Teaching has never been an easy profession, but frontier teachers had to train young minds while helping to tame the west. 

Why would a woman leave family and friends for a low paying job in an unsettled, hostile land? Part of the answer lies with Catherine Beecher who did for education what her sister Harriet did for slavery. In The Duty of American Women to Their Country she encouraged women to go west and meet the demand for teachers, arguing that "Women are the best, as well as the cheapest, guardian and teacher of childhood, in the school as well as in the nursery."

Beecher was right about women being the cheapest; female teachers earned only forty to sixty percent of what male teachers earned, but that didn’t keep them from rising to the occasion. Between 1847 and 1858, more than six hundred female teachers traveled west to teach under the most difficult conditions imaginable and the numbers kept growing.

Armies, Indians and Things that Fly

In 1849 twenty-two year old Olive Isbel left Ohio with her husband to open the first school for American children in California. She taught a class of twenty students while cradling a loaded rifle in one hand and a book in the other. The Mission where she taught was under fire by the Mexican army trying to reclaim land believed to belong to Mexico.

Twenty-three years later in 1872, Sister Blandina Segale of Colorado didn’t have it much easier. Her classroom was periodically disturbed by attacking Ute Indians, who sided with the Mexicans.

While Sister Segale handled her Indian problem with prayer, Frontier teacher Harriet Bishop handled hers with diplomacy. When her school was attacked by fifty Sioux firing guns, she hid the children behind her voluptuous skirts and managed to persuade the Indians to leave by telling them that, “The children’s hearts are not strong like ours.”

How Students and Teachers Stayed Thin

Attacking armies and Indians weren’t the only problems frontier teachers faced. Isaben Fodge Cornish wrote about attending a sod school: "The floor was of dirt and during the cold winter of 1884 the teacher's feet were frosted. Later a quantity of straw was put on the floor which made it warmer but proved to be a breeding place for fleas. This was not conductive to quiet study but did afford the children some bodily activity." (No child obesity back then and now you know why.)

 Tonight's Homework: Read Ten Headstones

Teachers often lacked even the most basic necessities. Blackboards were considered a luxury and books were in short supply. Teachers were forced to use whatever was on hand. Eliza Mott, who taught school in Nevada in 1851, was so hard-pressed for books she conducted class in the local cemetery where she taught her pupils to read the epitaphs on gravestones.

Isbell also had to teach without benefit of paper, pens or slates. Her students printed their school work on their hands with pieces of charcoal and she scratched her lesson plans upon the dirt floor with a stick.

No Desks? No Problem!

Sister Segale was short desks and classroom space and this time she chose action over diplomacy. She solved the first problem by sawing what desks she had on hand in half, thus giving each pupil a place to sit. She then borrowed a crowbar and demolished the school, hoping that goodhearted citizens would take pity and build her a new one. Her plan worked.

Conditions were poor, the rules tough and pay low, but the heroic teachers who traveled west laid the foundation that shaped young minds and helped turn America into the land of opportunity it is today.

I wonder what the teachers of yesteryear would think about today's schools. My granddaughter's classroom has an iPad on every desk and the shelves are lined with computers (not books)! An apple for the teacher sure isn't what it used to be.

What do you think about today's schools and what do you most remember about your own?

www.margaretbrownley.com

Gunpowder Tea

 "Exquisitely intriguing"- Publishers Weekly  Starred Review

She's a Pinkerton detective working undercover; he has more aliases than can be found in Boot Hill.  They don't have a clue about love.

Pinkerton Detective Miranda Hunt has been tasked with apprehending the Phantom – a notorious train robber thought to be hiding on the sprawling Last Chance Ranch.

But she isn’t the only one there with something to hide. Wells Fargo detective Jeremy Taggert is working the scene undercover as well. Although their true identities are a secret—and both are suspicious of the other—it is impossible for Jeremy and Miranda to hide the spark that flares between them. But with careers and lives on the line, love will have to wait—perhaps forever.

Order on line or at your favorite bookstore.