Jane Austen's letters contain so much information I would like to take each letter and divide them into subjects, as a daily post, like a note from Jane Austen everyday. I am using Jane Austen's Letters - New Edition - Collected and Edited by Deirdre Le Faye (1995), as the source for the letters.
Letter # 1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "In the first place I hope you will live twenty-three years longer. Mr Tom Lefroy's birthday was yesterday, so that you are very near of an age." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Jane Austen was writing to her sister, Cassandra, who was at the Fowle's (her fiance's parent's house) in Kintbury, Newbury.
The Lefroy's were neighbors and friends of the Austen family. They lived at Ashe rectory, which is pictured above, as of 1998.
Also pictured is Tom Lefroy, who was an Irish nephew of the Lefroy's. He had just completed his degree at Trinity College and came for a holiday visit. He actually had just turned 20. Jane was joking about his and Cassandra's birth(days) being the same, his was 8 January 1776 and hers was 9 January 1773.
Tom Lefroy and Jane Austen danced and flirted at four balls during December and January 1795-1796. The movie Becoming Jane is based loosely on this flirtation.
Posted on 24 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "After this necessary preamble I shall proceed to inform you that we had an exceeding good ball last night, and that I was very much disappointed at not seeing Charles Fowle of the party, as I had previously heard of his being invited. In addition to our set at the Harwoods' ball, we had the Grants, St Johns, Lady Rivers, her three daughters and a son, Mr and Miss Heathcote, Mrs. Lefevre, two Mr. Watkins, Mr J. Portal, Miss Deanes, two Miss Ledgers, and a tall clertyman who came with them, whose name Mary would never have guessed. We were so terrible good as to take James in our carriage, though there were three of us before; but indeed he deserves encouragement for the very great improvement which has lately taken place in his dancing." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Charles Fowle (24 October 1770 - 12 February 1806) was Tom Fowle's, Cassandra's fiance's, younger brother. He was probably a student of Jane Austen's father in the 1780's. He was called to the bar in 1800 and practised law in Newbury. In 1799 he married Honoria Townsend. He was also a Major in the Hungerford Pioneers. He became ill in 1805 and died in Kintbury 12 February 1806. It is interesting that his father, Revd. Thomas Fowle II, died on 7 February 1806. They were both buried on 17 February 1806. What a sad day for the families.
,+miniature+c.1790.jpg)
,+second+wife+of+James+Austen,+probably+made+by+her+son+James+Edward+Austen-Leigh+c.+1825.jpg)
James Austen / Mary Lloyd Austen
She refers here to Mary Lloyd (1771-1843), pictured above in the silhouette, as the person who would never have guessed the tall clergyman's name; and to her brother James, also pictured above, as the tall clergyman. He was, at this time, a widower and the curate of Deane which was just two miles north of Steventon. He and Mary Lloyd married 17 January 1797, a little over a year after this letter was written. And, as she continues on in the next sentence on the subject of James, it must be him.
Post: Saturday 28 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “Miss Heathcote is pretty, but not near so handsome as I expected. Mr. H. began with Elizabeth, and afterwards danced with her again; but they do not know how to be particular. I flatter myself, however, that they will profit by the three successive lessons which I have given them.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Mr. H.; Mr. Heathcote, Revd William Heathcote (1772-1802), rector of Worting, Hants, and Prebendary of Winchester, which means he received an allowance from Winchester.
Elizabeth; Elizabeth Bigg, Harris Bigg-Wither’s sister, of Manydown.
I think they did profit from Jane’s three successive lessons because they married 11 January 1798, just two years later and had one son. Perhaps a bit of Emma, the matchmaker?
Post: Sunday 29 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “You scold me so much in the nice long letter which I have this moment received from you, that I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together. I can expose myself, however, only once more, because he leaves the country soon after next Friday, on which day we are to have a dance at Ashe after all. He is a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you. But as to our having ever met, except at the three balls, I cannot say much; for he is so excessively laughed at about me at Ashe, that he is ashamed of coming to Steventon, and ran away when we called on Mrs. Lefroy a few days ago.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
You know, when you think about it, this description of Mr. Lefroy was quite a compliment, coming from the lady who would come up with Henry Tilney, Edward Ferrars, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Edmund Bertram, Mr. Knightly and, for sure, Captain Wentworth. Considering all of their opposition, Mr. Willoughby, Mr. Wickham, etc., she knew the difference.
And what do you think Cassandra thought when she received this letter? It does not seem that Cassandra ever got to meet Mr. Lefroy. I am sure she would have liked to. There is more to come on this subject! For now, if you wish, watch Becoming Jane and enjoy the story.
