Halloween in the Regency


Vintage Halloween postcard


It's that time of year again - crisp autumn leaves crackling underfoot, a chill in the air, and the excitement of children preparing to trick-or-treat their neighbors. 

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, and I was happy to find that it was celebrated during the Regency, too. While some customs have changed in the past 200 years, others have stayed remarkably similar.  

Here are some Halloween facts you may know:
  • It's one of the oldest celebrations in the world – it was celebrated in Britain 2,000 years ago by the Celts.
  • Across cultures it is believed that the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is thinnest at this time of year, which is why spirits can walk amongst us.
  • It is indeed properly spelled Hallowe’en. The word dates to about 1745. It was originally All Hallow's Eve, the day before All Hallow's Day, a Christian holy day now known as All Saints Day.  


Photo of a Danish bonfire.

  • Bonfires and "guising" (dressing up in costume) are old traditions, too. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits. Guising was a Halloween tradition as far back as the 16th century in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. People would don costumes or disguises and go door-to-door asking for food, offering to recite a verse or sing a song in return. 
  • It's thought that orange and black are the colors of Halloween because orange represents the harvest and black stands for death.
  • We can thank the Romans for Halloween customs such as bobbing for apples. When they came to Britain they merged the ancient Celtic traditions with their harvest festivals revolving around the Roman goddess of fruits and seeds, Pomona.


Snap-Apple Night painted by Irish artist Daniel Maclise, 1833.
Notice the children in the foreground bobbing for apples.


  • Originally the Brits made lanterns out of hollowed-out turnips or beets. When colonists brought Halloween to the New World the more plentiful pumpkins were carved instead, starting our tradition of the pumpkin jack o'lantern.
  • Speaking of the New World, the Puritans hated Halloween and forbade any festivities (but then, the Puritans were spoilsports about a lot of things).
  • Finally, here's a fun Halloween superstition: if you see a spider on Halloween, it just could be the soul of a dear departed one watching you. 
Ordinary spider or your Great-Uncle Harry?



Finally, here's a PBS kids' cartoon from the 1980s set to Camille Saint-Saëns' musical composition, titled Danse macabre. The music and the animation will get you into the Halloween spirit. 

Saint-Saëns was born in 1835 in Paris, at the tail end of what some consider the general Regency period and two years before Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837. 

I first heard Danse macabre a few years ago when I started watching the BBC TV series Jonathan Creek. (It's a fun detective series about a magician's assistant who uses his skills to solve mysteries - look for it in your local library.) Danse macabre is a haunting tune, beautiful yet spooky. 

The cartoon tells the story of Death, who every year at midnight on Halloween goes to the graveyard with a fiddle and plays music. Skeletons rise from their graves to dance, and they dance until dawn. When the sun rises Death disappears and the dead must return to their graves. 






Happy Halloween!


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Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Hammersmith Ghost Murder - a Real Regency Ghost Story

The Hammersmith Ghost, as published in
Kirby's Wonderful and Scientific Museum, 1804
.

Will you be dressing up this Halloween? If you love the simple elegance of a ghost costume, you may want to hear about a Regency “ghost” who met an untimely and undeserved end.

In late 1803 the residents of Hammersmith (which is now a part of Greater London but was then a small village about five miles west of the city) were in a panic. A number of the villagers claimed that had seen a ghost – a few went so far as to say the ghost had attacked them.

Many believed that the ghost in question was the spirit of a man who had killed himself the year before. This man was buried in the churchyard at Hammersmith, which was actually against church law and the prevailing customs of the time.  

Since suicide was considered a grave sin against God, people who died that way were not supposed to be buried in consecrated ground. (Instead they were often buried at a crossroads outside of town.) It was believed that the soul of a suicide victim who was buried in consecrated ground would be unable to find eternal rest, and would wander the earth.



And that’s why the people of Hammersmith were convinced they now had a ghost on their hands, and a vicious one at that. Villagers reported seeing a ghost in the churchyards, and even being grabbed by the specter. So nightly patrols began, with armed men searching for a ghost. 

And eventually they found one. On the night of January 3, 1804, a 29-year-old excise officer named Francis Smith fired his blunderbuss and killed the “ghost,” who turned out to be Thomas Millwood, a local plasterer who was on his way home from work.

When he was shot the unfortunate Thomas was wearing his work clothes, common to all in his trade, which happened to be white linen pants (freshly washed and very clean) a new white waistcoat (or vest), also white, and a white apron tied around his body. 

In addition, he was coated with white plaster dust after working all day. In other words, he was dressed like a ghost, which may not have been the smartest move on his part given the hysteria in the village.

