Five minute history - What was life like during the American Revolution?

What was life like during the American Revolution?
By Samantha Wilcoxson

 

Most people think of the American Revolution as the war that took place between 1775 and 1783, but that armed conflict would have never occurred if it were not for a revolution in thinking that took place in the American British colonies starting many years earlier. What was it like to live in this period? How did one decide whether to stay loyal to a king or risk all for a chance at liberty?

What one thought of the revolution taking place would depend heavily upon circumstances and location. For example, it was easy to become a rebel – or a patriot depending upon your point of view – if one lived in Boston, where British troops were stationed starting in 1768 and the port, the source of most Bostonians’ livelihood, was closed in 1774. It might have taken a bit more to convince a South Carolinian who was heavily dependent on selling their cotton to a London market and receiving necessary goods from them in exchange.

Yale, where young men like Nathan Hale and Benjamin Tallmadge were earning their degrees in preparation for the work that would cement their names in US history, was a hotbed of talk of liberty, freedom, and independence. It is easy to imagine these intelligent college students considering the news as it came in and debating the worthiness of opposing arguments. Many of them went on to fight. Some of them died.

In both the Tallmadge and Hale families, four brothers served and one from each was killed. When his brother, William, and his close friend, Nathan, were killed, Benjamin Tallmadge became passionate for victory and formed the successful Culper Spy Ring on Long Island. He also played a role in capturing the British spymaster John André.

The war also impacted women if a variety of ways. Those who were already struggling before the war were in even more dire circumstances when men left to fight or were killed in action. Some of them joined their menfolk, following the army and serving as laundresses, cooks, and in less desirable roles in some cases. Women who remained at home faced innumerable tasks that they were not used to performing in addition to the management of household and care of children that already filled their days.

When John Adams was gone for increasing periods of time as he served in different roles, Abigail learned to manage tenants, farms, and businesses in his absence. She also made decisions about financial management and the children’s education that would normally have been discussed with her husband. She suffered a stillbirth and the death of her mother without John there to support her in her grief.

Then there were those who remained loyal to Great Britain. Some had their property confiscated by ‘patriots,’ and others chose to flee to England before suffering such a fate. Moses Dunbar was the first man hanged for treason to the new United States, but he was not the last man who must have thought he suffered at the hands of those who were truly the traitors.

Life during the American Revolution cannot be simply described due to the ever-shifting world in which these people lived. It is a time that changed, not just North America, but the entire world. It was a revolution of mindset and worldview, not just a war, but the forming of an entirely new republic.

But One Life
The Story of Nathan Hale
By Samantha Wilcoxson

Revolution. Friendship. Sacrifice.

But One Life: The Story of Nathan Hale is an intimate retelling of the life of a great American patriot. As a young man, he debated philosophy at Yale and developed his personal politics of the revolution. Shortly after graduation, he joined the Continental Army and volunteered a spy in 1776. How did Nathan become a man willing to sacrifice himself with just one regret – that he had but one life to give for his country?

Experience the American Revolution alongside Nathan, his brother, Enoch, and good friends like Benjamin Tallmadge. They dream of liberty and independence. But at what cost?

Friendship, faith, love, and loyalty motivate young Nathan to become a name recognized throughout America as the quintessential patriot.

If I had ten thousand lives, I would lay them all down.

Amazon

Writer of historical fiction and sufferer of wanderlust, Samantha enjoys exploring the past. She strives to reveal the deep emotions and motivations of historical figures, enabling readers to connect with them in a unique way. Samantha is an American writer with British roots and proud mother of three amazing young adults. She can frequently be found lakeside with a book in one hand and glass of wine in the other.

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Five minute history - What was life like during the reign of Richard III? by Alex Marchant

What was life like during the reign of Richard III?

By Alex Marchant

My title ends in a question mark for good reason.

