19th Century Cross Letter or Cross Writing or Cross Hatching. The writer reached the bottom of the page, turned the paper sideways and adds a second layer of text. During the 19th century, paper was expensive and postal delivery was charged per page, or by the size of the paper. Cross-writing was a way to save paper and postage in Jane Austen and Bridgerton times, and many of Jane Austen’s letters were written this way. Once it becomes familiar, the mind adapts easily and cross-writing letters are surprisingly legible. Charles Darwin also favored this technique.
Rates of Postage of single Letters in Pence.
From any post-office in England or Wales, to any place not exceeding 15 miles from such office – – – 3
For any distance above 15, and not exceeding 30 miles — — 4
For any distance above 30, and not exceeding 50 miles — 5
For any distance above 50, and not exceeding 80 miles – 6
For any distance above 80, and not exceeding 12O miles — 7
For any distance above 120, and not exceeding 170 miles – 8
For any distance above 170, and not exceeding 230 miles — 9
For my distance above 230, and not exceeding 300 miles — — 10
For any distance above 300, and not exceeding 400 miles – 11
For any distance above 400, and nut exceeding 500 mites — 12
1802 Picture of London Printed for R. Phillips via Google Books (PD-180)
And so in proportion; the postage increasing progressively one penny for a single letter for every like excess ok distance of 100 miles. 1802 Picture of London Printed for R. Phillips via Google Books (PD-180)
The Twopenny Post- Office.
There are two principal offices, one in the General Post—office yard, Lombard—street and the other in Gerrard-street, Soho. There are also numerous receiving houses in both the town and country.
There are SI X collections and deliveries of letters in town daily, (Sundays excepted) and there are two dispatches from, and three deliveries at, most places in the country, within the limits of this office.
1802 Picture of London Printed for R. Phillips via Google Books (PD-180)
1810 Stockdale’s Peerage King George William Frederick III. From Stockdale’s Peerage of England, Scotland and Wales. Containing an Account of All the Peers of the United Kingdom . via Google Books Printed for John Stockdale, Piccadilly, London, U.K.
1804 King George III. via Kearsley’s Complete Peerage. Google Books (PD-180)
Our present Most Gracious Sovereign, was born May 24, 1738 and baptized June, 1738, at Norfolk House. Succeeded his father in the titles of Prince of Great Britain, Electoral Prince of Brunswick-Lunenburg, Duke of Edinburgh, Marquis of the Isle of Ely, Earl of Carrick and Eltham, Viscount Launceston, Baron of Renfrew and Snowdon, Lord of the Isles, and Steward of Scotland ; but the Duchy ot Cornwall was merged in the crown. He was, by letters patent, April zr, 1751, created Prince of Wales ; and on the death of his royal grandfather, George II. the crown of Great Britain devolved on his Royal Highness, Oct. z$, 1760, and he was proclaimed the next day with the usual solemnities. His Majesty married, Sept. 8, 1 76 1 , Sophia-Charlotte, Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelit, sister to the present and late Duke, and their Majesties were crowned the 22d of the same month.
By his royal Consort, who was born May 19, 174.4, his Majesty has issue :
1. GEORGE- AUGUSTUS- FREDERICK, Prince of Wales. See Prince of Wales.
2. Frederick, Bishop of Osnaburg, Duke of York ; see Duke of York.
3. William-Henry, Duke of Clarence; see Duke of Clarence,
4. Charlotte-Augusta- Matilda, born Sept. 29, 1766, Lady of the Russian Imperial Order of St. Catherine ; married, May 18, 1797, Frederick-Charles-William, King of Wirtemburg, brother to the Empress of Russia, and relict of the eldest daughter of the Duke of Brunswick, by Augusta, his Majesty King George the third’s eldest sister.
5. Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern; see Duke of Kent.
6. Sophia-Augusta, born Nov. 8, 1768.
7. Elizabeth, born May 22, 1770.
8. Ernest-Augustus, Duke of Cumberland ; see Duke of Cumberland.
9. Augustus-Frederick, Duke of Sussex ; see Duke of Sussex.
10. Adolphus-Frederick, Duke of Cambridge; sec Duke of Cambridge.
11. Mary, born April 25, 177*.
I2. Sophia, born Nov. 3, 1777. 1
13. Octavius, born Feb. 23, 1779, and died May 3, 1783.
14 Alfred, born Sept 22, 1780, and died Aug. zo, 1782. .
15. Amelia, born Aug. 7, 1783.
PRINCE OF WALES.
