Bridgerton Fic Writing info
Pulling from my knowledge of Regency Era romance, plus my history research, Iām going to share some info that may help people writing Bridgerton fic set in the canonical Regency Era.Ā
Using the Correct Titles (If they have a title, they arenāt a Mr or Mrs.)Ā
The thing to remember here is that British nobility and the Ton have a rigid social structure that is stratified by rank. If someone has a title, they are addressed as befitting that title.Ā
With this in mind, a titled individual would never be addressed as a Mr or Mrs. I have seen fics set in the Regency that have a duke referred to as a Mister and this would not happen, ever. I know it can get confusing when there are multiple women with the same title, but the older Lady is not downgraded to a Mrs after the death of their spouse. For example, Violet Bridgerton is the Viscountess Bridgerton, to be addressed as Lady Bridgerton. She would never be called Mrs. Bridgerton. That would either be an insult to her or indicated that the person calling her that is an outsider, because everyone in the Ton knows how to address a Viscountess. It may seem confusing that Kate Sharma becomes Lady Bridgerton after she and Anthony marry, but to differentiate between them, people would add āDowagerā before Violetās title, making her the Dowager Viscountess. It is the same for Lady Featherington. Portia is Lady Featherington, no matter if the next Lord Featherington marries.
Titled people are addressed by their highest rank, only changing their form of address if they acquire a higher rank. If, say, Portia remarried to a man of a rank higher than a baron, she would be addressed by his title. If she married a rich but untitled man, she would still be Lady Featherington because that rank is higher than a mere Mrs.
So at the top of the ranking system, we have the non-royal dukes. Royal dukes are another matter and outrank all hereditary peers. Simon is a non-royal duke, this is why he is such a catch. The only people in England who outrank him are members of the Royal family. The wife of a duke is a duchess, hence Daphne being the Duchess of Hastings. They are addressed as āhis/her/your graceā and referred to as the duke/duchess.Ā
Below dukes, we have marquesses. They would be addressed as āthe most honorableā Whatshisname, the Marquess of Whoknows. The wife of a marquess is a marchioness. Fun historical fact, Henry VIII made Anne Boleyn the Marquess(not marchioness) of Pembroke, giving her the title in her own right which rarely ever happens. Ā
Next we have earls. This is really only a British thing, as nobility on continental Europe of equal rank would be called a count. This handily explains why the wife of an earl is called a countess. They just literally never bothered to come up with a female equivalent to an earl.
A viscount ranks just below an earl, which knowing that earl is basically a count, makes sense. Viscount = vice count. The wife of a viscount is a viscountess, which if youāve be watching the show, you should know. This is also why the Bridgerton children are Mr and Miss Bridgerton. Viscounts arenāt of a high enough rank to bestow courtesy titles on their children.Ā
The lowest rank of the hereditary peerage is a baron. Lord Featherington was a baron and Portia was his baroness. Again, their children do not warrant courtesy titles.
If my mad rambling doesnāt make sense, there is a video link below that may explain it better. The video also covers the landed gentry which arenāt really part of the hereditary peerage, but could easily move in the same circles as the Ton. Sir Philip would actually be part of the gentry, though they donāt specify his exact rank. He is likely a baronet, as he seems to have inherited the title of Sir from his elder brother, and knighthoods are not usually hereditary.Ā
If a duke, marquess, or earl holds multiple titles, then his eldest son will hold one of his lesser titles as courtesy title while his father still lives, inheriting all of his fatherās title upon the formers death. If he doesnāt not hold any subsidiary titles his son would just Lord (Last Name). The holder of a courtesy title also doesnāt get useĀ ātheā before their title, which indicates that the title is a substantive. Simon is ātheā Duke of Hastings, indicating he holds the title in his own right.
Legitimate daughters of peers who are ranked an earl or higher may style themselves as Lady (Insert First Name here). Younger sons of dukes and marquesses may style themselves as Lord (Insert First Name here). This is a courtesy style. Simon and Daphneās younger children will be able to style themselves this way. As the Bridgerton title is viscount, the rank below an earl, none of the younger Bridgertons can style themselves a Lord or Lady. They could style themselves as the honorable First Name Last Name, and probably would be referred to this way in legal documents and when being announced at balls. This style likely doesnāt come up in casual conversation.Ā
You can use these links for further reading. Mostly its Wikipedia, because itās easy to consume and not behind a paywall. You can look at the sources on the Wikipedia articles to find more scholarly information.Ā
Hereditary Peers WikipediaĀ
Courtesy Titles in the UK Wikipedia
List of Peerages Created for Women UKĀ Wikipedia
The Order of Noble Titles: From Gentlemen to DukesĀ Youtube Video
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