Some years ago, to celebrate the Quincentenary (500th anniversary) of the coronation of King Richard III, the early music group the York Waits released a compilation of tunes entitled ‘Music from the Time of Richard III’. Clearly it was designed to appeal to the many people who are Ricardians (those who, like me, believe the King has been unfairly maligned in the centuries since his death). However, in their sleeve notes they freely admitted that, given that Richard reigned for little more than two years (June 1483 to August 1485), finding music that could be said with any confidence to have been composed during his reign would be nigh on impossible. Their solution was to record a selection of songs and instrumentals that might possibly have been heard by the King and at his court.

Similarly it perhaps makes little sense for me to attempt to write about life in the time of Richard III (because that is when my books The Order of the White Boar and The King’s Man are set), as opposed to the time of Edward IV or Henry VII, as for the great majority of people little would have changed in those years. Outside the royal court, with its politicking and rumours, and perhaps the complex lives of the higher nobles with their shifting alliances and allegiances, life would no doubt have gone on in an ordinary way. Though we have become accustomed to think of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 that ended Richard’s reign (and his life) as the end of the medieval period and the start, with the advent of the Tudor dynasty, of the early modern, there was of course no clear, definitive boundary between the two eras. How much were the ‘common’ people really affected by ‘the twilight between the golden sun of Yorkist rule and the dark unknown of the Tudor future’ that occurred in late August of that year?

The hero of my books, Matthew Wansford, was one of the ordinary folk living through those times. As sometime page of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, in the months before he became King, Matt’s life was perhaps influenced more than many others by the alteration wrought by the Year of the Three Kings of 1483, or the change of dynasty two years later. Born the middle son of a middling-level merchant in the provincial city of York, he might otherwise have lived out his life barely touched by what appears to us now as a seismic shift. In reality, though, perhaps the true shift came fifty years later, under the second Tudor king, Henry VIII, with the religious and cultural earthquake of the Reformation and dissolution of the monasteries.

Matt, only a twelve-year-old boy in 1483, lived long enough to witness all those upheavals, and must have been among the many bewildered by them – more by the cataclysmic change in the way he was expected to worship and envisage his God and saviour than by any change of ruler or way of ruling. His days and years were from birth regulated by religious services and holy days – when he should work or rest, make merry or attend church, eat meat if he could afford it or fish alone. For the poorest, their diet presumably changed little, except perhaps during Lent and on special feast days. The church ruled much of life, including marriage and even what possessions could be willed to whom at death, and a local priest or other church official could be a valuable protection against the whims of local secular leaders. None of this changed under Edward IV, his son Edward V, Richard III or indeed Henry VII.

Much speculative fiction has been written about Richard III over the years. ‘What might have happened if …?’ The big one is probably ‘… if he had won at Bosworth’ – or ‘… if he had retreated at Bosworth – as he was urged to do and as his brother Edward had once done – and had lived to fight another day’. (I was sorely tempted to take this route – but had to remind myself as I approached the writing of the battle and the fateful charge at its end, that my sole aim was to tell the true story of the real Richard for younger readers… Any such flights of fancy would have to wait for another project. My favourite is ‘What might have happened if Edward IV had married Elizabeth Woodville legally after the death of Eleanor Butler?’ – but perhaps Richard would have disappeared into relative obscurity as just the younger brother of a king whose elder son legally succeeded him and successfully continued the Plantagenet dynasty for any number of subsequent generations… which might not make much of a story.)

In such speculative fiction, with Richard perhaps ruling for decades with his enlightened law-making and equitable dispensing of justice, how much would the lives of ordinary people really have changed? Would Richard have succeeded in curbing the power of local lords through his methods, rather than through Henry Tudor’s means of impoverishing his once over-mighty subjects through his financial demands? Would individuals really have had increased access to justice through Richard’s improved bail system and being able to understand the laws now that they were published in English? Would local industry and commerce have continued to flourish, freed from excessive foreign competition through Richard’s 1484 legislation? And would the book trade and ordinary people’s educational opportunities have continued to benefit from the upsurge in foreign supplies and foreign printers setting up in England that were allowed by the exemptions Richard himself ensured were included in that same legislation? How would the Reformation have happened under Richard or his heirs? Would it perhaps have occurred as evolution rather than revolution given his interest in use of vernacular English for secular purposes – or would any Reformation have happened at all, given his known Catholic piety?

