All of these titles are available in the format of your choice from Smashwords. Click the Smashwords label, enter the title from this list in the search box, and the book will come up priced at $0.99. Purchase in your choice of format. Sale ends August 31. Enjoy!
Monday, August 6, 2018
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Tea, Coffee and Chocolate inQueen Anne’s Reign 1702 -1714 - Rosemary Morris
About Rosemary Morris
I live in Hertfordshire, near
inspirational countryside and within easy access of London, which is useful
when I want to visit places of historical interest in the capital city.
My historical romances, rich in facts, are
written in my office, aka the former spare bedroom, furnished with a large
waxed oak desk and an 8ft by 6 ft bookcase which contains my historical
non-fiction for research, some of the classics, favourite
novels and books of poetry.
To enhance my novels, I enjoy researching
food and costume, politics and economics, social history, religion and other
topics.
Although, as the saying goes, they did things differently in the past, emotions
have not changed, but the characters in my novels are of their time, not 21st
century people dressed in costume. Before I begin a new book, I name my main
characters and fill in detailed character profiles. By the time I write the
first sentence, I can visualise them and know the
hero and heroine almost as well as I know my friends.
My novels have themes which modern day
readers can relate to. For example, in The Captain and The Countess rank and
wealth do not guarantee happiness.
Tea, Coffee and Chocolate inQueen Anne’s Reign 1702
-1714
These
beverages were so popular that on the 16th December 1704 at the
House of Commons a Committee of wayes and
means resolved to double the duties on Coffee Tea and Chocolate.
Tea
The price
of black tea fluctuated. In 1704 the price was between twelve and sixteen
shillings a pound. Between 1706 and 1710 the minimum price was fourteen
shillings per pound and the maximum price was thirty-two shillings.
Green tea
cost as little as thirteen shillings and sixpence in 1705 and as much as
twenty-six shillings a pound in 1707.
The
variations in the cost were due to the age of the tea and whether leaves had
been brewed, dried and mixed with cheaper tea.
On the 26th
August 1710, an advertisement for tea was published in The Tatler.
Bohea Tea made of the same Materials that Foreign
Bohea is made of, 16s a Pound. Sold by R. Fary only at the Bell in Grace Church
Street, Druggist. Note, The Natural Pecko Tea will remain, after Infusion, of a
light grey Colour. All other Bohea Tea, tho’ there be White in it, will change
colour, and it is artificial.
Coffee
Coffee
Houses where men gathered to converse and read free broadsheets were popular.
The price of coffee was mentioned in an advertisement in The Postman in 27/30th April 1706.
Whereas Coffee was formerly sold at 2s 6d per pound
and is now already amounted to betwixt 6s and 7s per pound, the Majority of
Retailers have thought it reasonable to request their Customers to pay 3 half
pence per Dish and do assure that no person that sells Coffee for 1d a Dish can
make good Coffee.
Care was
taken in the manufacture coffee. For
example.
Thomas Burges, Druggist, removed from Snow Hill to the
Blew Anchor in Fleet Street, near Serjeants Inn, sells the best of coffee
roasted in the new way, having a better flavour, and is a much sweeter way than
the common method of roasting Coffee.
Chocolate
Chocolate Houses began to
close when tea and coffee became more popular than chocolate, although the
drink was still served at home by those who could afford it first thing in the
morning.
There were two types of
chocolate the most popular, Caraco, at 3s a pound and Martineco, at 2s 6p a
pound, both of which were roasted, ground and sold plain or mixed with sugar.
In 1703 a man advertised his
invention, a machine for making better quality chocolate which was 1s cheaper
than the current prices.
However, it is worth noting
that the duty on the nuts was high enough to make smuggling worthwhile. On the
14th/17th April, 1704 the London Post reported.
Last week 6 Sacks of Cocoa Nuts were seiz’d by a
Customs Officer.
Excerpt from The Captain and The Countess
A gust of wind urged Edward and Lindsay
forward through the door and into the noisy, smoke-filled coffeehouse. They
made their way to the counter which was presided over by a good-looking female.
