~Regency Wednesday~ Gambling

Ah, gambling. Gambling was an aspect of Regency life that was accepted as normal, even required. It was, however, technically illegal.

Gambling was made illegal in the early-1700s when it was decided that such an addictive pastime, where whole fortunes were won and lost, needed to be curtailed. This merely forced the activity to go behind closed doors. By the time the Regency rolled around, gambling was more than just a pleasurable pursuit. It was nearly a requirement in High Society.

The things one could gamble on were many and varied. Ladies and gentlemen could gamble at nearly every Society function, as most of these had card rooms for those who didn't care to dance. For gentlemen, they could also gamble at horse races, pugilistic events (boxing), cock fights, dog fights, and many other sports that ran along the same lines.

Gambling at private parties such as balls usually had limits. Even card parties tended towards smaller stakes, although fortunes could still be won or lost on the turn of a card. If a gentleman wanted to take real chances with his money or property, he had to go to a gaming house or gambling hell.

Curiously, in researching for this post, I have stumbled across a name that I have never heard before. William Crockford was possibly the richest self-made man of the time. His gambling house was said to rival the Palace of Versailles for opulence. He built his gambling house in 1827 in St James's Street, calling it Crockford's Club.

Perhaps the reason this man and his club goes unmentioned is the time he was known. Few Regencies venture into the time after the coronation of the George IV even though this time was still considered the "Regency" by most.

Speaking of George IV, he was quite the gambler himself. However, I think maybe he deserves his own post, don't you?

*Further reading: The Regency Underworld by Donald A Low and the Wikipedia article titled William Crockford.

**As always, I welcome comments or questions. Feel free to correct or question everything. :o)

~Regency Wednesday~ Rookeries

Not all Regency novels, especially romances, venture into the seedier parts of London. In the East End were warrens of streets and alleys, buildings all crammed together and the poor unfortunates who lived and worked there.

The rookeries were hotbeds of crime, havens for drug users and dealers, prostitution and worse. It was these areas that Charles Dickens quite often focused on in his chilling tales. It was in the rookery of Jacob's Island (pictured here) where the villain Bill Sikes met his end in Oliver Twist. The full title of David Copperfield was "The Personal History, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery which he never meant to be published on any account."

*Further reading: The Regency Underworld by Donald A. Low, What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool and the Wikipedia article titled Jacob's Island.

~Regency Wednesday~ Bow Street Runners

Bow Street is often mentioned in Regency novels, some are even centered around the famous Runners of the time. Simply, a Bow Street Runner was a professional thief-taker who answered to the law enforcement office in Bow Street. They could be, and often were, hired by private citizens or organizations to recover or protect property or relatives. They were held in some awe by the general public.

The novelist Henry Fielding was appointed magistrate in 1749. His base of operations was in Bow Street and his inclinations as a social reformer eventually led to his forming the specialist thief-takers known as the Bow Street Runners. His brother worked with him and took over in 1754. The Runners were disbanded in 1839.

*Further reading: The Regency Underworld by Donald A. Low and What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool.

~Regency Wednesday~ Debtor's Prison

Debtor's Prison was where a man was sent when he could not pay his bills. Not a member of the peerage, mind you. They could not be forced to honor their debts if they were of a mind not to. Although the law did not exactly exempt a peer from prosecution for nonpayment of a debt, it was unlikely that a creditor could actually prevail. As a result, few titled gentleman actually feared incarceration. For the common gentleman, however, debtor's prison was a very real threat.

Common prisons for debtors of the time were the Fleet (left) and the Marshalsea (shown below).

~Regency Wednesday~ Prison Hulks

Oh, the prison hulk. What a monstrous place to end up. In my research for an upcoming novel, I have been uncovering some horrifying tidbits about these prisons so aptly dubbed "Hell on Earth". (I did a more in-depth post about this in May.)

First, a few basic facts...

What is a prison hulk? It was a decommissioned ship, moored and adapted to house criminals awaiting transportation.

Why were they used? They were supposed to be a temporary solution when it became impossible to transport criminals to America during the American War of Independence (Revolutionary War). They became too convenient to give up.

What kinds of criminals did they hold? They were intended for the worst offences. It wasn't too long, however, before they ended up being the easy answer. Boys as young as ten were incarcerated with grown men. It wasn't until 1823 that it was decided it would be better for boys under the age of 16 to be on their own ship.

The picture below was painted by a French prisoner of war, Louis Garneray, who was incarcerated on a prison hulk. He was one of the few who made the best of his situation.

~Regency Wednesday~ Newgate Prison

Newgate Prison - London's most famous, or perhaps infamous, prison; commonly held those convicted of a violent crime, those awaiting execution or transportation. Over the years it became more than that, holding criminals of lesser crimes. It always seemed to be filled beyond capacity, hinting at either a society lost to lawlessness or a system of punishment that was too harsh. Prisoners with enough money could better their lot, receiving private rooms and even entertaining on a small scale.

For more details, see this post: Prison in Regency London