I guess we will never know what life might have been like for common folk in the time of Richard III – if that time had been extended to a more normal lifetime of sixty years or more, rather than the scant thirty-two he was allowed. But for an increasing number of people, it would likely have been very much like one or other part of what Matt experiences in the different stages of his life – as a church-educated son of a petty-bourgeois in a provincial city (York), as a servant in a nobleman’s household on his country estate (Middleham Castle), as apprentice to a merchant in the commercial capital (London), as … but no more, or I’ll be straying into ‘spoiler’ territory for the third book of Matthew’s adventures. And as anyone who knows the story of the real King Richard is aware, that sadly will take Matt well beyond the time of the life of Richard III…

Alex Marchant

Born and raised in the rolling Surrey downs, and following stints as an archaeologist and in publishing in London and Gloucester, Alex now lives surrounded by moors in King Richard III’s northern heartland, working as a freelance copyeditor, proofreader and, more recently, independent author of books for children aged 10+.

Alex loves to hear from readers. You can find her: Blog • Twitter • Facebook

The King’s Man

How well do you know the story of the real King Richard III?

It's April 1483, and the death of his brother King Edward IV has turned the life of Richard, Duke of Gloucester upside down, and with it that of his 13-year-old page Matthew Wansford.

Banished from Middleham Castle and his friends, Matt must make a new life for himself alone in London. But danger and intrigue lie in wait on the road as he rides south with Duke Richard to meet the new boy king, Edward V – and new challenges and old enemies confront them in the city.

As the Year of the Three Kings unfolds – and plots, rebellions, rumours, death and battles come fast one upon the other – Matt must decide where his loyalties lie.

What will the future bring for him, his friends and his much-loved master? And can Matt and the Order of the White Boar heed their King’s call on the day of his greatest need?

The King’s Man, the eagerly awaited sequel to The Order of the White Boar, continues the story of Richard Plantagenet for readers aged 10 to 110.

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Five minute history - Margaret Beaufort by Judith Arnopp

Margaret Beaufort
 By Judith Arnopp

Lady Margaret Beaufort at prayer

Fifteenth century England was dominated by the wars of the roses but for the vast majority daily life continued as usual. While the peasantry fought the twin perils of pestilence and penury, the nobility’s battle was for the English crown. For the upper classes the constant fluctuation between York and Lancaster made life unstable and monarchy and allegiance became fluid. The fall of one’s preferred king could mean loss of status, financial ruin and even death. One had to tread very cautiously; a careless word, a smile in the wrong quarter could spell the end of prosperity, the acquisition of property, the stripping of a title. The wisest kept their heads down and hoped the ‘right’ monarch would come out on top but for most, this was not an option. Margaret Beaufort, the protagonist of my trilogy The Beaufort Chronicles, was given no choices. She learned from a young age to think before speaking, to consider her actions before carrying them out and to place her trust carefully.

Even for the era she was born into, Margaret’s upbringing was remarkable. During her infancy, her father, John Beaufort, Earl and later Duke, of Somerset, took his own life while awaiting the pleasure of the increasingly unstable/inefficient King Henry VI. Margaret became the ward of one of the most powerful men of his day, William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk (later Marquis and Duke) but she was allowed to remain in the home of her mother, Margaret Beauchamp, at least for the first decade of her life. She was just eight years old when Suffolk, taking advantage of Margaret’s wealth and status, married her to his young son, John, but since neither had yet reached their teens, the marriage remained unconsummated. Suffolk’s subsequent disgrace with the king and his ignoble death saw the marriage hastily annulled and Margaret’s future placed in the hands of the king, Henry VI.

Margaret’s early years were spent learning the graces required of an heiress of high status. We know she was well educated, more than one historian noting that her French was ‘first rate’ but it is unlikely she would have mastered many of the required skills by the time of her second marriage at approximately eleven years of age. It is my feeling that her education continued long after she left the schoolroom at Bletsoe. Margaret set great store on knowledge and in later life endowed many places of learning. After she was married to the half-brother of the king, Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond she accompanied him to a wild and unstable Wales. She would have needed to learn hard and fast, with lessons in politics and survival taking precedence over languages.

