He Called It Macaroni

Yankee Doodle went to town,
A-Riding on a pony;
Stuck a feather in his cap,
And called it macaroni.

Macaroni? He named his feather after pasta?

I'm American, and I've sung this song all my life. But I never understood what Yankee Doodle's feather had to do with spaghetti.

The verse sounds odd to our ears, but made perfect sense to English people in the mid 1700's, when the song was written.

At that time, a "Yankee", from the Dutch Jan Kees, or John Cheese (see dictionary.com definition here), was an inhabitant of New England, a pejorative name bestowed by the urbane New York Dutch on their rustic, Puritan Connecticut neighbors, and by extension, to all Americans.

The word "doodle" first appeared in the seventeenth century, from the German word for "simpleton" or "fool".

From my last post, "macaroni" was an extreme of English male dress, circa 1760. The style's most salient characteristic, a large, ungainly wig, caused "macaroni" to become a synonym for foppishness. Put the two words together, and "Yankee Doodle" was a derisive term for a backwoods American fool so unsophisticated he thought decorating his cap with a feather was the height of fashion.

Historians generally credit Doctor Richard Shuckburgh, a British Army surgeon, with creating the song sometime during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The date is in dispute, given in various places as 1755, 1756 or 1758.

The New York State archeologist, Paul Huey, believes he has narrowed the date to June, 1758. At that time, a large British force had mustered at Fort Crailo near Albany, New York, to prepare for the attack on Fort Ticonderoga. The ragged, ill-equipped and ill-trained New England militiamen who joined the expedition provided a stark contrast to the well-dressed, well-drilled British soldiers. Dr. Shuckburgh wrote the first set of lyrics mocking these ragtag troops. The tune apparently comes from the nursery rhyme Lucy Locket.

Something about the song resonated in colonial America, and Yankee Doodle took on a life of its own. Many sets of lyrics exist. If you’re curious about all the verses (and there are a lot of them), you'll find a list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Doodle

Everyone sang Yankee Doodle. British soldiers often sang it as a marching song. The American colonists sang it, too, but with different lyrics.

As the tension between England and America escalated, the Americans took up the ditty, complete with feather and macaroni, as a badge of honor. By the time of the Battle of Concord and Lexington (1775), the Americans had claimed the song as their own.

Yankee Doodle lives on to this day.

Archibald MacNeal Willard's most famous painting, The Spirit of '76 (c. 1875), (picture above) is popularly called Yankee Doodle.

Yankee Doodle Dandy, a version of Yankee Doodle, is the tune to a famous song-and-dance sequence in the 1942 James Cagney film of the same name.

And last, but not least, Yankee Doodle is the state song of Connecticut. I'm from Connecticut (yup, a real Connecticut Yankee), and I didn't know that.

The Fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States. On that Yankee Doodle-est of days, here's one Yankee Doodle saying "Happy Fourth of July" to all my fellow Yankee Doodles.

Thank you all,
Linda

Guest Kathryne Kennedy: Historical Magic

Linda Banche here. Today I welcome Kathryne Kennedy and her magical Georgian historical romance, The Fire Lord's Lover. Romance is already magical, but it becomes even more so when Kathryne adds her magic to the mix.

Leave a comment for a chance to win one of the two copies of The Fire Lord's Lover which Sourcebooks has generously provided. Kathryne will select the winners. Check the comments to see who won, and how to contact me to claim your book. If I cannot contact the winners within a week of their selection, I will award the books to alternates. Note, Sourcebooks can mail to USA and Canada addresses only.

The winners are Stephanie McCarthy and Kelley Heckart (Celtic Chick). Kelley, I've sent you an email. Stephanie, please send me an email at linda@lindabanche.com. If I do not hear from you by July 20, I will select alternates.

Hello Historical Hussies! Thank you so much for having me as a guest on your blog today. I’m glad to be here.

In my new book, The Fire Lord’s Lover, I’ve created an elven world that exists during an established time period—Georgian and Regency England, which I thought I’d talk about a little bit today on this blog, because you all love historicals so much! As I thought about this, I realized I have to go back in my writing career to the second novel I wrote, which was a straight historical. I spent months researching the Victorian era, and I had a lot of fun writing what would become My Unfair Lady (which was released last year!). However, the entire time I was writing the novel, I kept asking myself, “What if?” What if magic, and not gender, was the basis for inheriting aristocratic titles? What if there were those who might be immune to the magic, being magical creatures themselves? I then had to go farther back into history to create the basis for the creation of my magical world, which was Merlin’s bloodline.

