I am writing this post on New Year’s Eve 2025, with the idea that I will need this information for the release of the 5th book in my Dragonblade mystery/romantic suspense series. Actually, the first draft of the book,Lyon on the Inside is finished. I am busy typing it.
Yes, I know that sounds laborious. It is, but, as I am in my late 70s, and, therefore, I find I compose my ideas better on a piece of paper, with a black ink pen, and with lines going up and down the page to move paragraphs around, marking such as “sp” [check spelling, the word “conundrum” is never correct, and though I know the difference, when I am writing, “lie, lay” as well as “sit, set, sat” sometimes the difference gets past me in those first few rounds of composing]. I use “origin” to remind myself to check whether the word was used in the Regency era, etc. I compose better this way than I do on a computer. [Note: As a former school teacher, I mark my first round of edits with a red ink pen. Old habits never die, they just become more ingrained, and as I am close to having written 80 books in this manner, it seems foolish to change what is working.] Such is the way my brain is wired, and I am too “West Virginia stubborn” to convert.
Anyway, I was looking for the names of the villages in and around Rochester in Kent, for much of the actions of that last book takes place there. I was searching for actual names of villages, for I, generally, like to include real places for my readers like seeing that authencity, but the Google A/I search kept giving me everything but what I wanted.
This is what my search told me. Note, I only used A/I as a starting point, never for my actual writing. I knew how far from the cathedral the village must be to make the action of the tale work. Once I found a list, I researched each individually to learn which ones worked best for me. I wanted two villages in close proximity, about a mile or so apart. I planned to put one of my heroes in the series in the manor house on the estate close to the first of the villages and the heroine in the vicarage, visiting her aunt and uncle, in the other. There would be an estate supporting each vicar and village.
This is the A/I Summary: During the Regency Era (roughly 1811-1820), villages close to Rochester Cathedral, located in Kent, included nearby settlements like Chatham, Brompton, Borstall (Borstal), and Wouldham, as well as slightly further afield but well-known locales such as Aylesford, Gillingham, and those on the Hoo Peninsula like Cliffe and Grain, offering a mix of working communities and more rural Kentish life, often connected by river or early roads.
Immediately Nearby (Part of the Medway Towns)
- Chatham & Brompton: These were integral parts of the Medway conurbation with Rochester, serving as naval dockyard areas and bustling settlements, featuring military presence and associated trades, with Brompton being a significant village adjacent to the cathedral.
- Borstall (Borstal): A smaller village just to the south, known even then for its rural character and proximity.
A Short Distance Away (River Medway & Beyond)
- Wouldham: A village south of the river, offering a more traditional rural setting.
- Cuxton: West of Rochester, in the Medway Valley, a small village on the railway line (though the railway was just developing in the era).
- Aylesford: A larger, historic village further along the Medway, known for its church and ancient history, offering a charming, established community feel.
Hoo Peninsula (North & East)
- Cliffe: An historic village on the Hoo Peninsula, with views over the Thames marshes, known for its white-boarded houses.
- Grain (Isle of Grain): A small community at the tip of the peninsula where the Medway meets the Thames.
- Gillingham: Located to the east, growing as a significant settlement near the coast.
These villages provided varied living environments, from the busy naval atmosphere of Chatham to the quieter, agricultural lanes around Cuxton and Wouldham, all within easy reach of the cathedral and the burgeoning town of Rochester.
UNFORTUNATELY, none of these worked, so I took my dramatic license and created two villages, gave them names, etc. Though I prefer real places and names in my stories, sometimes, it is just not possible, and I was not going to move my hero and heroine further apart than a bit over a mile. My hero has an injured leg, something left over from childhood, so walking long distances would be difficult for him. Moreover, it would be harder for the H/h [hero/heroine] “accidentally” to bump into each other on a regular basis.
Leave a Reply