Thank you, Maria Grazia, for hosting me today! I am
honored to be visiting My Jane Austen Book Club. For my post today, I wanted to
share some of what I learned while working on A Chance Encounter in Pemberley Woods.
I confess I never paid much attention to the
travel times in my favorite author’s books. Working with the lovely folks at
Meryton Press, however, has opened my eyes to the intricacy of travel during
Regency England.
At one point in my novel, Mr. Darcy undertakes
a journey from Pemberley to London. I thought it might be interesting to
examine his travel options!
The travel time could vary quite broadly
depending on one’s choice of ride. Traveling by mail coach was the quickest,
taking a little over one day. However, what they made up for in speed they lost
in comfort. Mail coaches were principally concerned with delivering the mail,
and therefore left little time for the passengers to rest at each stop.
 |
| from The World in Miniature, by William Henry Pyne, published 1827 |
A man traveling on horseback (for indeed it
would only be a man doing so), could expect to take five whole days to reach
London from Pemberley.
By far the most comfortable way to travel was
by private coach. Mr. Darcy would have spent three days in his personal coach
driving from Pemberley to London. His journey, however, would have been the
most pleasant of the three options.
 |
| The Dress Carriage of Viscount Eversley in Hyde Park by Edwin Frederick Holt |
A private, closed coach could be equipped with
a variety of luxuries. Passengers might have hot bricks and sheep-skin rugs to
keep them warm during the cold months. Deirdre Le Faye’s book, Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels
even mentions silver chamber pots being available! Although I imagine this last
was used only when the vehicle had a single occupant.
The way one travelled was also a signifier of
wealth and status. As Josephine Ross points out in her book, Jane Austen: A Companion, “If the
design, newness and expense of a vehicle were not proof enough of status, the
custom of painting the owner’s coat-of-arms on the door would proclaim his or
her identity to the world.”
So our beloved Mr. Darcy was very comfortable
during his three day carriage ride to London. After all…
References:
Jane Austen: The World of her Novels by
Deirdre Le Faye
Jane Austen: A Companion by Josephine Ross
Brigid Huey
A surprise meeting
A baby alone in the woods
And a second chance at love
Fitzwilliam Darcy returns to his beloved
Pemberley with one thing on his mind ̶ to forget Elizabeth Bennet. Riding ahead
of his party and racing a storm, he happens upon the very woman he wants to
avoid. To his astonishment, she is holding a baby whose name and parentage are
unknown.
Elizabeth Bennet never dreamed she had
wandered into Pemberley’s Woods on her afternoon walk. But when she finds an
infant alone in the storm, she turns to the last man in the world she wants to
see ̶ and the only one who can help them both.
As the mystery of the baby’s identity
intensifies, Elizabeth finds Mr. Darcy to be quite the reverse of what she
expected. But when the child’s family is discovered, will the truth bring them
together, or tear them apart?
About the author
Brigid Huey has been in love with Jane Austen since first seeing the
BBC version of Pride and Prejudice as a young girl. She lives
in Ohio with her husband and two kids, and spends her free time reading and
writing. This is her first Pride and Prejudice variation,
though many others live in her imagination.
Website: https://brigidhuey.com/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrigidHuey/
Instagram: @brigidhueywrites
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BrigidHuey
Meryton Press is giving away 8 eBooks of Brigid
Huey’s A Chance Encounter in Pemberley
Woods.
7 comments:
When travelling I have always wondered about the horses, i.e. you leave with your own horses (do you?) then you change horses at each stop.
Is there really a sytem where the horses all get back to their original owners
Hi Vesper! This is a great question and one that has puzzled me as well. Yes, there was a system to get the horses back to their original owners. A pair of horses would only travel ten miles or so, and then be replaced. They only ever went that same section of road. So Mr. Darcy would leave Pemberley with his own horses, then change to hired horses after ten miles at a coaching inn. A servant from Pemberley would then go get his horses and bring them back home. Hired horses were used for the rest of the journey. Here is a good blog post about it: http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2013/09/changing-horses-in-early-19th-century.html
This sounds like such a fun book, so excited for this one to come out!!!
Thanks for showcasing something different in your guest post, Brigid. I like reading history tidbits but sometimes they do puzzle me. Do you know why travelling by private coach is quicker than riding a horse? Is it because gentleman only use their own horse so the animal need to be rested before continuing on his journey?
Through the years I've learned so much through reading jaff. Before I started reading, I never really paid attention to the historical details and although I knew they traveled using horses I wouldn't have been able to tell you the difference between what a chaise is versus a phaeton.
Very interesting post! Thanks! Traveling was indeed tiring in the Regency Era!
This was a very interesting and informative post, Brigid. Thank you for sharing what you learned with us. Thanks to you for hosting, Maria!
Post a Comment