Eleven years and one day ago, I posted the first article for The Regency Redingote here. Earlier this year, I retired and I have decided that this is an auspicious day on which to retire The Regency Redingote. This will be the last post for this blog, it is now permanently closed and no more articles will be posted. However, The Regency Redingote will be left online as a reference archive for anyone who might find the articles here of value as they pursue their own research into our favorite decade. Or wish to peruse them for their own edification.
The option to comment on articles posted here will remain available through the end of this month. I will respond to any comments posted during that period, as time permits, though it may not be daily. After 1 September 2019, commenting for all articles here will be turned off permanently.
I would like to thank all of you who have visited here over the years to add your courteous comments to the discussions of the various snippets of Regency history about which I have written. I wish you all many happy hours reading Regency romances, and/or the history of our favorite decade.
The Regency Redingote 
Dear Kathryn — Thank you for your help and encouragement, for your high standards, and for the sheer enjoyment of reading your posts. May retirement be everything you wish.
Charlotte x
Thank you for your kind words! I am so glad to know that you found my posts enjoyable, as I, mostly, enjoyed researching and writing them. But a new chapter in my life is opening, I want to have the time to embrace it fully.
I wish you much success and happiness in all of your endeavors.
Kindest Regards,
Kat
I have always enjoyed your wonderfully informative and interesting blog, and am glad it will remain as an archive. I retired recently myself, and understand the desire to move on to new fields! I wish you happiness in all your activities, and thank you again for much pleasure and edification over the years.
Thank you so much! It is so nice of you to say that you enjoyed my articles. And, I am very happy to know that the archive will have value, even though there will be no future posts.
Regards,
Kat
Thank you very much for the research and all the fascinating reading! And also, thank you very much for keeping the blog up for research. It was always such a pleasure to read your posts, and it’ll be a pleasure to delve through the archives.
You are quite welcome. It meas a lot to me to know that my articles have been appreciated over the years.
Regards,
Kat
Kat, you have helped me so much over the years, thank you for your wonderful articles. I will miss them, but I will go through them all again and enjoy them over.
Take care and enjoy your retirement. Keep in touch!
Thank you for you kind words! I am so pleased to know that you found the articles of use in your own work.
Big changes occurred when I retired. When I was working, my office was located barely a block from the main branch of the Boston Public Library, which is a tremendous resource. I could easily pop in there at lunch, or after work, to do my research, which I found very convenient. But now that it is some distance away, continuing my research has become much more of a challenge. And, I have developed other interests on which I would like to focus my attention. Though I am perfectly healthy, I have had to accept that I am closer to the end of my life than the beginning, and that changes one’s priorities.
My thanks to you for being such a regular and lively commenter here! You always gave me food for thought!
Warmest Regards,
Kat
Your research has been invaluable! You will be greatly missed. Enjoy retirement! It’s the best thing ever invented!
Thank you so much to taking the time to stop by. The end of The Redingote is bittersweet, as, for the most part, I have enjoyed the research and writing. But once I retired and was a free woman, so many things I have always wanted to do have become possible. It just seemed that it was time to enjoy those things.
Regards,
Kat
Thank you for your lovely blog Kathryn – I have enjoyed it immensely! I hope you have a fabulous retirement!
You are most welcome! And thank you for letting me know you enjoyed the articles. It is always nice to know one’s work is appreciated.
I must admit, so far, retirement has been quite wonderful, and I expect it will become even more so.
Regards,
Kat
this is sad news. i was probably late in discovering regency redingote, but have both greatly enjoyed and been fascinated by much of what I have read. all the best in your retirement, but when you get bored of retirement and come out to delight us once again, i for one shall be delighted. :).
It is a little sad for me, too. After eleven years, researching and writing articles for The Redingote has become a regular part of my life. But with my new-found freedom, I was finding the need to keep to the publishing schedule I had set more of a burden than a pleasure. Who knows, if I should get bored at some point in the future, maybe I will publish some new articles. But, in the meantime, there are more than 575 articles online now. Reading though all of those should fill a fair bit of time.
Regards,
Kat
Kat, you have contributed an extraordinary archive for Regency writers, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, get out there and enjoy the glow of reduced responsibilities!
All the best!
You are most kind. I had debated whether to take The Redingote down, but I still get comments and emails regarding articles which I wrote ten years ago or more. That gave me the idea that they were still useful. So, the articles will remain online.
I must admit, it took me some time after I first retired to grasp the concept that I was a free woman, and could live my life as I pleased. But now, I have a pretty good hold on that concept and am learning to embrace it fully.
Thanks for stopping by.
Regards,
Kat
Many thanks for your work and best wishes for retirement!
Thank you very much for your best wishes, and for letting me know you liked my work.