So, I started with my research into the time period before I ventured to add magic to alter it.

For my new series, The Elven Lords, I did the same thing; going farther back into history than the time period I knew I would be writing in. I established the basis for my magical world during the invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Instead of unifying England under one rule, my seven elven lords breeched the barrier between their world and ours and created seven sovereignties based on their own magical strength: Black for Mor'ded who rules fire, Blue for Breden who rules sea and sky, Green for Mi'cal who rules the forests, Gold for Roden who is master of glamour and illusion, Silver for Lan'dor who masters the blade, Brown for Annanor who rules the earth, and Violet for La'laylia who enspells gems.

With the release of book one, The Fire Lord’s Lover, I focused on Elven Lord Mor'ded and his magical powers, giving him a range of them as well:

White fire: cold, harmless, for light.
Blue fire: heals.
Black fire: burns in the mind, most powerful.
Gray fire: neither hot nor cold, an impenetrable wall of flame.
Red fire: burns powerfully, can be used to spy.
Yellow flame: is gently warm.
Orange: much hotter.
Green fire: a link to the undead realm.

My heroes and heroines became half-breeds, inheriting the beauty and magic of the elven lords, but with a human heart as well. So powers not only differed from realm to realm, but from person to person. World building has been a popular topic on this tour, and at the end of my blog tour (which goes until the end of this month!), I will have all the links from my blog tour on my website, if anyone would like to explore further into how I do my world building! www.KathryneKennedy.com

I think it can be more difficult and time-consuming to base a fantasy world in a historical backdrop, due to the amount of research it requires. It’s easier to create an entirely new world and make up the clothing, social mores, etc. But for me, it’s so much more satisfying to delve into the pageantry of historical eras because it’s a world I long to visit myself. Even if I do alter it with magic.

And one final note: the nice thing about adding magic to my world is that I can alter it to suit my modern sensibilities. For example, the elven lords brought bathing to England with them. I still reference that many consider bathing unhealthy, but in The Fire Lord’s Lover, my hero and heroines are clean.

By combining historical fantasy, I have the best of both worlds!

If anyone has any questions or comments, I’d love to respond to them, and I’ll be dropping by all day, so don’t hesitate!

My Magical Best,
Kathryne


THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER BY KATHRYNE KENNEDY
Kathryne Kennedy's historical fantasy romances have garnered awards and a growing readership. This exciting new series, set against the lavish backdrops of Georgian and Victorian England so beloved by romance readers, is deliciously dark and exciting.

Fighting for control of a kingdom that is split into seven domains, Elven warlords use their human slaves to breed an endless supply of soldiers for their armies. Dominic Raikes, the half-blood son of the Elven Lord himself is one such warrior. Betrothed to Lady Cassandra, who has been raised in a convent to keep her pure, he little suspects that she's been secretly trained as an assassin to murder his father. Dominic and Cassandra soon discover that each one is not what they seem, but the price of trust may be their very lives, and the destruction of the magical realm each is desperately trying to save…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathryne Kennedy is a multipublished, award-winning author of magical romances. She’s lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S., and currently lives in Arizona with her wonderful family—which includes two very tiny Chihuahuas. She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at: www.KathryneKennedy.com.

To Purchase The Fire Lord’s Lover:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Borders
BooksAMillion
Chapters/Indigo
Kathryne’s Bookseller Directory

A Victorian Dining Room

The Victorian dining room, large and heavily decorated, served as one of the most important rooms in a Victorian house, and reflected the wealth of the owner. Walls were usually bronze, maroon, or black. Gold and olive designs bordered the wainscoting, and massive thicknesses of rich material draped the windows. A sideboard and buffet both held glassware and china. Accessories adding to the elegance of the dining area might be stuffed birds in a cage, fernery, and a folding screen.
A well-dressed table could hold as many as 24 pieces of silver at each place setting. It was not unusual to have eight forks, such as a fish fork, a dinner fork, and an ice cream fork. Knives, each propped on a knife stand, were several, for butter, cheese, game, fruit and other servings a guest might choose. Included in the place setting would be a butter pick and individual game shears.
Two rows of stemware were arranged left to right; a green glass for sauterne, a sherry glass, a red glass for Rhine wine—the display was endless.
To the left of the plate, lying on a napkin, would be a thin, unbuttered slice of bread. In the middle of the table sat a huge centerpiece flanked by bowls of fruit, cake stands, as well as coffee sets, celery vases, and sugar bowls like the glass one above.
A nine-course dinner was not unusual, during which each guest took their time to enjoy each course.
My next post will be about dining room etiquette and manners before, during, and after a meal.

