About Rosemary Morris

I’ve always had an extraordinary interest in written words. My mother described me seated in my pushchair, when I was two-and-a-half years old, holding up a book and reciting the story,
“Your little girl is reading!” an astonished lady exclaimed.
Mum laughed. “No, she isn’t. Rosemary’s memorised all her favourite stories.”
I can’t recall them, but I remember the colourful illustrations and the joy of sitting on my darling grandfather’s lap while he read to me.
By the age of four, I could read and make up stories. Everything around me was fodder for my imagination. At seven, in the days when children walked unaccompanied to school, I stopped by a lime tree at the end of the road. I pretended a wicked witch had cast a spell on a handsome prince. To honour him on my way to and from school I walked around him three times and curtsied.
“I am sorry for the mother of that abnormal child,” one of the neighbours said to Mum
After I came home that day, I received a lecture. On the next day I invented magic words to release the handsome prince.
When I studied history at school I was, to use a cliché, in seventh heaven.
I imagined Alfred burning the cakes, the Tudor Princess Elizabeth by Traitor’s Gate refusing to enter the Tower of London, gallant c-cavaliers with their plumed hats and lovelocks - much more appealing than the Roundheads. These and many others were food for my fertile imagination; so was historical fiction, which I still enjoy as well as biographies of those who lived in times past and historical non-fiction.
Eventually, I wrote romantic historical fact fiction and, after many years, achieved my ambition to be published.
Now, I spend almost as much time researching the past for my novels as writing.

Women’s Dress in Queen Anne Stuart’s reign -1702-1714
A brief description.

The Fontage, introduced by Mademoiselle Fontage at the French court of Louis X1V, was made of rows of stiffened muslin or lace supported by wire, and varied in height during the period.
Underlinen. A glimpse of this is revealed in an advertisement. Lost etc., a deal box containing 4 fine linen Holland shifts, 7 fine cambric handkerchiefs, 2 night rails (nightdresses) etc.,
False Hips and Hoops. To spread wide their under petticoats and petticoats (gowns) before c.1709 ladies wore false hips, subsequently these were replaced with compressible whalebone hoops.
Bodices were laced but left open in the front over very tight stays made from different materials often lined with flannel. Sir Richard Hoare of the Gold Bottle in Fleet Street offered the finder 12 guineas for a pair of stays with 8 diamond buckles and tabs. The bodices were worn low over the bosom which was often concealed by a tucker (a modesty piece).
Sleeves were loose. They reached the elbow and were worn over lace or muslin under sleeves that almost reached the wrist.
Gowns were divided down the front to reveal the petticoat. Both garments were sometimes made of very rich materials. E.g. stolen out of the house of Mr Peter Paggen in Love Lane near Eastcheap … one gown flowered with green and gold … one purple and gold gown …one scarlet and gold petticoat edged with silver…one yellow chintz gown and petticoat etc. These are part of a long list of stolen gowns and petticoats.
Stockings were made of thread or silk, the latter sometimes in bright colours. The little temptress (shop assistant) at the New Exchange asked…” Does not your lady want fine green silk stockings?”
Shoes were beautifully made of embroidered satin or silk or fine Morocco leather with high heels.
Hats did not fit over fashionable ladies’ fontages, however poorer women wore ‘flat caps’ and country women wore tall, broad brimmed hats (which are still part of the Welsh national costume).
Hoods when fontages were sufficiently lowered could be worn and were referred to by contemporary writers especially in the Spectator.
My favourite description is: I took notice of a little cluster of women sitting together in the prettiest coloured hoods that I ever saw. One of them was blue, another yellow and another philomot (Feuille-mort); the fourth was of a pink colour and the fifth was of a pale green. I looked with as much pleasure upon this little parti-coloured assembly and did not know at first whether it might be an embassy of Indian queens.
Note. Women also wore cloaks, furs and owned muffs.

Extract from The Captain and The Countess

At her morning levee, Kate, Countess of Sinclair glanced at her most persistent admirers, Mister Tyrell, both dashing and bold, and Mister Stafford, conservative and somewhat hesitant. As usual, they had arrived before her other admirers. Now they sat at their ease on gilt-legged chairs near her canopied bed.
Kate decided she could delay no longer. She rose to make her toilette behind a tall screen, still conscious of the rose-pink night robe she had ruffled around her shoulders with great care before Tyrell and Stafford arrived.
With her maid, Jessie’s help, after Kate removed her nightgown and night rail, she donned her under-linen, stays, and a bodice, cut lower than the current fashion and loosely laced in front to reveal gold buckles inset with pearls, which clasped her satin-covered stays so tightly that she could scarce draw breath. “Gentlemen, which petticoat shall I wear?” she asked, giggling deliberately and playing the part of an indecisive female. “Jessie, please show both of them to Mister Tyrell and Mister Stafford.”
Over the edge of the lacquered screen, Jessie dangled the full petticoats to be worn displayed beneath skirts parted down the front.
Kate stood on tiptoe. She peeped over the top of the screen, decorated with a painted blue and white pot containing tulips, passion flowers, lilies, roses, and sprigs of rosemary.
“Gentlemen, the cream petticoat is made of Luckhourie, a newly fashionable silk from India. The lavender one is of the finest quality Pudsay.”
“Stap me, they are uncommon plain,” said Mister Tyrell.
Kate knew he admired feminine apparel trimmed with folderols such as gold or silver lace, ruched ribbons, bows, and rosettes. She suppressed a chuckle in order not to offend him.
“My mother approves of modest attire,” Mister Stafford said.
Before she withdrew her head from their sight, Kate choked back her laughter. Stafford’s contemptuous glance at his rival did not escape her notice.
She doubted Mrs Stafford found much about her to praise, but she cared naught for Stafford’s mother, a creature with the languishing airs of a pseudo-invalid, who bound her son cruelly to her side. Indeed, the gentleman’s determined courtship surprised Kate. It proved he was not, as the saying went, completely under his mother’s thumb.
“Which one shall I wear?” Kate repeated. Although she had already decided to wear cream, she followed the custom of prolonging what amounted to “The Art of the Levee”.
First, Jessie retrieved the petticoats. Next, she dressed Kate in the Luckhourie one, a gown, and lace-edged apron.
Stafford spoke first. “I have no doubt her ladyship will favour the cream petticoat, which will enhance the natural delicacy of her appearance.”
Delicate? Heaven forbid. She did not want, her new acquaintance, Captain Howard, to consider her delicate. “’Pon my word, Stafford, I have no wish to give the impression of one who suffers from lung rot.”
Mister Tyrell laughed. “I am sure you don’t, Lady Sinclair. For my part, I beg you to wear the lavender. It will enhance the colour of your blue eyes.”
“I shall surprise both of you.” Kate ignored their petty war of words and wondered why she yearned to see Captain Howard.

Novels by Rosemary Morris

Early 18th Century novels:
Tangled Love, Far Beyond Rubies, The Captain and The Countess
Regency Novels
False Pretences, Sunday’s Child, Monday’s Child, Tuesday’s Child, Wednesday’s Child and Thursday’s Child.
Friday’s Child to be published in June 2019
Mediaeval Novel
Yvonne Lady of Cassio. The Lovages of Cassio Book One
www.rosemarymorris.co.uk
http://bookswelove,net/authors/morris-rosemary