GEORGE- AUGUSTUS -FREDERICK, Prince of Great Britain, Prince of Wales, Electoral Prince of Brunswick- Lunenburg, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, Earl of Chester and Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Hereditary Great Steward of Scotland, a Colonel in the Army, and Colonel ef the 10th Regiment of Light Dragoons, Captain-General of the Royal Artillery Company, High Steward o! Plymouth, Knight of the Garter, and F. R. S. Born Aug. 12,1762; and, on the 17th of the same month, his Majesty ordered letters patent for creating him Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester ; and Nov. 1783, his Royal Highness took his seat in the House of Peers ; in 1765, elected a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and installed at Windsor, July 25, 1771. Married, April 8, 1795, Caroline-Amelia- Elizabeth, second daughter of the late Duke of Brunswick (born May 17, 1768), by whom he has a daughter, Charlotte-Caroline-Augusta- born Jan 7, 1796. Edward, the Black Prince, was the first Duke of Cornwall, created 1337, in perpetuity to his heirs; by virtue of which the eldest son of the King of England is Duke of Cornwall. The Earldom of Chester is by creation by letters patent 3 1 Henry III. 1247, and has been invariably annexed to the eldest son of the King of England. The titles of Hereditary Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, and Baron of Renfrew, were titles annexed by B’ belt III. King of Scotland, 1399, to the eldest to the eldest Prince of Scotland, on his birth, and have continued from that period. The title of Prince of Wales was first conferred on the infant son of Edward I 1284, and has never been bestowed but on the heir to the Throne.
DUKE OF YORK. PRINCE FREDERICK, Duka of YORK and ALBANY in Great Britain, and Earl of Ulster in Ireland, Bishop of Osnaburg, Knight of the Garter and Bath, D. C L. F. R. S. and a Field-Marshal, Colonel of trie First Regiment of Foot Guards, Colonel in Chief of the sixtieth (or. Royal American) Regiment of Foot, and of the Royal Dublin Regiment of in.fantiry, Lord Warden of Windsor Forest and Great Park, and Warden and Keeper of the New Forest, Hampshire ; second son of his Majesty. Born Aug. 16, 1763. Created as above Nov. 27, 1784. Married, Sept. 29, 1791, Frederica Charlotte- Ulrica-Catharina, Princess Royal of Prussia (born May 7, 1767), eldest daughter to the late King of Prussia, by his first consort, Elizabeth-Ulrica-Christiana, Princess of Brunswick- Wolfen- buttel, sister to the late Duke.
DUKE OF CLARENCE: PRINCE-WILLIAM-HENRY, Duke of CLARENCE and x ST. ANDREWS in Great Britain, and Earl of Munster in Ireland, Knight of the Garter and Thistle, Admiral of the Red, and Ranger of Bushy Park ; third son of his Majesty. Born Aug. 21, 1765. Created as above, May 16, 1785.
DUKE OF KENT: PRINCE EDWARD, Duke of KENT and STRATHERN Great Britain, Earl of Dublin in Ireland, fourth son of his Majesty, Knight of the Garter and of St. Patrick, Field-Marshal of the Forces, Governor of Gibraltar, Colonel of the First Regiment of Foot, Keeper and Paler 0/ Hampton Court Park. Born Nov. 2, 1767. Created as above, April 23, 1790. Arms.
DUKE OF CUMBERLAND. PRINCE ERNEST-AUGUSTUS, Duke of CUMBERLAND and TlVIOTDALE in Great Britain, Earl of Armagh in Ireland, fifth son of his Majesty, a Knight of the Garter, and D. C. L. Chancellor of the University of Dublin, a General in the Army, and Colonel of the 15th Regiment of Dragoons. Born June 5, 1771. Created as above, April 43, 1799. Arms.
DUKE OF SUSSEX: PRINCE AUGUSTUS-FREDERICK, Duke of SUSSEX, Earl of Inverness in North Britain, Baron Arklow in Ireland, Knight of the Garter. Born Jan. 27, 1773, sixth son of his Majesty. Created as above, Nov. 7, 1801. His Royal Highness married, April 3, 1793, Augusta Murray, second daughter of John Earl of Dunmore, by whom he had Augustus-Frederick, born Jan. 13, 1794; and was re-married Dec 5, 1793, at St. George’s church, Hanover Square, London. This marriage was declared null and void, being in violation of stat. 12 Geo. III. c. 11. which enacts that no descendant of the body of King George II. (other than the issue of princesses married into foreign countries) is capable of contracting. matrimony without the previous consent of the King, signified under the great seal ; and any marriage contracted without such consent is void. And the marriage was accordingly dissolved in August 1794. Arms. — See plate 3.
DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE. PRINCE ADOLPHUS- FREDERICK, Duke of CAMBRIDGE, Earl of Tipperary in Ireland, and Baron of Culloden in North Britain, seventh son of his Majesty. Born Feb. 24, 1 774. Knight of the Garter, a General in the Army, Colonel of the id or Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards. Created as above, Nov. 27, 1801.