Regards,
Kat
Dear Kathryn
Thank you so much for your countless articles, all of them brilliant. You brought the history of the Regency period to life. Thanks for the inspiration, dedication and high quality of research – and for the plot bunnies.
I wish you a very happy, prosperous and creative retirement.
It was my pleasure! I am so glad to know the articles were of use to you. I must admit, I will miss coming up with more plot bunnies, but it is now time for a new chapter in my life.
Thank you for your wishes for my retirement, all things I am hoping to have in the years to come.
Best Regards,
Kat
I’m sad that this will be an archive rather than active blog, but THANK YOU so much for leaving it available, and for all the incredible knowledge you’ve posted for us over the years! I’m so glad I found this wonderful little corner of the internet, which not only led to my mom and I enjoying Georgette Heyer’s books, but also to my deepening interest and knowledge of my favorite time period. Thank you! Enjoy retirement – you’ve earned it!
Thank you for stopping by, and for your good wishes. It is a little sad for me, too, since I have been doing this for so long. But it is time for me to devote my time and effort to other interests. I am pleased to know that you value the articles enough to want The Redingote to remain online as an archive
I am also delighted to learn that I have been able to bring the pleasure of Georgette Heyer’s books to you and your mom. One of the things I am planning in retirement is to re-read all of her books, both the historical novels and her mysteries. I have been collecting her books over the years, so now I have all of them.
Regards,
Kat
Thank you so much for all the great information and inspiration over the years. I have saved every post! Hope your retirement is a blast!
Thank you for you good wishes. It is so very nice to learn that my efforts have been appreciated.
I have been quite touched by the many kind and considerate comments which people have left.
Regards,
Kat
Noooooooo! I love your blog and information. Thank you for all of it!
You are quite welcome! And thank you for stopping by and taking the time to let me know my work has been appreciated.
Regards,
Kat
I only discovered your website a couple of years ago, so I’m a bit of a newcomer here. I’m sad to hear you are giving up your research, because your articles have been interesting and informative about a period I love. I wish you all the best for a long, healthy, and happy retirement. My own early retirement a couple of years ago was the impetus to start writing, and I hope you find something equally engaging now that you are your own boss!
Thank you for your best wishes, and your kind words about my blog, they are much appreciated!
In a curious twist of fate, I started this blog while I was writing my first Regency romance, in the hope of developing some name recognition as an author. Unfortunately for me, the process of preparing the book for publication, and the promotion process were both so unpleasant that I lost all interest in writing historical fiction. I continued with the blog, in the hope that, in time, my views would change, but they have not. So, rather than researching and writing in my retirement, I am planning to return to some of the simpler pleasures I had to give up while I was writing. Needlework and genealogical research are high on that list, along with reading lots of Regency romances as well as books on the history of the period. With all that ahead of me, I do expect to fully enjoy my new-found freedom! 🙂
I sincerely hope that your experience with writing and publishing will be more pleasant and successful than mine turned out to be!
Regards,
Kat
remember always I have lots of books on textiles and embroidery if you find a term you don’t know
Thank you very much! I may have to take you up on that, particularly terms which may appear in English needlework books. As someone once said, “The English and the Americans are divided by a common language.” And I have learned that especially holds true in books on needlework.
Recently, I discovered that there are quite a number of really old (Victorian) needlework books available online at the Internet Archive. Quite a few of them were originally published in England, so I may well need a translator!
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hehe yes, I am finding this in the secondhand facsimile copy of a 1899 American embroidery book my friend brought me which she picked up in a sale.
Then, please, let me return the favor, any time I can be of assistance.
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Many thanks! I will avail myself if necessary
Thank you so much for so many amazingly detailed and thoughtful articles over the years. What struck me when I first discovered this treasure of a site a couple of years ago is the range of subjects you cover, and all to such a depth. I am writing my first book at the minute, and come back here again and again to look for guidance and illumination. It’s very good of you to leave the site up for fellow enthusiasts, but I shall greatly miss finding your articles in my newsfeed.
Very best wishes for your retirement. There is a job waiting for someone well versed in the period and Heyer to fanfic all the bits we wish she had written (more Gareth and Hester in “Sprig Muslin”, for instance), so if you find time on your hands…..
Sarah, unfortunately Heyer’s estate get very snippy when approached to to sequels or expansions to her work. And it won’t be out of copyright until the 2040s
To be honest, I don’t think it is unfortunate at all. I am glad to know her family are protecting her wonderful books from the debased travesties of so-called “fanfic!” Good for them!!!
I understand that she hated the only film which was made from one of her books, so she did what was necessary to ensure that none of her other books was ever made into a film. So far as I know, there was no such thing as fanfic during her lifetime, otherwise, I expect that she would have taken steps to ensure against that as well.