Regency Balls, a vital part of courtship

Anyone who’s read Regency-set novels may have at one point asked the question: “Why does practically every Regency novel contain a ball?”

There’s a very good answer to that question and it isn’t because authors have no imagination. It’s because balls and dancing were a vital part of social life and courtship. Children at a very young age were taught to dance, even young boys who joined the army or navy.

Where were these balls held?

A public ’subscription’ ball, was held anyplace with an assembly room. Guests were admitted only if they possessed a purchased ticket. High ticket prices might keep out the lowest class, but didn’t stop the rich in trade from attending. (Horrors!) Subscription balls were held just about anywhere–the main room of an inn, a large clearing outside, or a rented public house.

Almack’s is an example of a public assembly but the matrons were very particular about who received a voucher to attend. No one was admitted into Almack’s without a voucher.

Gentlemen had to be considered eligible, but the “weeding out” process wasn’t so strict for the gentlemen as it was for the ladies. For a young lady to receive a voucher, one of the patronesses of Almack’s had to approve of her background and character before she was given a coveted voucher.

This picture is of a ballroom in Bath, where Catherine in Northanger Abby meets a dashing stranger who cleverly arranges an introduction.

A private ball was another matter. Most of the great houses had either a ballroom or a large drawing room. People were allowed to attend by invitation only. In Pride and Prejudice, the local matrons convinced Mr. Bingley to host the event and invite all the ‘good’ families because Netherfield house had a ballroom. Throwing a ball took a great deal of money; servants, candles, food and drink all cost a goodly amount, so only someone well off could afford it. Of course, since most Regency romance novels are about the beau monde, a ball is treated as common-place.

In my newest Regency, The Guise of a Gentleman, Elise is shocked to find that the seemingly common man who accosted her only days ago, is now present at a ball hosted by her good friend. Normally, only the very best ton would be present. What was he doing in such an elite gathering?

And most pressing of all, would he ruin her reputation and tell everyone he’d kissed her at their previous encounter?

The Guise of a Gentleman, available at Amazon, and The Wild Rose Press in both paperback and e-book.

Or, you can win a free copy (and you have four chances if you do all four):

1. Leave a comment in this blog, then send me an email at donnahatch29@gmail.com and put “free book” in the subject line

2. Follow my blog, then send me an email at donnahatch29@gmail.com, telling me you’re now following me and put “free book” in the subject line

3. Friend me on Facebook, then send me an email at donnahatch29@gmail.com, telling me you’re now my friend on Face book and put “free book” in the subject line

4. go to my website and then find out what is the name of the hero, then send me an email atdonnahatch29@gmail.com, telling me the answer to the question and put “free book” in the subject line

Remember, for each thing you do, you have another chance to win. Good Luck!!!

Patrick Ferguson

In what some call "the first civil war", there was only one Englishman on the battle field of King's Mountain, Major Patrick Ferguson.
He was a man of honor, someone to look up to, even though he fought for the king during the Revolutionary war, you wish for men like him on your side.
A brilliant strategist, he started his military career at the age of 15. At 17, he became ill and his leg was crippled. This setback didn't keep him from rising in the ranks or creating the Ferguson rifle. A gun easily loaded without a ramrod.

In 1777, Ferguson had an American general in his sights, the sharp shooter could have easily take down this target, but Ferguson did not fire. The man had a noble bearing, and the idea of shooting such a man in the back disgusted Ferguson.
The man was George Washington.

Later Ferguson was shot just above the right elbow, after eight surgeries, he recovered though his arm would never be healed. He learend to use a sword with his left hand.
His never say die attitude earned him a commission with Cornwallis. The southern colonies were England's last chance to break the stalemate against the rebels. Certain his troops' superior training would triumph over peasants and farmers, Ferguson didn't bother to put up additional protection around his camp on King's Pinnacle.

He was surrounded on all sides. The battle lasted one hour, it was here he fell.
Known as a gentleman, Ferguson was well liked by those who knew him.

In the camp were two ladies Virginia Sal and Virginia Paul, sharing his tent. Some say they were government employees hired to launder his clothes and cook. Others say they sought protection from the Major and shared his lodgings in order to be safe.
His men joked about it mattering not who's ear he whispered sweet nothings, he would never use the wrong name.

Virginia Sal was a red head like Ferguson, she died on King's Mountain and is buried with the Major. Some believe she was shot in a case of mistaken identity, from a distance, fighters mistook her for Ferguson. Others maintain, upon being surrounded, Virginia took up arms in a desperate act of self defense.

