| Quote | Category | Chapter | Notes | Queries |
| the Queen | historical personage | 1 | Queen Charlotte, wife of George III | |
| Mendlesham | historical personage | 1 | ||
| Duchess of Gloucester | historical personage | 2 | Princess Mary, sister of George III. Married her cousin William, great-grandson of George II | |
| Lady Hertford | historical personage | 2 | ||
| Mrs. Siddons | historical personage | 2 | Sarah Siddons, famous Regency actress | |
| Sir Joshua Reynolds | historical personage | 2 | The Artist (1723-92). See link at left. | |
| Trevithick | historical personage | 4 | Robert Trevithick (1771 - 1833) Inventor and pioneer of Steam locomotion. See link at left. | |
| Mr. Brummell | historical personage | 6 | George "Beau" Brummell - the arbiter of fashion in London society whose heyday was the Regency period until he was forced to fly because of debts to France in 1816. | |
| Mr. Thomas Raikes | historical personage | 8 | One of the Dandy set and a friend of Brummell's | |
| Mr. Rufus Lloyd | historical personage | 8 | ||
| Sir Henry Mildmay | historical personage | 8 | ||
| Lord Petersham | historical personage | 8 | Charles Stanhope 4th Baron Petersham and later 4th Earl Harrington - tobacco connoisseur. | |
| Lady Sefton | historical personage | 10 | One of the patronesses of Almack's | |
| Lord and Lady Jersey | historical personage | 10 | Lady Jersey was one of the Almack's patronesses | |
| the Fanes | historical personage | 10 | family from which Lady Jersey came; she is referred to as "Sarah Fane" and "Sally Fane" also | |
| Emily Cowper | historical personage | 10 | One of the patronesses of Almack's; originally Emily Lamb, daughter of Lady Melbourne and sister of William Lamb. | |
| the Lambs | historical personage | 10 | ||
| Lady Melbourne | historical personage | 10 | She is the mother of William Lamb, who was later Lord Melbourne (inherited his father's title) and became Prime Minister early in Victoria's reign. He was married to Lady Caroline Lamb. Lady Melbourne's daughter was Emily, Lady Cowper. | |
| Lord Wrenthorpe | historical personage | 11 | real person? | |
| Countess Lieven | historical personage | 11 | One of the patronesses of Almack's | |
| Sir Digby Meeth | historical personage | 11 | real person? | |
| Miss Berry | historical personage | 13 | ||
| Weston | historical personage | 15 | tailor | |
| Mendoza | historical personage | 16 | famous boxer | |
| Lord Amherst | historical personage | 18 | Diplomat; became Governor-General of India in 1823. Endymion refers to him when expressing his fear that Alverstoke can have him sent off on a diplomatic mission. Lord Amherst is also mentioned as the one whom Meg's husband, Buckhaven, accompanies to China in Cotillion. | |
| Cavallo | historical personage | 19 | ||
| Professor Charles | historical personage | 19 | J.A.C Charles, a French physicist. Worked with the Roberts brothers to launch the first hydrogen balloon on August 27, 1783. The balloon had no persons aboard, and landed 15 miles from Paris in a field. French farmers tore it to pieces because they believed it was either an evil spirit, or the moon that had broken loose and was coming down to crush the earth. After that, to protect future balloons, the king issued an explanation of balloons and told his subjects not to be afraid of them and not to damage them. Charles and one Roberts brother made the first flight in a hydrogen balloon on December 1, 1783 and flew more than 25 miles beyond Paris in 2 hours. | |
| Blanchard | historical personage | 19 | Jean-Pierre Blanchard flew across the English Channel on January 7, 1785, accompanied by John Jeffries, an American doctor. The flight was from Dover to Calais, took two hours, and covered 31.5 miles. Blanchard also flew in a balloon in Philadelphia in January, 1793. The flight was watched by President George Washington and a large crowd. | |
| Lunardi | historical personage | 19 | an Italian, Secretary to the Neapolitan Ambassador, and a ballooning enthusiast. | |
| Tyler | historical personage | 19 | The link at left refers to "Tytler", not Tyler, but it is the same person. As mentioned in the book, he is the balloonist who ascended half a mile from Edinburgh. | |
| Oulton | historical personage | 19 | real person? | |
| Kangaroo | historical personage | 20 | Nickname for Alverstoke's acquaintance Cooke, whom he and Jessamy meet as they are leaving London to chase the balloon. He was called Kangaroo as he let a lot of kangaroos out of the Zoo once. He was Major-General Henry Cooke, an aide de camp to the Duke of York. | |
| Halford | historical personage | 25 | Sir Henry Halford, Regency doctor |