The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court with Breeze Barrington

The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court with Breeze Barrington

Author: Reign of London Tours November 12, 2025 Duration: 1:01:49

What do we know about the woman’s lot at the court of Charles II? Breeze Barrington’s new book The Graces (published by Bloomsbury) explores the lives of several women of the Stuart court. 

These ladies include Maria d’Este, a.k.a. Mary of Modena, consort to James VII & II, as well as those of her Maids of Honour:

  • Anne Finch, a revered poet,
  • Hortense Mancini, a favourite of Charles II,
  • Sarah Jennings, future Duchess of Marlborough and of course,
  • the future Queen Anne of Great Britain. 

Let’s welcome Breeze Barrington to the podcast.

Welcome, Breeze!


Find Breeze:

https://www.breezebarrington.com/

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sed/english/staff/phd/profiles/barringtonb.html

https://artuk.org/discover/profile/breeze-barrington


Get Graces:

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/graces-9781526663788/



Find Baroque:

https://www.ifitaintbaroquepodcast.art/

https://www.reignoflondon.com/

https://substack.com/@ifitaintbaroquepodcast


Support Baroque:

https://www.patreon.com/c/Ifitaintbaroquepodcast/

https://buymeacoffee.com/ifitaintbaroque


If you would like to join Natalie on her walking tours in London with Reign of London:

Saxons to Stuarts:

https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/

Tudors & Stuarts:

https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-tudors-stuarts-walking-tour-t481355/

The Georgians:

https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-the-georgians-walking-tour-t481358/

Naughty London:

https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452/


For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroquepodcast.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


There's a certain texture to the past that often gets smoothed over in textbooks. If It Ain't Baroque..., an independent history podcast from the team at Reign of London Tours, digs into that rich grain. Instead of a dry march through dates, each episode uses history as a lens-a prism, really-to examine the broader tapestry of life, culture, and the human experience. You'll hear stories where the grand narratives of politics and power intersect with the intimate details of everyday existence, revealing how people lived, thought, and felt in other times. The perspective offered here is grounded in a deep, practical knowledge of historical spaces and stories, moving beyond the abstract to something more tangible. This isn't about memorizing facts; it's about connecting threads from then to now. Tune in for a thoughtful, meandering exploration where a single artifact, a forgotten figure, or a specific event can open up a whole world of understanding. The result is a consistently engaging listen that reminds us how the past is never truly past, but always echoing in the foundations of our present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

If It Ain't Baroque...
Podcast Episodes
Trouble in Paradise: The Georgian Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:52
Welcome to our Royal Romance season.On this episode, we’ll be talking about Georgian Couples that didn’t have a happy ending. Please welcome Catherine Curzon back as we learn more about the Georgian couples whose Happily…
Shakespeare's Sassy Ladies' Appreciation Tour with Carol Ann Lloyd [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:47
This is still Shakespeare Week, and today we present our latest episode celebrating this great poet and playwright. Words, words, words, indeed.Next up, we have Carol Ann Lloyd, an author of several books on the Tudors,…
Shakespeare's Sisters with Ramie Targoff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:02
This is Shakespeare Week, so we have a mini series of episodes celebrating this great poet and playwright. Words, words, words, indeed.Next up, we have Ramie Targoff and we’ll be talking about her latest book Shakespeare…
Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers with Darren Freebury-Jones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:12
Today is the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, as well as his potential birthday.We’re here to honour this great playwright and poet with a mini season of episodes, all to do with him.First up, is Darren Freebu…
Royal Love Stories Told Wrong: Cupid Painted Blind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:54
Royal Love Stories Told Wrong: Cupid Painted Blind On this episode we’re looking at the royal love stories which are different from how they’re usually told.To help sort out fact from fiction, we have great historians wi…
The Fall of the House of Byron with Emily Brand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:40
On the 19th April 1824 at the age of 36, George Gordon Byron, the 6th Baron died in Greece.Today we sit down and talk to Emily Brand, a Georgian historian and the biographer of the Byron family.We’ll be discussing her bo…
Reinventing… Edward I with Darren Baker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:01
Please welcome Darren Baker back on the podcast, and we’re going to talk about his latest book - The Confessions and Chronicle of Lord Edward, meaning we’re going to be digging up dirt on the young future Edward I, also…

«1...678910