Monday 30 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "We left Warren at Dean Gate, in our way home last night, and he is now on his road to town. He left his love, &c., to you, and I will deliver it when we meet." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Warren; The index in the back of the book refers to John-Willing Warren (1771-c.1831), He was most likely a student of Mr. Austen's at Steventon, c.1785 and went on to Oxford and, also, contributed to The Loiterer, a magazine Jane Austen's brothers published while they were at Oxford. He became a barrister-at-law and a Charity Commissioner. He married in 1807. He is mentioned again, later, in this letter and others. His part in Becoming Jane, the movie, is not consistant with what is written of him in the letters.
Dean Gate; The Dean Gate Inn, just outside the village of Deane on the B3400, was and is a stopping place for coaches, horse or pertol-powered, on the Basingstoke-Andover road. What a pretty place!
Here is a link:
http://www.deanegatepub.co.uk/
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Henry goes to Harden to-day in his way to his Master's degree. We shall feel the loss of these two most agreeable young men exceedingly, and shall have nothing to console us till the arrival of the Coopers on Tuesday. As they will stay here till the Monday following, perhaps Caroline will go to the Ashe ball with me, though I dare say she will not." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Henry, Jane Austen's fourth older brother, would have been 24 or 25 years old at the time this letter was written. Harden is spelt Harpsden today and is near Henley-on-Thames, Oxon.
Henley Golf Course / An old postcard of Harpsden Court
Here is a link to Harpsden/Henley today:
http://henleyonthames.org/locations/details.asp?fldLocationID=53
The Cooper's were related to the family on Jane's mother's side, the Leigh's. The party could have included Jane Cooper (29 June 1771 - 9 August 1798) and her husband, Capt. Thomas Williams, RN, but most likely it would have been Revd Edward Cooper, jr. (1 July 1770 – 20 February 1833) and his wife, Caroline-Isabella Powys (died 1838). They had eight children. Revd Cooper would have been the curate at Harpsden near Henley, Oxon at this time, which is where Henry had just left to.
Their children at this time would have been Edward-Philip (27 October 1794 – 29 November 1864)) and Isabella-Mary (29 November 1795 – 31 January 1859). Henry Austen was Edward-Philip’s godfather.
The Revd Cooper was not one of Jane’s favorite relatives. He was plump and jolly; but “she found him to be pompous and too enthusiastically pious in the Evangelical style,” according to Deirdre Le Faye; maybe just a hint of Mr. Collins? It seems that she did like Caroline, though. She was looking forward to their visit.
Friday 11 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I danced twice with Warren last night, and once with Mr Charles Watkins, and, to my inexpressible astonishment, I entirely escaped John Lyford. I was forced to fight hard for it, however. We had a very good supper, and the greenhouse was illuminated in a very elegant manner.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Warren; probably John Warren
Mr Charles Watkins; He was, or would become, Revd Charles-Kemeys (1777-1840), the rector of Fenny Compton, War., (1821-1840)
John Lyford; I do not think her statement here is meant to be mean, but to be humorous. Out of all the men at the ball she noticed that she did not dance with Mr. Lyford. He was in fact Revd John Lyford (1769 to 12 June 1799); the curate of Basing and Nately 1793. He married Jane Lodge 19 April 1799, died suddenly and was buried at Basingstoke
An interesting note about his family is that his brother, Charles Lyford (1743-1805), was a surgeon in Winchester and his son, Giles-King Lyford (1764-1837), was Surgeon-in-Ordinary at the County Hospital, Winchester, and attended Jane Austen during her last illness.
Saturday 12 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We had a visit yesterday morning from Mr Benjamin Portal, whose eyes are as handsome ever.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
This is a quote from Lord Brabourne in his Letters of Jane Austen concerning Mr Benjamin Portal, “Neither can I bring proof positive as to the identity of Mr. Benjamin Portal, which is the more to be regretted because a person with such "handsome" eyes deserves to be identified. There was, however, a certain clergyman, the Rev. William Portal, a member of the Freefolk and Laverstoke family, who had a wife, seven sons, and the Rectory of Stoke Charity in Hants. None of these sons married, but, judging by dates, some of them must have been living about 1796, and probably Benjamin was one of them”
There is another mention of Benjamin Portal in letter #21, written Tuesday 11 June 1799, from 13, Queen Square, Bath, after the Austen’s had moved to Bath. She wrote to Cassandra, “Benjamin Portal is here. How charming that is!-I do not exactly know why, but the phrase followed so naturally that I could not help putting it down.- My mother saw him the other day, but without making herself known to him.-“ Very curious! I wonder why Mrs. Austen did not speak to him.
