Regency Sex Symbols: Thomas Belcher

   “Tom came to London in the year 1803, when his brother Jem was at the zenith of his fame, having beaten every man with whom he had fought, and attained the position of undisputed Champion of England. Although Tom’s ring career was not so brilliant as his elder brother’s , it had a less … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: Thomas de Grey, Lord Grantham

Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, was known as Lord Grantham for much of his life. Born on the 8th December 1781 at Whitehall, his father’s death in 1786 ascending him to the title of 3rd Baron Grantham.  Entailed was an estate at Topcliffe in Yorkshire. In 1792 , Thomas de Grey also became baronet Robinson of Newby after … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey

Member of Parliament, military man, and diplomat Lord Anglesey was scandalous enough to get a divorce and hearty enough to survive the amputation of his leg. The loss of a limb didn’t stop him from prolific baby making with his new wife, Lady Charlotte Cadogan (also a divorcee) nor did it stop his sense of … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: Hugh Clapperton

May 18, 1788 – April 13, 1827 Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton first got his sea legs at the age of thirteen navigating between Liverpool and North America.  Years later, impressed into the navy, he rose to the rank of midshipman while fighting in the Napoleonic Wars.  He is said to have been the first to … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: Sir John Frederick William Herschel

  This stone cold fox was born in 1792, so he would have been a young buck at the time of the Regency.  Son of well reputed astronomer Sir Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel, Sir John contributed to astronomy, chemistry, physics, and photography. A Cambridge man, he invented a reflecting telescope just three years after matriculating.  During … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: John Constable

John Constable was not by any stretch of imagination a household name in England.  But his rich landscapes gained him notoriety in France and eventually would cast him as one of the great English Romantic painters. Threatened with disinheritance, his friend and abiding love Maria Bicknell waited patiently until he inherited some funds so that … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: William “Silver Billy” Beldham

(Above is an ad from the 1920s that used an unnamed Regency era painting.  I like to think that the center figure looks similar to Silver Billy in his youth.) Unfortunately, an exhaustive search bore no fruit in the form of a picture of Silver Billy in his heyday.  Only a photograph of him in … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: Sir Humphry Davy

I know what you are thinking…”Oh, Humphry!”???? But take a look at this hottie. Even in black and white his eyes leap out at you.  And his curls are positively Corinthian! More importantly, he was an inventor (and was a awarded a baronetcy in 1819) who invented a lamp which allowed miners to see in … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: William Beckford

William Thomas Beckford (1760-1844) was a novelist, artist, architect, traveller, politician and positive heartthrob. Most remembered for his folly, Fonthill Abbey, he was described by Byron as “England’s wealthiest son”.  An apparent endless supply of funds enabled him to explore many interests in the age of ultimate gentleman’s leisure. In fact, his wealth came at … Continue reading →

Regency Sex Symbols: James Henry Leigh Hunt

(1784-1859) Essayist, poet, editor and publisher James and his brother John published a liberal weekly The Examiner beginning in 1808 that advocated for the abolition of slavery, Catholic emancipation, reform of criminal law and Parliament.  Notorious for their satires of Prinny, it eventually landed the brothers in prison in 1813, where from his jail cell … Continue reading →