constitutional monarchy:
England is a constiutional monarchy, that is the king or queen is a largely ceremonial position and acts as the head of …
gentry, landed gentry:
The landed gentry is the class from which most Jane Austen characters were drawn. They are below the nobility but may include …
Canon, the :
Collectively the four novels and 56 short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Saying something is not canon …
Bradshaw’s Railway Companion:
COPP: “Just look up the trains in Bradshaw”: (George) Bradshaw’s Railway Companion, begun in 1839, were railway time tables (Britain had many …
commonplace book:
This is another one of those wonderful phrases like my particular friend. A commonplace book is simply a scrapbook and Holmes must …
Bertillon, Alphonse:
Alphonse Bertillon created the science of anthropometry as a means to identify criminals, using physical measurements and photographs. He also pioneered many …
Debrett’s, look him up in:
Since 1780 (with a few lapses) Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage has been the who’s who of the English titled, and you see …