DUKE OF GLOUCESTER: PRINCE WILLIAM-FREDERICK, DUKE of GLOUCESTER and EDINBURGH in Great Britain, Earl of Connaught in Ireland, Knight of the Garter, a General in the Army, Colonel of the third- Regiment of Foot Guards, and Ranger of Bagshot Park and Walk. Born at Rome, Jan.-J5, 1776. Succeeded his father, Prince William-Henry, the, late Duke, Aug. 25,. 1805. His Royal Highness’s father, Prince William-Henry, Duke of Gloucester, was third son of his Royal Highness Frederick- Lewis, Prince of Wales, and brother to his Majesty ; born, Nov. 25, 1743, and by patent Nov. 14, 1764, created Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh in Great Britain, Earl 0/ Connaught In Ireland, Knight of the Garter, Senior Field-Marshal of his Majesty’s Forces, Colonel of the first Regiment of Foot Guards, Chancellor of the University of Dublin, Ranger and Keeper of Cranbourne Chase, Ranger of Hampton Court Park, Lord Warden and Keeper of the New Forest, Hampshire. His Royal Highness married, Sept. 6, 1766, Maria, Countess Dowager of Waldegrave, widow of James, second Earl of Waldegrave, and daughter of Sir Edward Walpole, Knight of the Bath, and by her (who died Aug. 23, 1807) had issue: (• Sophia-Matilda, born May 29, 1773-; 2. Caroline- Augusta- Maria, born June 24, 1774, died March 14, 1775; 3.Wil liam-Frederick, the present Duke. His Royal Highness died Aug. 25, 1805, and was succeeded by his only son, Prince William-Frederick, the present and second Duke. Anms.
The King’s sons, brothers, uncles, and nephews are Styled Princes of the Blood Royal, and have precedency of all other Dukes, with the title of Royal Highness.
1840 ca. The York To London Royal Mail. By A. Anson Martin. Mailcoach in the village of Bedale, Yorkshire, U.K. Church at the end of the wide country road and thatched cottages behind the coach. Signed and Inscribed ‘(All Right)’. Via British Postal Museum, London, U.K. ~ postal museum.org
The dreadful condition of British roads caused great apprehension to all classes of travelers. Making a journey anywhere in the country was a big undertaking and often a gentleman composed his last will and testament before his departure. Traveling in vehicles was only possible during the day or on the nights with very bright moonlight with few vehicles attempting road travel in winter and any travel on a Sunday was frowned upon. books2read.com/SuziLoveTravel
Description of Stage Coach Travel in England. via 1815 Journal Tour of Great Britain. “The gentlemen coachmen, with half-a dozen great coats about them, immense capes, a large nosegay at the button-hole, high mounted on an elevated seat, with squared elbows, a prodigious whip, beautiful horses, four in hand, drive in a file to Salthill, a place about twenty miles from London, and return, stopping in the way at the several public-houses and gin-shops where stage-coachmen are in the habit of stopping for a dram, and for parcels and passengers on the top of the others as many as seventeen persons. These carriages are not suspended, but rest on steel springs, of a flattened oval shape, less easy than the old mode of leathern braces on springs. Some of these stage coaches carry their baggage below the level of the axletree.”
1805 November Three English Ladies In Full Dress. White walking dress with high neck under a purple tunic, or pelisse, and a masculine style straw hat. Two in evening dresses, one white and one pink, fur stoles and plumed, or feathered, hats. via Vernon and Hood Poultry at The Lady’s Monthly Museum, London, U.K.
These gorgeous dresses show the transition from the round dresses of the late 1700s to the Empire style dresses with the waistline high under the bust. Small trains were still worn in the early 1800s, but much more manageable than the larger and more elaborate trains of the late 1700s. Jane Austen and her friends would have worn dresses like this to their assemblies and evening events.
Definition Accessory: An accessory completes and complements an outfit.
Two groups – 1. Those worn e.g. bonnets, caps and hats, boots and shoes, cravats and ties, gloves, mittens and muffs, jewelry, scarves and shawls, socks and stockings.
2. Those carried e.g. bags, fans, and parasols.
Definition Full Dress: The most formal and complete ensemble, worn for day or night events, and includes the fullest range of accessories that could be added to the outfit to make the most impressive display.
1628 Silk and Glass Beads Purse, English. Brown glass beads on netted silk background, lined with leather and silk, silk ribbon. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
George Bryan “Beau” Brummell (June 7th 1778 – March 30th 1840) Arbiter of men’s fashion and friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV. Established mode of dress for men that rejected overly ornate fashions for understated but perfectly fitted and tailored clothing. Look based on dark coats, full-length trousers rather than knee breeches and stockings, with immaculate shirt linen and an elaborately knotted cravat. 1855 Engraving of Beau Brummell from an article in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.