Millwood lived in the home of Mrs. Fulbrooke, who testified at the subsequent trial that she had warned him not to go out in his work clothes, or at least cover them with a coat. Apparently Thomas had scared others in the village during the ghost frenzy. But Thomas didn't listen to her. 

On one occasion, Thomas frightened some ladies who saw him from their carriage as he was walking along a terrace. The gentleman who was riding with the ladies said something like “there goes the ghost,” which Thomas didn't appreciate. 

According to Mrs. Fulbrooke’s account, Thomas answered with “a rude word” (we can only imagine what it was) saying he was no more a ghost than the gentleman was, and offered to punch him in the head. Too bad Thomas didn't learn anything from this encounter.

Alley in front of The Dove pub in modern-day
Hammersmith, one of the few remnants of
Hammersmith Village that's survived the centuries.



Because he killed an unarmed man, Francis Smith was charged with willful murder. But Smith pleaded self-defense. He claimed that he’d called out “stop or I’ll shoot,” and the ghost proved he was an apparition by not stopping. (Why Smith, or anyone for that matter, thought you could stop a ghost with bullets wasn't addressed.) However, Millwood’s sister testified that Smith more or less fired his gun as he was saying “stop or I’ll shoot” not allowing his victim any time to consider his next move.

This turned out to be a landmark case, hinging on the court’s determination of what constitutes self-defense. Could Smith get off the hook because he believed he was defending himself against a ghost, even though the ghost turned out to be a man? It actually took the courts 180 years to grapple with the legal issue of how to treat someone who commits a crime based on a mistaken belief.

The jury was reluctant to convict Smith. They decided on a verdict of manslaughter, a lesser charge than murder. But the chief judge returned the verdict, telling the jury they had to look at the facts and either convict Smith of murder or acquit him, regardless of whether Smith thought he was shooting a ghost. So the jurors convicted him.

Smith was sentenced to hang for his crime, with his body to be dissected later (a common practice on executed criminals). But the judge reported the case to the king, who had the power to commute the sentence. Smith ended up doing a year of hard labor for his crime. 

And Thomas Millwood? Ironically, he may have become a real ghost - he is said to haunt the Black Lion pub in Hammersmith, where his body was taken after he was shot.

A final note about this strange case: the furor caused by the trial prompted an old man with a guilty conscience to step forward. The village shoemaker confessed that prior to the shooting he’d taken to donning a white sheet and lurking in the churchyard, pretending to be a ghost to frighten his apprentice.

Apparently the apprentice had been scaring the old man’s children with ghost stories, so the shoemaker had decided to teach him a lesson. No doubt the shoemaker's prank ignited the ghost mania in the village and ultimately cost poor Thomas his life. 

The moral of this story, if there is one, is not to be too quick to react violently if you think you see a ghost this Halloween. And if there are any vigilantes in your area gunning for a ghost, you might want to consider a different costume.



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Photos courtesy of Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons

Vampires: The Regency Bites Back


The 1819 title page of  Polidori's horror story,
including the false attribution to Lord Byron.



When it comes to the very first vampire in literature it's natural to think of the 1897 horror novel Dracula by Irish author Bram Stoker. But Stoker was influenced by a Regency story that may have started the romantic vampire fiction genre. That story is “The Vampyre,” written by John William Polidori and published in London in 1819.

When it first appeared in print, this horror story was falsely attributed to Lord Byron. The mix-up is understandable, since the story may have been inspired by some fragments of a story written by Byron in 1816. 

Contributing to the confusion is the fact that the story’s vampire hero is named Lord Ruthven, which is the same name Lady Caroline Lamb used to thinly disguise a character based on Byron in her 1816 novel Glenarvon. (Her portrait of Byron wasn't flattering – when she wrote it she was still upset with him for dumping her.)

In any event, the mistake in authorship was corrected in later editions of the story, and the story itself was a huge hit. It’s a real doozy of a tale, too, filled with seduction, murder, untimely death (and in the vampire’s case, undeath) and a doomed marriage. 

I confess I don’t really get vampire romance – to me it’s not especially romantic when a beautiful young bride dies on her wedding night, her life's blood drained from her body. I don’t care how handsome the vampire is.


The Vampire, by Sir Philip Burne-Jones, Baronet


But I’m clearly in the minority, as vampires have become a staple of romance fiction. In addition to Dracula, we have Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles and Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels. Many of these stories have been adapted into movies (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Interview with a Vampire) or television programs (True Blood).  