Tomb Effigy of Edmund Tudor

Even in the early days of the conflict, war had a direct effect on Margaret. The homes she shared with Edmund at Caldicot and Lamphey would have rung with the boots of soldiers, the coming and going of messengers, and her husband was constantly away fighting. She was widowed just a year after the wedding when Edmund Tudor died at Carmarthen in 1456 in the act of defending Henry’s holdings in Wales. He left Margaret six months pregnant and vulnerable. She quickly turned for protection to her brother in law, Jasper Tudor, who housed her for the duration of her pregnancy at Pembroke Castle where she gave birth to a son, Henry Tudor. Shortly after his birth, keen to avoid another arranged marriage, she took matters into her own hands and with Jasper’s aid, betrothed herself to Henry Stafford, the younger son of the Duke of Buckingham.

Pembroke Castle

Despite Stafford’s change of allegiance from Lancaster to York after the accession of Edward IV, the marriage appears to have been successful. It is doubtful Margaret was comfortable with this shift in loyalty, her blood and heart lay with Lancaster but perhaps it reveals an early example of Margaret’s fortitude.

She and Henry Stafford lived largely at Woking, making improvements to their properties and striving for acceptance at Edward’s court. At first Margaret was not invited to court but eventually, as Stafford proved his loyalty to Edward, she was welcomed at court. Calm seems to have settled on Margaret around this time, the only fly in her ointment being the exile of her son, Henry, who had fled overseas with his uncle Jasper when Edward took the throne. Margaret never ceased to petition for his return but was continually denied. In the unrest that surrounded the defection of the Earl of Warwick to Lancaster, the Staffords continued, at least outwardly, to support York. It was while fighting for Edward IV at Barnet in 1471 that Henry Stafford sustained wounds, dying a short time afterwards.

By 1472 Margaret had married again, this time to the powerful northern magnate, Thomas Stanley. Largely due to her husband’s relationship with King Edward, Margaret remained on good terms with the king and queen. She was on the verge of securing the return of her son’s rights and properties when Edward IV died unexpectedly at Easter in 1483.

Portrait purported to be of the first Earl of Derby but the costume is of a later period.

During the period of unrest that followed, the juvenile King Edward VI’s throne was denied him and the crown instead placed on the head of his uncle, Richard of Gloucester. Margaret’s frustration and insecurity must have been immense but she did not falter. Stanley swore allegiance to King Richard while Margaret displayed loyalty, enjoying the honour of bearing Anne Neville’s train at the coronation. To all intents and purposes, Margaret had reconciled herself to Gloucester’s rule, it is only in hindsight we realise she was perhaps not as content as she seemed.

The earliest surviving portrait of Richard (c. 1520, after a lost original).

Despite her apparent acceptance, the denouncement of Edward’s heirs and Gloucester’s accession to the throne rekindled Margaret’s political ambition, and shortly after the first reports of the disappearance of the princes in the tower, she began to plot with the dowager queen against King Richard.

Treason is an ugly word and to move against an anointed monarch is a perilous path to take. Margaret was all too aware of the consequences of her actions if they were discovered but something, be it blind ambition or moral outrage, drove her on. She played a major part in Buckingham’s rebellion and when her role in it was discovered Richard III’s leniency probably surprised Margaret as much as anyone. A man caught red handed at the same crime would have faced a traitor’s death but the king showed unprecedented clemency, and placed Margaret under house arrest in the charge of her husband, Thomas Stanley. This leniency provided the opportunity for Margaret to continue her intrigue from within her plush prison. She worked determinedly against Richard’s regime, not just to bring her son home but to crown him King of England.

Buckingham finds the River Severn swollen after heavy rain, blocking his way to join the other conspirators.

Life in the time of Margaret Beaufort was both unstable and dangerous. Her role in the events during the years 1483 -5 would be less remarkable had she been ignorant of the possible consequences but Margaret Beaufort was raised amid bloodshed. She knew the price of treason. Before she was born her father died as a direct result of failing his king, and during the course of the wars that followed she lost uncles, cousins and friends, as well as suffering separation from her only son during his fourteen years of exile.