A flirtatious gleam appeared in her eyes.
“What’s your pleasure, gentlemen?”
Edward handed her four pennies. “A bowl of
coffee apiece.”
She indicated a lad of some ten years or
more dressed in breeches, full-sleeved shirt, and apron. “He’ll serve you.”
Edward seized Lindsay by the arm and
guided him to a bench to prevent his friend making advances toward the woman.
“Don’t venture down that road unless you would welcome the pox.”
They sat facing the fire, above which
lidded iron pots of water hung from hooks. The boy soon set bowls of steaming
coffee on the trestle table before them. Edward laughed at the expectant look
on the child’s face. “A penny for your trouble.”
The coin disappeared into a pocket before
the boy darted off to serve another customer.
Edward sighed.
“Want to be back on board?”
“Yes, the wait is interminable but my
uncle, Admiral Rooke, will see me right.”
“All very well for those with grand
connections,” Lindsay teased.
Edward laughed as he punched his fist
playfully.
Equally playful, Lindsay parried the blow.
Oh, it was good to be with an old friend.
Lindsay pointed to one of the many frames
hanging on the wall. “A lock of mermaid’s hair,” he mocked. “And look at the
horseshoes. One would think one was in a farrier’s shop.” He eyed a shelf. “Do
you see those pills and potions? Nectar from the East to rejuvenate a man. I am
surprised they don’t claim all those remedies are as infallible as the Pope.”
“Howard, Lindsay, as I live and breathe.”
They looked up at an elderly man—with a
turban on his head—who wore a rust-coloured banyan. Both of them stood to
salute the senior officer. “Captain Dennison,” they chorused.
“Nay, lads, I’ve retired. I live nearby
with m’married daughter. Sit yourselves down. No need to salute.” Two gentlemen
on the bench opposite Edward and Lindsay moved to make room for Dennison.
“Boy,” he shouted. “Coffee laced with rum.” He gazed at Edward. “Heard about
your trouble, m’lad. Can’t condone insubordination. I ran a tight ship but none
called me tyrant. Never did approve of bullies. Well, who knows better than the
two of you? Those were the days.”
Edward retained a soft spot for the old
man who had always encouraged him to set his sights high. “Indeed they were,
sir.”
Captain Denison eyed the fine glass
lantern, inadequate to completely illuminate the coffee shop. “More light is
needed, I can scarce see.” He peered through the tobacco smoke. “By my faith,
there’s young Manners. Now he’s a likely lad.
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.
Mediaeval Novel
Yvonne Lady of Cassio. The Lovages of Cassio Book One
Saturday, August 4, 2018
20th Century Events by Katherine Pym
~*~*~*~
20th
century carried a lot of weight. Prior to the 1920’s when my parents were born,
the century suffered from a polio epidemic, the San Francisco Earthquake, WW-1 and the Bolshevik movement. The
Czar & his family’s execution.
Spanish Flu Hospital |
My
grandfather had the Spanish flu that killed so many. With the hospital full,
they found a pallet and wedged him in a corner, hoping he would survive. He
did. 😊
In the 1920’s
women threw their corsets in the bin. Shedding inhibitions, men and women drank
bathtub gin and danced the charleston. My dad remembered when homemade brews
exploded in the basement.
Silent films
morphed into talkies and the world paused at the harsh realities of the
Great
Depression. Dad lived in the city and
experienced long soup lines, issued clothing that my grandmother dyed, trying
to disguise the humiliation of government handouts. My mom lived in the
farmland and had more food at her disposal. Her aunties fashioned underwear out
of printed flour sacks, and very comfortable they were too, or so she said.
Soup Kitchen |
My parents witnessed the build-up of Nazi
Germany, the Spanish Civil War, the jitter-bug, Hollywood’s greatest days, the
biggest war ever, and the atomic bomb.
Women painted their legs to simulate silk-stockings because none were available. Dad said his Navy whites were always stained orange after a night of dancing, which did not put the men in good stead with their superior officers.