Heyer was a wonderful writer and her books are a delight. But she was herself, Georgette Heyer. No one else can ever be her, or write like her. I would much rather that talented authors write their own original stories, in their own true voice. Truth and honesty will trump a pastiche of some other author’s work any day. It is a sad commentary that publishers would rather invest the time and money in some mismash imitation of another author’s work that support talented authors of today who tell their own stories. Which, IMHO, does a great disservice to readers as well.
Regards,
Kat
You are most welcome. And thank you for letting me know that my articles have been of use to you, that is the main reason I wrote them. I wanted to keep the blog interesting by writing on lots of different topics, since no one person is likely to be interested in everything I wrote, except maybe me. My main goal was to post articles which contained accurate snippets of Regency history which might enable a Regency author to embellish a story.
I hope that you intended to be complimentary when you suggested that I might write spin-offs of some of Georgette Heyer’s works. And I do hope that you will not be offended when I explain that I am a purist, when it comes to both Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen. I was given one of those “fanfic” books which purported to be a continuation of one of Jane Austen’s novels and before I had finished the first chapter, I was horrified and sickened by what I read. I gave the book away and have never read another. I thank all the literature gods that, as the other Sarah noted, Georgette Heyer’s family are diligently protecting her legacy. It is a great pity that Jane Austen does not have anyone who can do the same for her.
I do not consider myself in the same league as Georgette Heyer and I would never presume to write a spin-off of any of her books. I find it quite sad, and rather pathetic, that any good author would debase themselves by churning out that derivative drivel when they could be writing their own original, honest stories, in their own true voice. I can only assume that such books are produced in order to cash in on the popularity of Jane Austen. It seems to be a lot less about art, or homage to the authors than it is about mass appeal for the highest sales. What a pity!
I love the work of both Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, but they each had their own voice, their own sensibilities and artistic taste which made them unique and special. No one else can ever write like they did. Therefore, I would much rather re-read one of their novels than one of those deplorably feeble spin-offs. And, if the authors of those spin-offs would have faith in their own talents and their own voice, I suspect that at least some of them could write original and authentic stories which I would also enjoy. 😉
Again, I am glad to know that my articles have been of some use to you. I most am heartened to know that there are Regency authors out there to do care about historical accuracy.
Regards,
Kat
there are some travesties out there but there are also some very good works; I am sorry that the first one you picked up was such a travesty. I’ve written homage follow-ups as well as many original works and I do not believe I have made a bad job of them. I used the fan-fiction forum to ‘practice’ on, from which I then edited and worked on them; and I largely wanted to kill Frank Churchill from ‘Emma’ because he is so like my abusive grandfather, the false charm dripping from him like candle grease. Don’t dismiss all the Janeite fiction because you picked up a loser.
I shall take what you said to heart. The book I was given was not well-written, and it could have used a good editor. Not long after that, I came across a most repulsive book with a horrendous title along the lines of Jane Austen Meets the Zombies. From that point on, I wrote off all so-called fan-fiction books as trash from the very bottom of the heap. It just seemed to me if one truly loved and respected the work of Jane Austen, one could not countenance such claptrap.
When I have some time, I may research the available books and try to find one that will not fill me with horror. 😉
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Look for those which have won an award from the Jane Austen Readers society; they give awards to Jane Austen spinoffs, period novels in the spirit of Austen in both Georgian and Regency categories and other historicals. It’s a blue oval with an appropriate period figure on it, or a silhouette of one of the supposed portraits of Jane for those which use her work. They are pretty strict!
Thank you very much! I was quite unaware of the Jane Austen Readers Society. I shall have to learn more about them, and will share that with a couple of devoted Janeite friends.
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https://janeaustenreadersaward.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR0n9HmxtbLbm11QXnFSWpX5CLYKvcWCSHn8esJnZZuD-PazUrP74yRGMes
Although I only recently discovered your blog I have greatly enjoyed reading your very interesting articles. They are so well researched. Best wishes for a happy and busy retirement!
Why, thank you very much! It was very thoughtful of you to take the time to stop by, and to be so complimentary with regard to my articles. I means a lot to me to know that you enjoyed them.
And, thank you for your best wishes for my retirement. I am very much looking forward to it.
Regards,
Kat
I join with everyone in wishing you a fruitful retirement.
I don’t recall seeing a post on time travelling Regency heroines or heroes, BUT should one materialise you might need 17th century climate data, and a sound astrologer, specialising in maritime matters. That being the case I shall advertise shamelessly that I have a transcription of John Gadbury’s 21 year day by day weather diary (1669 (November, to Dec 31 1689).
Or, the real thing can be downloaded at http://www.ceskaastrologie.cz/JGNA.pdf
(many inconstant abbreviations are used ….)
