For Legacy, Love & Money: Estate Management in the English Regency
WITH LOUISA CORNELLRegistration Closes November 11th!
Class Description
In any genre of Regency-set fiction, landed estates may and often do play an important role either as setting, as a facet of characters’ lives, as a source of income and prestige, or as a character in and of itself. The temptation in including a landed estate in one’s story is to emphasize the wealth, beauty, and social status of the subject or to use the property as a pawn in a wider aspect of one’s plot. However, landed estates played a far more important role in the lives of not only the owners, but in the lives of all who lived and worked in, on, and even around these vast holdings. Landed estates were indeed an important part of the British economic and agricultural worlds, especially between 1780 and 1840, the era in which we set most, if not all, of our Regency fiction.
The purpose of this class is to explain how these estates worked. The management of a landed estate was no simple thing. Nor did it necessarily come under the control of one man, whether that man be a steward or the owner. Landed estates required a combination of the skills and people necessary to run a business, a farm, a corporation, a city, and more. This class will endeavor to explain the roles of the owner, the steward or land agent, the lawyers, the government, the tenants, and the various other people involved in the running of an estate. The class will cover the various sources of income an estate might provide, the income derived, and the expenses incurred. An emphasis on the duties of the steward or land agent will delineate the various tasks, accounts, supervision, and management skills necessary to run a successful estate and what might happen should these skills fail.
It is hoped the class will provide information to attendees that can be used to bring the landed estate and its occupants to life and perhaps may inspire some new and intriguing ideas with which to entertain, surprise, and fascinate their readers.
About the Instructor
Louisa has been employed as everything from a veterinary technician to a bakery manager to night manager at a funeral home. Her education background includes a B.S. in Music Education and a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Judson College, a Master of Musical Arts and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Opera Performance and Music History from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a year’s fellowship at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
After retiring from a European career as an opera singer Louisa returned to her first love, writing Regency romance. A two-time Golden Heart finalist, three-time Daphne du Maurier® winner, and four-time Royal Ascot winner—she is a member of RWA®, Southern Magic RWA, and Regency Fiction Writers. She is both indie-published and published by Scarsdale Publishing. Her first published work, the novella A Perfectly Dreadful Christmas, won the 2015 Holt Medallion®. Her novel A Study in Passion won the historical romance mid-length category of RWA®’s 2021 Vivian Award. Her 26th book A Pearl Seduced will be published in August, 2024. Her first contemporary romance Cajun in a Kilt will be published in December, 2024.
Louisa has taught workshops for the Academe and has presented multiple workshops for Regency Fiction Writers Annual Conferences. She has also taught writing craft workshops for RWA chapters, her local library, and RWA®’s Pen-2-Paper program.
Her hobbies include collecting Regency research books, studying the history of Gothic romance, creating Regency hats, and playing doorman and maid to a herd of small, yappy dogs. She visits the UK as often as she can! Visit the instructor’s website at https://www.facebook.com/RegencyWriterLouisaCornell or http://numberonelondon.net/
Class Delivery
This class consists of 8 written PDF lessons with illustrations, which will be posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Links to videos will be posted. Additional video meetings to show a PowerPoint presentation and for Q&A will be offered the first and last weeks of class.
Class Format
4-WEEK COURSE
Written Lectures: YES
Video Lectures: NO
Other Videos: POSSIBLY
Pictures: YES
Audio Files: NO
Writing Exercises: NO
Class Fees
$40 for RFW members
$55 for non-members
Registration Closes November 11th!
Scholarships are available for members