Nothing can take a reader out of a story quicker than an item used before its invention.  I can’t begin to tell you the number of times a match was struck in a time when it didn’t exist.  It’s not the job of an agent or editor to vet the historical accuracy of your story.  Many writers aren’t fond of research, but it’s an absolute must for a credible tale.  I seem to be the odd writer who loves research almost more than writing. 

I can’t stress enough how important Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, is to have near at hand.  The first known written usage of words is given in this must-have dictionary.

The following list is only a small sampling of the sources that can be found on the Internet.  These are a few of my favorites from Medieval to Georgian.

Clothing in 1302

http://www.liebaart.org/kledij_e.htm

Medieval Scotland

http://www.medievalscotland.org/

Glossary of some medieval clothing terms

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/glossary.html

Naming Practices & Patterns for Countries & Cultures http://genealogy.about.com/od/naming_patterns/Naming_Practices_Patterns_for_Countries_Cultures.htm

The Burry Man Writers Center

http://www.burryman.com/scotland.html

The Celtic Lunar Calendar

http://www.psi-researchcentre.co.uk/CelticLunarCalendar.html

Ancient Scotland

http://www.ancient-scotland.co.uk/site.php

Domesday Book

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/domesday/

Faire Names for English Folk: Late Sixteenth Century English Names

http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/christian/fairnames/

Old Irish Kingdoms and Clans

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ireclans.htm

Knowledge of London

http://knowledgeoflondon.com/

The Georgian Index

http://www.georgianindex.net/fd/index.html#rring

The History of Furniture Time Line

http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/hoft/

At Table: High Style in the 18th Century

http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmag/bk_issue/1996/sepoct/feat5.htm

Highwaymen of the Peak

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands/series3/travellers_highwaymen_derbyshire_peakdistrict.shtml

Between a Gentleman and His Tailor

http://www.georgianindex.net/tailors/tailor.html

18th Century Clothing

http://www.americanrevolution.org/clothing.html

Colonial Occupations

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rigenweb/ocupaton.html

Dickens’ London Map

http://charlesdickenspage.com/dickens_london_map.html

Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion

http://www.songsmyth.com/costumerscompanion.html

Knowledge of London

http://knowledgeoflondon.com/

With a bit of diligent research using your favorite Internet search engine, most answers to your historical accuracy questions can be answered.  Just make sure your source is reliable.   

Happy researching!

Lis’Anne