1810 January 1st. West India Docks, London. By Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Charles Pugin. Printed in 1810 By Rudolph Ackermann in Microcosm Of London, or London In Miniature. Volume 1. Aquatint showing warehouses at quayside and several West Indiamen moored alongside. Warehouses held thousands of tons of cargo, including sugar, rum, molasses, coffee, spices and hardwood. Docks were constructed by powerful group of businessmen led by Robert Milligan, wealthy merchant and ship-owner outraged at losses suffered due to theft and delay at riverside wharves. via National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, U.K. ~ collections.rmg.co.uk
East and West India Docks London’s Historic Places
The East India Docks was a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. In 1607, the East India Company decided to build its own ships and leased a yard in Deptford. In 1614 the East India Company ordered William Burrell to begin work on a bigger yard for repair, construction and loading of out-going ships. The site selected was at Blackwall, which was further down river and had deeper water, allowing laden ships to moor closer to the dock. During the early 17th century, the site was enlarged repeatedly. Later in the 17th century, the East India Company reverted to its practice of hiring vessels, although many owners who chartered their vessel to the East India Company had them built at Deptford and Blackwall.
Before 1800, the Thames river was overcrowded with ships. They carried cargoes of tea, china and cloth in their lower parts along with casks of water, salted meat, beer, wine and rum for their crews. Brandy, wine, and tobacco were also shipped and stored in the warehouses. In 1800, the London Dock Company was formed and the planned docks in Wapping went ahead in 1801. The first was the West India Dock. In 1806, the East India Company opened their own docks to the north-east of the West India Docks after deciding that the Brunswick Dock at Blackwall, where ships were fitted out, was unsuitable for storing cargo.
The Brunswick Dock, which had originally been connected directly to the Thames to the south, became the Export Dock. To the north the company built a larger 18-acre (7.3 ha) Import Dock. Both were connected to the Thames via an eastern entrance basin. The number of ships discharged in the docks rose from 354 in 1804, to 598 in 1808, and to 641 in 1810. In 1808, the warehouses were full, as blockades prevented the re-export of goods. The dock company calculated that the almost total prevention of theft made possible by the building of the docks was saving West India merchants almost £400,000, and the Exchequer about £150,000 each year. During the 1840s and early 1850s, shipping and tonnage handled at the East and West India docks increased so much that dividends of 5 and 6 per cent were paid.
The East India Docks didn’t have many warehouses because cargoes were taken straight to their warehouses in the City. So instead of building warehouses, the company built private toll roads like Commercial Road and East India Dock Road to carry traffic to and from the docks.
The company made large profits on tea, spices, indigo, silk and Persian carpets. The tea trade alone was worth £30m a year. Spice merchants and pepper grinders set up around the dock to process goods. Although the East India docks were smaller than the West India Docks, they handled up to 250 ships at one time and East Indiamen of 1000 tons but larger ships and steam power reduced the importance of the dock.
The West India Docks were a series of three docks, quaysides, and warehouses built to import goods from, and export goods and occasionally passengers to the British West Indies. In 1802, the first dock opened on the Isle Of Dogs. When they closed for commerce in 1980, the Canary Wharf development was built around the wet docks by narrowing some of their broadest tracts.
The docks were constructed in two phases. The two northern docks were constructed between 1800 and 1802 for the West India Dock Company and were the first commercial wet docks in London. For 21 years, all vessels in the West India trade using the Port Of London had to use the West India docks by a clause in the act of Parliament that had enabled their construction.
In 1838 the East and West India companies merged. The southern dock, the South West India Dock, later known as South Dock, was constructed in the 1860s and in 1909 the Port Of London Authority took over the West India Docks,
The docks played a key role in the Second World War as a location for constructing the floating Mulberry harbours used by the Allies to support the D-Day landings in France. Following the Second World War, in which all the docks were badly damaged, the East India Docks were confined to occasional Channel Islands traffic and to the maintenance of dredger equipment.
The docks were the first London docks to close, in 1967. Today the docks have been mostly filled in. Only the entrance basin remains, as a wildlife refuge and an attractive local amenity. The area is predominantly residential with several major developments around it.
How many dukes were there in England in 1804? The number varied from year to year, depending on which titles became extinct etc. From: 1804 Kearsley’s Complete Peerage via Google Books (PD-200)
1804 Nine Princes of the Royal Blood, some of whom are Dukes.
Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Duke of Clarence, Duke of Kent, Duke of Cumberland,
Duke of Sussex, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Gloucester, Prince William.
1804 Eighteen English Dukes, excluding the Prince Royals holding the title of ‘Duke’.
Norfolk, Somerset, Richmond, Grafton, Beaufort, St. Albans, Leeds,
Regency Life Series: Images, information, funny anecdotes give overview of Jane Austen’s and Bridgerton times. #bridgerton #RegencyEra #JaneAusten #BritishHistory https://books2read.com/suziloveROver
