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: 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: The Duke of Wellington

Oh, baby. A dapper dresser (called “The Beau by his officers), tireless, arrogant, and known to break out into spontaneous dance (when he heard news of Napolean’s defeat he started to dance the flamenco), Wellington is all that is delicious about the Regency man. Born in Ireland into a prominent family, after his education Arthur … Continue reading →