Margaret was indefatigable in her efforts, she negotiated her unstable world as assuredly as if she were playing a game of chess. Utilising her considerable acumen, she rose from a relatively insignificant position in the House of Lancaster to becoming, not just the most powerful woman in England, but the ultimate victor of the wars of the roses.

Margaret's son — Henry VII

Judith Arnopp

Judith Arnopp’s life-long passion for history eventually led her to the University of Wales where she gained a BA in English and Creative Writing, and a Masters in Medieval History.

Her first novel, Peaceweaver was published in 2009, quickly followed by The Forest Dwellers and The Song of Heledd but she remained largely unknown as an author until her first best-selling Tudor novel, The Winchester Goose. Since then she has continued to write in the Tudor era, producing five further novels covering the lives of Anne Boleyn, Katheryn Parr and Elizabeth of York.

The Beaufort Chronicles comprises of three volumes: The Beaufort Bride, The Beaufort Woman and The King’s Mother tracing the fascinating life of Margaret Beaufort. She is currently engaged in researching the Dissolution of the monasteries for her eleventh novel which is yet to be named.

Judith’s non-fiction work has also been published in various historical anthologies, the latest being Sexuality and Its Impact on History which will be published in March 2018 by Pen and Sword Books. You will also find her work on many on-line magazines and blogs. Judith is easily accessible on her webpage and blog or you can follow her on social media. Website   Website   Blog  Facebook  Twitter

The Beaufort Chronicles

As King Henry VI slips into insanity and the realm of England teeters on the brink of civil war, a child is married to the mad king’s brother. Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, takes his child bride into Wales where she discovers a land of strife and strangers.
At Caldicot Castle and Lamphey Palace Margaret must put aside childhood, acquire the dignity of a Countess and, despite her tender years, produce Richmond with a son and heir. 

While Edmund battles to restore the king’s peace, Margaret quietly supports his quest; but it is a quest fraught with danger.
As the friction between York and Lancaster intensifies 14-year-old Margaret, now widowed, turns for protection to her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor. At his stronghold in Pembroke, two months after her husband’s death, Margaret gives birth to a son whom she names Henry, after her cousin the king. 

Margaret is small of stature but her tiny frame conceals a fierce and loyal heart and a determination that will not falter until her son’s destiny as the king of England is secured. 

The Beaufort Bride traces Margaret’s early years from her nursery days at Bletsoe Castle to the birth of her only son in 1457 at Pembroke Castle. Her story continues in Book Two: The Beaufort Woman. 

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Five minute history - The Victorian Era - a time of change by Val McBeath

The Victorian Era - a time of change

By Val McBeath

Queen Victoria — Photograph by Alexander Bassano, 1882

The Victorian-era in the United Kingdom describes the period from 1837 to 1901 when Queen Victoria was on the throne. It was a time of rapid change and saw the country evolve from a largely rural environment to an urban, industrialised one. Almost every aspect of life changed over the course of these sixty years including politics, attitudes to women, health, science and manufacturing.

Women were treated little better than slaves

Prior to 1882, once a woman married, in the eyes of the law she ceased to exist. On her wedding day, she became one person with her husband and thereafter everything she did was under his direction.

As soon as they married, her property and any money she owned transferred to her husband. Children were also his property. In the event of divorce, prior to 1839, the man could expect custody of his children.

The situation improved gradually over the century although undoubtedly women lived in a world that discriminated heavily against them.

An act of parliament in 1870 finally allowed women to keep any earnings or property they acquired after they married. By 1873, if a woman divorced, she could retain custody of any children up to the age of sixteen and by 1882 they were finally allowed to retain what they owned at the time of marriage.

Despite these victories, men considered themselves the dominant sex. Due to their superior physical strength, they sought to keep women subdued for as long as they could.

Medicine and the era of miracle cures

The medicine we take for granted in the 21st century could not have been imagined in the Victorian-era; such was the infancy of medical science.

