Season of Shadows - A Regency Story (WIP) UPDATED 28 JUL [Chapter 2 up, 194K words]

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Wouldn’t the equestrian PC’s father still legally own Bess? Couldn’t he (or Sharpe, if he knew about her) theoretically order the Haines family to turn her over?

Of course, that would require the PC’s father to put in some effort, which might be beyond him.

I imagine the equestrian PC’s Aunt would be the one paying for the stabling in London?

Just for fun, I tried to figure out how much it’d cost to keep a horse during the Regency.

One blog claims “one horse cost an average of £500 per year to maintain[1],” while another says “[t]he cost of keeping a single riding horse in London was around £120 a year[2]”. A New System of Practical Domestic Economy (1823) comes up with a cost of £42[3].

£42 in 1823 is about £4,300 in 2025, while £120 during the Regency is about £7-10k in 2025 pounds[4].

That’s actually not too bad considering it costs around £5-15k to own a horse in the UK today[5], and possibly closer to £20k in London[6]. (Though you can always pay more. My cousin’s three dogs cost over $25k USD a year.)

Inflation isn’t the whole story, of course. A nursery maid might earn only £7 a year[7]. £500 in 1823 afforded you a roof, a wife, three children, and two servants[8]. I’m not familiar with cost of living in the UK, but I suspect you couldn’t afford that on £52k (~$72k USD) a year?

Gotta say, I’m impressed how much readily available research there is on everyday life in Regency England. I almost wish I picked it as a setting.

Of course, please feel free.

A fantasy setting heavily based on late 1940s Britain, so about 120 years into the future from the Regency era. (Though I’m technically finished writing that project and should stop poking at it and move on.)

  1. Travel for the Poor and Working Classes in Regency England | Jane Austen's World ↩︎

  2. https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/landscape-and-property/the-cost-of-keeping-a-horse-in-jane-austens-day ↩︎

  3. A New System of Practical Domestic Economy (1823)
    Screenshot 2025-06-05 4.08.41 PM ↩︎

  4. Inflation calculator | Bank of England ↩︎

  5. Horse Cost Guide UK: How much does it cost to own a horse? ↩︎

  6. The REAL Costs Of Owning A Horse Per Year In the UK – Paddock Blade United Kingdom ↩︎

  7. A Lady's Imagination: Servants' Incomes ↩︎

  8. https://www.heathermollauthor.com/post/regency-income-500-versus-10-000-per-year ↩︎

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