By 18, he had risen from a gang of London street rogues to be the personal
plaything of the Marquess of Argyll. Maintained in splendour, celebrated at
masquerades – with everything he could wish for.
Now all has come crashing down. He is put out in the rain without patronage,
his West End apartment, or a place among the ton.
So on a stormy night, he arrives at a house in Southwark. Marathon Moll’s in
the Mint – the bawdyhouse he worked in during his ascent and where he earned
the name Blue Billy.
But is Marathon Moll’s a place from which to rise again? For there is one in
the crowd, who catches his eye. Who takes his hand and promises something
better.
Or does Moll’s signify a return to his roots? For one day, a second and very
different young man raps on the door. Takes his hand and asks him to return to
his past.
To the cat language of vagabonds. The canting dialect of thieves.
To the schemes, and the dreams, of his youth.
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Fun Facts about Blue Billy’s Rogue Lexicon
by David Lawrence
Many
of the characters who visit Moll’s bawdyhouse (the centrepiece of the antics in
my book) are inspired by actual people mentioned in 18th-century criminal records. Thank goodness for those records! Without them, we would know little or nothing about them today, and so very much would be lost to history. I
used a bit of imagination to fill in the blanks when describing such as
Dip-Candle Mary (a tallow chandler) and Hardware Nan (presumably a seller of
hardware goods), but these were the actual ‘house names’ of men living in London
in the 18th century.
The
lexicon of the title refers to the chapter names in the book. The terms are
taken from the street, or cant language spoken by the thieves and vagrants of
London in the 17th and 18th centuries. The primary use of
the language was to disguise various nefarious and illegal doings. However,
some terms, such as ‘hand-me-downs’ have made it into popular usage. Fuller
lexicons of the cant language can be found in two fabulously colourful books of
the period (you can tell by their titles just how fabulous). These are:
The Surprising Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew,
King of the Beggars - Containing his Life, a Dictionary of the Cant Language,
and many Entertaining Particulars of that Extraordinary Man by Robert Goadby (published 1749)
The English Rogue: Described in the Life of Meriton
Latroon, A Witty Extravagant
by Richard Head (published 1665)
Bampfylde Moore Carew
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The English Rogue
Source: Wikimedia Commons
1771,
the year in which this book is set, was the year Captain Cook, commander of the
HMS Endeavour, returned from his first voyage around the world. This was
by no means the first time Great Britain ventured around the globe. Because of
this, I wanted to draw attention to a lesser-known expedition by having one of
Billy’s romantic interests participate in one of these previous voyages – in
particular: the 1764 expedition around the world of the HMS Dolphin. No
discoveries comparable to those of Captain Cook were made during this
expedition, but the account of Commodore Byron in the HMS Dolphin is
right there in the historical record, and it is an exciting one.
Yes,
Commodore Byron was a relation of that Byron. Vice-Admiral (and
Commodore) John Byron was poet Lord Byron’s grandfather. I don’t see a family
resemblance, though. Perhaps without the wig…?
Brit author Alexis Hall, fabulous writer of queer romcoms and historical romances, is largely responsible for my taking on this project. He was kind enough to give my first book, Hugh, a favourable review, after which he wrote that he’d like to know more about the street boy/thief/prostitute William Dempsey, who was a supporting character in that book. After some research, I realized William was in fact, Blue Billy, and the book developed from there. I’m indebted to Alexis for caring enough about this character to ask to know more.
David Lawrence is the author of two queer historical novels – ‘Hugh: A Hero without a Novel’ and ‘Blue Billy’s Rogue Lexicon.’ As a writer, he loves taking a deep dive into the politics, social norms, and events of 18th-century England while presenting humorous and unique coming-of-age tales.
A native of the American Southwest, David has spent much of his life in Great Britain, France, and Finland. He now lives in the American Northwest – Helena, Montana – with his Finnish partner.
By day he loves hiking under the Big Sky of his beautiful adopted state.
By night, however, he prefers wandering the byways of 18th-century London…
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Thanks so much for hosting David Lawrence today, with such brilliant Fun Facts. Much appreciated.
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Cathie Dunn
The Coffee Pot Book Club
My pleasure.
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