Edward and Bella, the well-known vampires
of the Twilight film series

The tale of Dracula in particular has been filmed dozens of times, and fans of the story will be thrilled to know that there’s a new TV series featuring their undead hero premiering next week (Oct. 25) on NBC. Dracula is set in Victorian London and stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers (star of The Tudors). Produced by the folks behind Downton Abbey, Dracula promises to be both romantic and gory in the best tradition of the genre.

Here’s a preview:



Rhys Meyers appears poised to join some of Hollywood’s sexiest leading men who've been eager to portray vampires, actors such as Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson. 

I don’t know how Lord Ruthven would stack up against these Hollywood stars. But I do know that without him, these vampires that we've known and loved may have never materialized on page or screen.  


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Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Sleepy Hollow



It’s not often that a story that is in any way connected, even remotely, to the Regency era is made into a TV series, so when I see one I get excited! This fall the Fox series Sleepy Hollow premiered, and though the story is largely set in modern times it does link back to the late 18th century (which isn't really the Regency, but it's close).

The series is based on Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The short story was one of several stories published in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.  Another is “Rip Van Winkle.” 


Washington Irving in 1820. Thanks to him,
 "Gotham" became a popular name for New York City
(you're welcome, Batman) and the phrase
"the almighty dollar" was coined.


The Sketch Book was published circa 1819-1820, right at the end of the Regency period. It was a big success in this country and abroad, and Irving is considered to be the first internationally known best-selling author in America. I like to think that some of the dandies and belles of Regency London’s fashionable set snagged a copy of this book and shivered with fear and delight while reading about the Headless Horseman.

"The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane," by John Quidor



“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” has been made into many movies, starting in the Silent Era, and has even been the basis of an opera and a Broadway musical. More recently, Johnny Depp starred as Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton’s 1999 film. It was set in the 18th century and filmed in England, which is pretty far from the story's original New York setting. This version also stars Christina Ricci and Miranda Richardson.



A video version of the story was released in 2004. This otherwise forgettable offering starred Kaley Cuoco, of The Big Bang Theory TV series fame, along with Nick Carter. It’s set in modern times, and the movie has the tag “Some Legends Never Die,” which actually foreshadows the themes in the new Fox series.



I grew up watching the Disney animated version, “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad,” which was made in 1949 and narrated by Bing Crosby and Basil Rathbone. I’ll never forget the Headless Horsemen rearing back on his mount and throwing his “head” - a glowing jack o’ lantern - at poor, hapless Ichabod.



Never fear – Ichabod Crane in the new Fox series is played with panache by British actor Tom Mison, and his Crane is a far cry from the skinny dweeb in the Disney cartoon. The shows are filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is a lot closer to upstate New York than England. Mison plays Crane much like a dashing Regency hero, with striking good looks and a charming mix of bravery and bravado. Those are useful qualities to possess when you’re battling the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.




Irving's story has had a big impact on American culture. It's commemorated on a 1974 postage stamp. And in 1996 the residents of  North Tarrytown, NY, honored the tale by voting to officially change the name of their village to Sleepy Hollow. 

The series opens in the Hudson River Valley during the Revolutionary War. (Irving’s story is actually set about a decade later, in 1791.) In the pilot episode Crane is mortally wounded in a battlefield encounter with a huge, masked Hessian soldier (a German mercenary fighting for the British). After decapitating his opponent Crane blacks out, only to awaken a couple of centuries later in a cave. 

He doesn’t have much time to ponder the ins and outs of time travel, however – his old demons have traveled through the centuries with him, and are wreaking havoc on modern-day Sleepy Hollow. Crane is nicely assisted by troubled police lieutenant Abbie Mills, played by Nicole Beharie. She must decide whether to use the handsome stranger’s help to solve some disturbing local murders or incarcerate him in a mental institution.

As you can see, the new series Sleepy Hollow isn't a faithful adaptation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” But I enjoyed it very much, and I think Irving himself would be pleased that almost 200 years after he dreamed it up his original story is still being adapted for new audiences.  He’d probably also appreciate that he received writing credits on the first four episodes!


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Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons




"Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know"

Lord Byron,
painted by Thomas Phillips (1770-1845)


The Regency produced a lot of fascinating, unconventional characters and outstanding among them has to be George Gordon Noel, Lord Byron. “Mad, bad and dangerous to know” is how Lady Caroline Lamb famously described the celebrated poet in her diary after meeting him for the first time at a ball. And it was a pretty apt description of him, especially during the years he was lionized by London society.

When Caroline Lamb met Byron in 1812 he was enjoying his fame as a leading poetic voice of the Romantic Movement. It wasn't just his poems that were deemed romantic; he was also notorious for his many love affairs, especially with married women. 

