The Royal College of Wizards

The Regency

Mairelon the Magician and The Magician's Ward are set during the English Regency. This period of time officially began in 1811 when King George III was declared mentally unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, acted as regent. The political regency ended in 1820 when George III died and the prince took the throne, but the term usually encompasses a much broader period of time beginning in the late 1700's and ending with the start of Queen Victoria's rule. Roughly half a century long, the Regency was unique in the ideas of its people and the structure of its society. To learn more, explore the websites listed below:

Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion - A wonderful site about the clothing of the Regency.

A Regency Lexicon - Dictionary of Regency slang and cant words . Many definitions for words found in MM and MW.

Heyer's Cant and Slang - Same as above.*

Thieves Cant - The most comprehensive theives' cant dictionary on the web. Practically all of the cant words used in the MM and MW can be found here.*

Pounds and Pence - About English money.

Food and Drink in Regency England - Includes a recipe for ratafia. Not a useful recipe, mind you, but it's there.

1830 Map of London - If you look close, you can find Hungerford Market.

Forms of Address in the UK - Find out about peerage, and what Mairelon meant by, "Really, Andrew, he's only a baron."

* These websites are not recommended for younger visitors, due to language.