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London Research #3 – candles

Today’s entry, extracted from the soon-to-be-released JANE AUSTEN SHOPPED HERE:
candles.
The best candles were made of beeswax. These were not often used by the common man, being too expensive, instead he burned tallow candles. Candles could also be made of spermaceti, a waxy oil derived from sperm whales’ heads; both beeswax and spermaceti candles gave off better light and less smell than the alternatives.
Tallow candles, with the wicks dipped in animal fat, were also (from their nature) called dips. Their light flickered more and was smelly.
There were also rushlights: strips of plant fiber drawn through cooking grease or tallow; a two foot long one might burn for 45 minutes. Their light was decent and, unlike candles, were not taxed. Rushlights burned best in a bowl, as they needed an angle to burn well.
Similarly, there was also the ancient method of a wick floating in a bowl of oil or grease, but they were smelly and smoky.

ballad-sellers

Today I’m prepared to announce that I’ve got a Regency Resource compendium coming out in the next month or two. It will be called: JANE AUSTEN SHOPPED HERE. It’s stuffed full of fun and interesting facts about London’s confines and her past, with a special emphasis on the Regency era in which Jane Austen wrote… Continue Reading

London Research

Okay, I admit it. I’m the worst at blogging. I’m going to try it again, this time with almost daily posts. I’ve got a project coming out soon, all about London’s history. I can’t say much more than that right now – but soon! In the meanwhile, I’ll post a daily item from my London… Continue Reading

Apples…and Writing with Trust in Yourself

LATE SEPTEMBER/2016: I was just out in my backyard, picking up the fallen apples that didn’t get harvested (although we did harvest probably a hundred pounds.) It’s kind of a messy job, as about half the fallen fruit are getting squooshy now. The grandkids like stomping on ones that are still intact, making them explode…but… Continue Reading

Getting Going

Okay, I established this web site…well, awhile ago. But I’m finally committed to doing something with it. So here goes. I wrote some Regency Romance novels some years past. I’ve learned a lot since they were written…so now I’m rewriting and releasing them as both eBooks and Print on Demand. I’m trying to honor the… Continue Reading