My email is k.j.tinkler@gmail.com if you want the easier route, and currently it is in spreadsheets, year by year.
Somewhere back in the Blog I made mention that I have daily weather data for the Regency period too. Or again, you can plough through the “Gentleman’s Magazines”, all available as pdfs from Google, and many or all at Hathitrust)
I may have overstayed my welcome, but with a heavy heart I thank Kathyrn for a first class resource.
Keith Tinkler
Thank you for your good wishes, and for your kind words about The Redingote. I am very glad to know that you have found it of value.
With regard to the weather, you may want to confer with Sarah Waldock, who comments here regularly. She has been gathering weather data for quite some time, for the Regency period, and, I believe, the eighteenth century as well. Between you, I imagine you may have a significant pool of weather data that covers more than two centuries.
Since you have provided your email address, she may well contact you. However, she also has her own blog, which you can find here: http://sarahs-history-place.blogspot.com/.
Regards,
Kat
Seamus, I am putting together weather data from a number of sources from 1775 to 1820, concentrating latterly more on the actual period of the Regency. I’ve used diaries, letters, the gentleman’s magazine, Ackermann’s repository and newspaper reports as well as a diary available online held by the Met Office. I was brushed off by the Oxford University weather data people.
Good evening Kat. Its all been said and I agree with all (or most) of it. I shall particularly miss your annual Dandy Chargers blog of course! You are an honourary member of our group, it would be great if you could look in on one of our events so day, I will continue to send you the programme.
Very best wishes – and thanks. Captain Rog
I did think about the Dandy Chargers when I made my decision, but the time has come that I need to move on to other things, regardless of the wrench of giving up The Redingote. With regard to the Chargers, I do hope that your event this past weekend went very well, it sounded like a very special outing.
If I am ever able to make it back to England, I will certainly try to manage it during the Dandy Chargers’ season. It would be a real treat to see you all in action. In the meantime, I am most honored to know that I will continue to receive the programmes. At least I can share vicariously through them. 😉
With kindest regards,
Kat
DUH!!!
Sorry, I have lost track of time. That special event for the Dandy Chargers is this Sunday, at Beaulieu Palace House. For those of you who would like to attend, you can find more details here: https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2019/04/19/the-dandy-chargers-the-2019-riding-schedule/.
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Dear Kat, sorry you are retiring but glad for you too, since you have contributed so much valuable information over the years and deserve a rest. I’ll never forget your kindness in reading a draft of my book. Glad to see the blog will remain as a very useful repository in the future. My very good wishes!
So nice to hear from you, Charles! It was my pleasure to read the draft of your book. And my copy of the published volume has pride of place on my bookshelf. Your biography of your ancestor, Louis Bazalgette, is an important contribution to our understanding of the social history of the late eighteenth century and the Regency.
Sadly, one of the reasons I decided to give up the blog was that WordPress has made so many “improvements” to their admin panel over the past few months that it has become increasingly cumbersome, irritating and time-consuming to use. When I, and others, complained, we were told that the changes were made for the benefit of the paying customers and WP was not interested in any hardships those “improvements” imposed on the rest of us. Along with my growing interest in other areas, it just seemed like the time had come to move on.
Thank you for stopping by and for your good wishes! Though I will miss working on The Redingote, I am looking forward to my retirement!
Regards,
Kat
Hi from Spain. Although I have known his blog a couple of years ago, I enjoyed it a lot. I hope you enjoy this new stage for many years. And thank you very much for your generosity in allowing tickets to remain available. I still have a lot of material to discover.
Thank you very much for you kind words regarding The Redingote and your good wishes for my retirement. It was very nice of you to take the time.
Regards,
Kat
Thank you for all these years. You will be missed! (And I feel I need to make a decision about my near defunct WP-blog…)
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for your kind words. It is so nice to know my work has been appreciated.
There is no doubt that a blog is a lot of work. I can certainly attest to that. Some bloggers I know have been able to lighten the burden by all working together on one blog. That way, no one is responsible for all of the articles and the work is less demanding. Might that be an option for you?
Thanks again for stopping by.
Regards,
Kat
Dear Katherine, Horrors! I just discovered you and you are gone. I have been writing a novel based on Lord Byron’s life for more years than is appropriate. I was searching for the Dandy Ball of 1813 and found your excellent site this morning. I am a historian, too, and compulsive about accuracy which is mainly what has extended the writing past all reason. Thank goodness you are leaving the resources available. If I ever get to publish, I will cite you. Thanks.
Thank you for stopping by and for you kind words. It always makes me happy to know that any of my articles have been of use to fellow authors.
Byron is certainly a challenging person around which to develop a novel. Though his life was short, it was filled with so many events which would make perfect fodder for a novel. I wish you much success with your book.
Regards,
Kat