Women painted their legs to simulate silk-stockings because none were available. Dad said his Navy whites were always stained orange after a night of dancing, which did not put the men in good stead with their superior officers.
After the
war, Hollywood introduced black noir movies, where the scenes always seemed to
take place at night, the streets wet as if it had rained. Women’s hats got
smaller, their hair shorter.
Into the 2nd half of the century, we
saw the rise of Communism and as a reaction to that, McCarthyism. Remarkable
scientific marvels catapulted the world from a sleepy planet to OMG, don’t
press that button.
WW-2 |
The Korean
War marched around the periphery of our cynical thoughts. Eisenhower was
president. Elvis Presley had women screaming, “Kiss me. Kiss me.” Hollywood put
out incredible grade B movies where couples ‘necked’ the entire film.
Everyone
swing-danced; later we did the ‘twist’, causing women’s waistlines to shrink. Dr
Salk found the cure for polio and mom dragged us to the school where we were
first in line to eat a sugar cube saturated with the vaccine.
The Cuban
Crisis. Fathers came home early from work and informed their families we only
had hours to live. The planet went silent with fear as a shaky hand hovered
over the Red Button of Doom. From then on, we ducked and covered under our school
desk, breathing in dirt from the playground.
Nuclear Fallout Map |
The Beatles
& Rolling Stones. A bevy of unfortunate killings: JFK, Martin Luther King,
Malcomb X & Bobby Kennedy’s assassination.
The Berlin Wall.
The Berlin Wall.
Race
for the moon. In the Apollo Program, panels 32 & 16 on the LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) were my dad’s responsibility. He was
proud of his work and once asked my grandmother what she thought of his part in
it. She asked, “What do you mean?” Dad huffed a breath. “My part in men going to
the moon and walking on it.” My
grandmother replied it was a hoax. No one could ever fly to the moon, much less
stand on it. The whole thing had been filmed on a movie set. My dad stared at
her in disbelief.
The
best music came during the 60’s & 70’s, mostly connected with the Vietnam War.
Two Cold Hippies |
Hippies ran amok across the country but they were especially filled with love
in San Francisco. Smoking weed, downing mushrooms and peyote buttons. LSD.
Dancing naked in the streets with flowers in their hair.
Going to dances were no longer popular. Stoned to the bone, everyone sat lotus-style on the floor or the grass (Woodstock-the world’s greatest example of sex, drugs, & rock’n roll) and listened to mind-bending music.
Going to dances were no longer popular. Stoned to the bone, everyone sat lotus-style on the floor or the grass (Woodstock-the world’s greatest example of sex, drugs, & rock’n roll) and listened to mind-bending music.
I
suppose I should mention Nixon’s Watergate; the assassination attempt on George
Wallace. Hollywood advanced into the computer era with the green screens and
the amazing special effects of Star Wars. Jimmy Carter’s Iran humiliation.
Woodstock |
The Berlin Wall |
The Shuttle exploded over Cape Canaveral, shutting down the program for a few years until the reason was documented and nailed in cement. Michael Jackson’s breakthrough that every musician wanted to copy, the Thriller video.
In
the 90’s, our world changed with the fall of Communism, the Berlin Wall
sledgehammered into chunks of concrete.
Our
planet became smaller with the advent of the computers on the business and
personal level. The internet came about with primitive chatrooms and emails. At
the airport, a loved one could still accompany you to the gate, and you could
carry on board a bottle of wine you wanted to give Auntie at the family
reunion.
Challenger Exploding |
People
live longer these days. Both in their 90’s when they left, my mom and dad saw so
much. What do you suppose they’ll say about the baby boomers in the 21st
century (other than we ruined the world, which we considered our own parents to
have done)?
Hopefully,
they’ll say: a lot.
~*~*~*~
Many thanks to Wikicommons Public Domain
Labels:
#BWLAuthorsBlog,
Berlin Wall,
Cuban Missile Crisis,
Great Depression,
HIppie Movement,
Hollywood,
Nuclear Bomb,
Spanish Flu,
WW1,
WW2
Author of historical novels set in 1660's London with one novel of the French Revolution.
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