What better way to open my blog than by introducing you to the dastardly Lord Ferrers, the villain I have created for FLINTLOCKS AT DAWN? That's him in the red jacket in this lovely painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, called A Philosopher Giving that Lecture on the Orrery, in which a Lamp is put in place of the Sun.
From everything I have read about the actual Lord Ferrers, he seems to be a perfectly respectable fellow — served in the Royal Navy and was an amateur astronomer who owned his own orrery. But I had named the hero of my story Eldridge Shirley, in honor of my late father, and (for plot purposes that I won't divulge here) I needed a villain who also had the last name of Shirley. When Professor Google turned up Washington Shirley, I knew he was perfect for the role. What was even better was the way he became the 5th Earl Ferrers. He inherited the title after his brother, Laurence Shirley, the 4th Lord Ferrers, was executed for murder. He is notable for being the last peer to be hanged, having been convicted by a jury of his peers (literally) of murdering his steward. Now THAT's a villain. But that's also probably another blog post.