Virginia Paul rode off the battle field and escaped. Some say she was stopped by a rebel and told him who Ferguson was. He wore a checkered shirt, had an arm in a sling, and blew a silver whistle. Others say she didn't need to tell, most knew who the man on the white horse was.
It is rumored she went back to England.

The fun of writing history is playing detective. Facts and psychology combine to give characters life. When there is little written about a figure, supposition is half the fun.
Did these ladies love Ferguson?
Was Ferguson really charming enough to have two lovers...
Is any man that charming?
Would Virginia, after escaping, go to England or would she stay in America?

Macaroni! And I Don't Mean Pasta

Every era has its extremes of dress. The Sixties had micro-minis. The Roaring Twenties had flapper dresses. Georgian England had macaronis.

Although today most fashion is geared toward women, the macaronis were men. "Macaroni" or "maccaroni", from the Italian word, maccherone, which literally means a boorish fool, described the height, and often the extremes, of male fashion in the mid 1700's.

Brought from the continent by idle young men on their Grand Tour, macaroni dress took the standard male wardrobe of wig, coat, waistcoat, breeches, stockings and shoes to absurd lengths. The express purpose was to shock people. And shock they did. Coats were tight. Huge buttons decorated short waistcoats. Narrow, dainty shoes sported buckles almost larger than they were. And copious amounts of lace, ribbon, ruffles and whatever other outrageous decoration took the wearer's fancy trimmed the outfits, with everything in gaudy colors and showy fabrics like silks and satins.

Perhaps the most obvious feature of macaroni fashion was the wig. As in these pictures, macaroni wigs were excessively elaborate and tall, and, by contrast, crowned with a tiny hat that literally could be removed only with the point of a sword.

Macaroni clothing was never mainstream. While the fashion provided a wealth of fodder for caricatures, most people laughed it off as the blatant posturing of immature males.

The word remains in the vocabulary, although today its definition has constricted to pasta. But several vestiges of its original meaning linger to confound us.

The Macaroni Penguin, a large crested penguin native to Antarctica and the southern tip of South America, owes its name to the Georgian macaronis. English mariners in the Falkland Islands, off the coast of Chile, named the bird. With its flamboyant, colored head feathers, the penguin reminded the sailors of the macaronis back home.

And Yankee Doodle "stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni".

Next time, Yankee Doodle and macaronis.

Thank you all,
Linda

Regency Travel by Coach

Most Regency Romance novels are about the very wealthy, because, let's face it, most of us read as a form of escape. And what could be a better escape than vicariously living the lifestyles of the rich?

The very wealthy traveled by private coach, which came in all different shapes and sizes. The carriage pictured here is called a Scotland State Coach, circa 1830. Lovely, isn't it? Sigh. However, everyone else had to hire a coach.

In London, one hired a hackney which was like a cab with a driver, horse and some kind of used carriage. To travel a long distance, other arrangements had to be made.

The cheapest way to travel was on mail coach, pictured here. Travel was fast but very uncomfortable.

The next best way to go was by stage coach but it was crowded, and some passengers ended up riding on top in all kinds of weather. Unpleasant, to say the least.

A nice way to travel was to hire a carriage called a Post Chaise pictured here circa 1795. A post chaise could pick up passengers and drop them off anywhere specified, so a passenger could go from door to door, but usually passengers traveled from one posting inn to the next where the carriage and the horses were changed. The teams of horses always came with a postillion, a rider who rode on the back of one of the lead horses and controlled their travel. Generally it only had room for one seat, which seated two, but it also had an outside, rear facing seat for servants and a platform in front for luggage. Two teams could travel faster than a single team. The postillions changed every time horses were changed.

To figure how long it took to travel, here’s a good rule of thumb for figuring travel by horse: walking = 5 mph, trotting = 8-10 mph, cantering = 15 mph. All depends on the terrain. Naturally, horses would have to be changed on a regular basis and the faster one goes, the more frequently horses had to be changed.

Stage coach and mail coach horses were changed about every twenty miles. They had a fast and efficient routine to get the teams exchanged in less than 5 minutes. It would take longer for a private individual who had to wait for available horses, unless they were ridiculously wealthy and boarded horses at various posting inns along their most frequently traveled routes.

One thing that slowed travel was the existence of toll roads. Though the mail coach traveled free, other commercial vehicles made arrangements with the toll authorities. Private carriages had to stop and pay the toll which included the number of horses and the distance to be traveled.