Much of this tale is very well known so I won’t go into too much detail about the case as it’s readily available online, but it does raise some curious questions for me, and of course, I do like to find answers if possible. In 1807 Ann, who was living in the village of Tutbury with at least one of her children, Mary, gained fame by claiming she could survive without food or drink. Her last intake of food was in July 1807 when she ate some blackcurrants. Needless to say, with this lack of subsistence she rapidly began to lose weight and became confined to bed.

I have, in the past, looked at a wide variety of colours worn during the Georgian era, and this article is about the colour purple, which was very fashionable throughout the period. According to The Elements of Dying by Claude Louis Berthollet in 1824: Purple has been, almost everywhere, a mark of distinction attached to high birth and dignities. It was an ornament of the first office of Rome; but luxury, which was carried to great excess in that capital of the world, rendered the use of it common among the opulent, till the emperors reserved to themselves the right of wearing it; soon afterwards, it became the symbol of their inauguration.

It is always a pleasure to welcome back to All Things Georgian my next guest, Dr Judith Pearson, who has written several guest pieces on here which you can read using the highlighed link above. Readers of All Things Georgian probably know that George Washington (1732 – 1799) was Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American War for Independence and the first president of the United States from 1789 - 1797. He lived and died on his plantation, Mount Vernon, Virginia, which is now a northern Virginia landmark and popular historic tourist attraction.

I have been taking a look at hair removal for women in the 18th and early 19th centuries and it seems highly likely that the only part of their body that they remove hair from was on their face. It’s not clear whether hair removal related just to eyebrows or all facial hair, no matter how fine. According to the newspapers of the day there were actually only a few companies who retailed such products aimed specifically for women. As to what these products contained it’s possibly better not to dwell on it, certainly nothing that would be acceptable today.

It is a pleasure to welcome a new guest to All Things Georgian and today it's my pleasure to welcome Nick Bromley, so let's begin with a very brief glimpse into Nick's background, then he will tell you more about Cakes and Ale. Nick Bromley’s theatre career began in 1964, and he is, to his own amazement, still working. Starting in stage management he has been a Company Manager since 1971 on many plays including the original productions of Butley, Absurd Person Singular, The Old Country, King Charles III…

It is a pleasure to welcome a new guest to All Things Georgian and today it's my pleasure to welcome Nick Bromley, so let's begin with a very brief glimpse into Nick's background, then he will tell you more about Cakes and Ale. Nick Bromley’s theatre career began in 1964, and he is, to his own amazement, still working. Starting in stage management he has been a Company Manager since 1971 on many plays including the original productions of Butley, Absurd Person Singular, The Old Country, King Charles III…

Royal Historical Society public lecture at the University of Aberdeen

I was recently directed to Marianne Baillie by a reader of All Things Georgian, Monica Putzu, Teacher of English Language and Literature at Liceo Classico Alessandro Manzoni in Lecco, Italy, so I obviously wanted to know more about her. Monica has been researching her life having been invited to deliver a lesson, in English, about Marianne Baillie's travel book "First impressions on a tour upon the continent" at Università Bicocca in Milan by her colleague, Professor Diana Perego and this year Monica has been to England to research further. Over the summer months, we have exchanged many emails trying to piece together more about Marianne's life.

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I was recently directed to Marianne Baillie by a reader of All Things Georgian, Monica Putzu, Teacher of English Language and Literature at Liceo Classico Alessandro Manzoni in Lecco, Italy, so I obviously wanted to know more about her. Monica has been researching her life having been invited to deliver a lesson, in English, about Marianne Baillie's travel book "First impressions on a tour upon the continent" at Università Bicocca in Milan by her colleague, Professor Diana Perego and this year Monica has been to England to research further. Over the summer months, we have exchanged many emails trying to piece together more about Marianne's life.

So, you’ve found yourself a suitable young lady to spend some ‘quality’ time with, courtesy of Harris’s List (the annual directory of sex workers in London). You’ve forgotten to call at…