New medicines were seen as miracle cures for a whole variety of ailments included things such as opiates (morphine and codeine) and cocaine. Such were their benefits they were used widely to treat everything from toothache and coughs to diarrhoea and insomnia. The negative effects of prolonged use were initially unknown. It wasn’t until the 20th century that their use became controlled.

For some, it was a time of plenty

The industrial revolution undoubtedly changed life in the Victorian-era. Technological advances in the development of machines and steam engines lead to an increase in mass production and improved productivity. The building of railways, canals and roads meant that raw materials and goods could be transported more quickly and cheaply than ever before.

Living standards were said to have improved due to an increase in wages although, by the end of the 19th century, towns were so overcrowded that many families lived in squalor. Chronic hunger and malnutrition were common for many, a situation that didn’t improve until the end of the century.

For more information on Victorian-era England, visit my website HERE!

 Life in Victorian-era England

The Ambition & Destiny Series

By Val McBeath

Set in and around Birmingham, England The Ambition & Destiny Series  was inspired by a true story of one family’s trials, tribulations and triumphs as they seek to make their fortune in Victorian-era England.

When I started researching my family history back in 2008, I had no intention of writing a book, let alone a series. It was only as I uncovered the story my father’s ancestor’s that the idea came to me … and wouldn’t go away! Nearly ten years later, in July 2018, I published the final book in The Ambition & Destiny Series.

The series starts in 1839 with the prequel, Condemned by Fate. It is a short story that focusses on the early years of my great x3 grandparents, Charles and Mary. Although it is essentially a love story, it isn’t a romance. Things were much more complicated than that.

The subsequent five books span the next seventy years and cover three generations:

Hooks & Eyes: Mary must make a choice. She hopes it will give her family a secure future, but instead she sets in motion a series of events with unintended consequences…

Less Than Equals: At a time when men controlled everything … and everyone, Harriet is desperate to break free. But she underestimates how far some will go to silence her.

When Time Runs Out: After biding her time, Harriet finally gets her chance for independence. But igniting the wrath of her father-in-law, Mr Wetherby, is never a good idea. She soon discovers she has more to worry about than her own ambitions…

Only One Winner: With the family divided, Mr Wetherby is still furious about Harriet’s betrayal. And he’s going to make sure someone pays…

Different World: After a bitter family breakdown Harriet’s son, William-Wetherby, seeks a new life far from home. But being rid of Mr Wetherby isn’t as simple as it seems…

The Setting

The prequel and first four books in the series take place in Birmingham, England, which today is the second most populated city in the UK after London. In book 5, the story moves to Liverpool, which at the time of the story was a large port on the north-west coast of England.

Birmingham rose to prominence during the industrial revolution of the 19^th century. Its growth was based principally on metalworking, with the manufacture of brass articles rapidly rising to importance. Trades were carried out in small workshops rather than large factories. Many entrepreneurs started their businesses producing goods such as buttons, cutlery, nails, screws, guns, tools, jewellery, toys, locks, and ornaments. In addition, there was a large commercial class, comprising merchants, accountants, agents, stockbrokers, and a great body of clerks.

Bird's-eye view of Birmingham in 1886 showing the Council House, Town Hall and Chamberlain Memorial.

The growth was helped by the arrival of the railways in 1837. The first line to open was the Grand Junction Railway linking Birmingham with Liverpool and Manchester. The following year the line to London was opened.

The growth of the port of Liverpool started in the 17^th century and arose out of the increased trade between the UK and America and the West Indies. By the 18^th century it had become the second largest city in the UK after London.

Val McBeath

Val is a scientist by training and has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for many years. Born and raised in Liverpool she now lives in Cheshire with her husband, youngest daughter and cat. In addition to Family History, her interests include rock music and Liverpool Football Club

The books in the Ambition & Destiny Series are available as ebooks on Amazon and are FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited.

The paperback books are available from a variety of retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones.

In addition to the outlets above, the short story prequel, Condemned by Fate, is available as a FREE download from www.vlmcbeath.com