His bad-boy reputation only enhanced his attraction to the opposite sex. In fact, Caroline Lamb’s assessment of Byron’s character didn't stop her from embarking on a passionate affair with him. It was punctuated with violent displays of affection, outrageous behavior and brazen infidelity, all pretty much on her part. She also may well have been the first celebrity stalker, becoming obsessed with him and refusing to leave him alone when he was no longer interested in her.

Lady Caroline Lamb

For Byron, life imitated art. He was the original Byronic hero, which is also the name of a literary device he’s credited with creating in his poems. The Byronic hero, as epitomized by Byron himself, is usually a sexy, melancholy non-conformist with great talent and passion, and irresistible flaws. He may be tall, dark and handsome, and exude a cynical, world-weary air.

The Byronic hero has an enduring appeal, and can be seen even today in many books and movies. Edward Cullen of Twilight fame is a modern example.  


Edward Cullen, as played by
actor Robert Pattinson




But there was more to Byron than angst-ridden heroes, love affairs and poetry. Here are some additional facts about his life:

Birth. He was born George Gordon Byron on January 22, 1788, the son of Captain John “Mad Jack” Byron, a brutal, profligate man who married his two wives for their fortunes. “Mad Jack” died when Byron was three years old, and Byron inherited the title at age 10 when his uncle died childless and passed on the barony to his nephew. Byron’s full title was 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale.

An athlete despite his limp. Born with a club foot, Byron walked with a limp all his life. However, his deformity only enhanced his brooding appeal. And his birth defect didn't prevent him from enjoying outdoor sports. He was an excellent swimmer, and in 1810 he swam across the Hellespont strait (also called the Dardanelles) from Europe to Asia, which is a stretch of about 4 KM, or 2.4 miles. This was the first recorded account of such an open water swim, and Byron’s feat may well have marked the birth of this sport. 

Love of animals. Byron may have been a famous lover, but it wasn't just women who excited his ardor. He also loved all animals, especially his dog, a Newfoundland named Boatswain. When Boatswain contracted rabies Byron cared for him tenderly with no fear for his own health or safety. When the dog died Byron had a large monument erected for him, despite the fact that the dog’s tomb was costly and Byron was deep in debt. In fact, for well over a century Bryon’s dog had a bigger memorial in England than Byron had himself.

A Newfoundland dog, like Byron's
beloved dog Boatswain



His many loves. Byron achieved great literary success, and the favor of the Prince Regent, in his twenties. He was also catnip to women, and had many affairs to prove it. In addition to Lady Caroline Lamb he also was rumored to have conceived a child with Claire Clairmont, the stepsister of Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein and was wife to his friend, another Romantic poet named Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein--another
Byronic hero?


His famous daughter. Byron got caught in the parson's mousetrap (a Regency euphemism for marriage) in 1815 when he wed Annabella Millbanke. They had a daughter the same year, Augusta Ada. Ada married an earl later in life and became Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, though she went by Ada Lovelace. Ada was an amazing woman in her own right. Despite the era she lived in, which didn't exactly encourage women to become accomplished in the fields of science and mathematics, she became a renowned mathematician. She is best known for her contribution to the Analytical Engine, a prototype mechanical computer developed by Charles Babbage.

Ada Lovelace in 1840
by Alfred Edward Chalon



The scandal that brought him down. Scandal finally caught up with Byron in 1816, when his liaison with his half-sister Augusta became public and shocked even jaded London society. His relationship with his sister was described as incestuous by some and innocent by others, but in either case it was enough to earn him widespread censure. Byron and his sister were even rumored to have had a child together. Byron fled England permanently in that year, never to return. He later wrote that he left the country because "I was unfit for England" and "England was unfit for me."

Byron the freedom fighter. But Byron’s life had a second act after he left England – that of an Albanian freedom fighter. This part of his life didn't last long. He died in Greece in 1824 at age 36, due to complications resulting from injuries he sustained fighting the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence. 

"Lord Byron in Albanian Dress"
by Thomas Phillips


Byron is revered as a hero in Greece, but he didn't get a memorial in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner until 1969, 145 years after his death. Westminster Abbey turned down three previous requests for a Byron memorial within its hallowed walls – two in the 19th century, and one in 1924. The fact that it took 145 years to get the Abbey’s approval is proof that old scandals die hard. 

His poetry. Byron achieved lasting fame as a poet for works such as Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, The Corsair and Don Juan. My favorite poem of his, however, is none of these epics but instead a shorter, simpler lyric called "She Walks in Beauty":

She walks in beauty, like the night
   Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
   Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
   Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
   Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
   Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
   How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
   So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
   But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,

   A heart whose love is innocent!


Do you have a favorite Byron poem? Share it in the comments!

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Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons




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