In an article written for The Review of English Studies, New Series, vol. 12, No. 47, (Aug., 1961), pp. 251-263 by Walton Litz, titled The Loiterer: A reflection of Jane Austen’s Early Environment, Mr. Benjamin Portal is mentioned. This is a quote from the first page of the article, “In 1789 Jane Austen’s eldest brother James, then a Fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford, founded a weekly periodical entitled The Loiterer. The first issue was ready on Saturday, 31 January 1789, and the periodical ran for sixty numbers, the last appearing on 20 March 1790. At the termination of The Loiterer’s brief life title-pages, lists of errata, and tables of contents were supplied to those readers who wished to preserve the work in two bound volumes. Of The Loiterer’s sixty essays, twenty-seven were written by James Austen, while his younger brother Henry (then a scholar of St. John’s) contributed to ten numbers. Three of the remaining issues were the work (in whole or in part) of the Rev. Benjamin Portal, a friend of the Austen family who is mentioned twice in Jane Austen’s early letters.”
So, it would seem that Mr. Benjamin Portal was a family friend, a classmate to James and Henry, had handsome eyes, and became a pastor, just like they did. Have you noticed how many reverends there were at the dance?
Thursday 17 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Everybody is extremely anxious for your return, but as you cannot come home by the Ashe Ball, I am glad that I have not fed them with false hopes." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Friday 18 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "James danced with Alethea, and cut up the turkey last night with great perseverance." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
I am not sure if she ment it took great perseverance to dance with Alethea or cut up the turkey. Anyway, Alethea was a friend of Jane and Cassandra's. She lived at Manydown. It was her brother, Harris Bigg-Wither who proposed to Jane in December 1802.
Sunday 20 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “You say nothing of the silk stockings; I flatter myself, therefore, that Charles has not purchased any, as I cannot very well afford to pay for them: all my money is spent in buying white gloves and pink Persian.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Charles would have been Charles Fowle. There is a note about him above.
Persian was a thin, silk fabric usually used to make undergarments; and everyone knows you cannot attend a ball without white gloves.
Monday 21 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I wish Charles had been at Manydown, because he would have given you some description of my friend, and I think you must be impatient to hear something about him.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Again she mentions Mr. Tom Lefroy! This is very sweet. I wonder who wrote to Cassandra in the first place about Mr. Lefroy.
This was Manydown; it was destroyed in 1960. What a beautiful place. It would have been Jane Austen's home if she would have accepted Harris Bigg-Wither.
Saturday 26 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “Henry is still hankering after the Regulars, and as his project of purchasing the adjutancy of the Oxfordshire is now over, he has got a scheme in his head about getting a lieutenancy and adjutancy in the 86th, a new-raised regiment, which he fancies will be ordered to the Cape of Good Hope. I heartily hope that he will, as usual, be disappointed in this scheme.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
In 1793 Henry became a lieutenant in the Oxfordshire Militia, which was a home defense force. It seems that Henry had the idea of joining the Regular Army as his plan of purchasing the adjutancy had not worked out. Unlike being rewarded for good performance commissioned officers had always been taken from the upper classes, usually the younger sons of aristocracy and gentry. So, commissions and promotions were purchased to the rank of lieutenant colonel. The adjutancy would have been a promotion to an executive officer, which he would have had to pay for. Henry remained in the militia until 1801 and did become a captain and adjutant in 1797.
The Dutch East India Company created the settlement of Cape Colony on the tip of Southern Africa, the Cape of Good Hope.
Henry was thinking of joining the newly raised 86th Regiment, which had been ordered to sail for the Cape, be stationed there for three years, and then on to India. This is probably why Jane would have wanted Henry’s scheme to be disappointed. And, since the Dutch East India Company went bankrupt in 1798, it was a blessing that this did not work out for Henry.
As a side note, One of Cape Colony’s products was the rare and excellent Constantia Wine that Mrs. Jennings offers to Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility.
Tuesday 29 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We have trimmed up and given away all the old paper hats of Mamma’s manufacture; I hope you will not regret the loss of yours.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
The notes in the back of the book for letter #1 Ms Avril Hart at the V&A museum, suggests that these were made from narrow folded strips of paper woven and plaited together, forming a lattice-work pattern. Alternatively, stamped paper (finely perforated with delicate patterns) was used in the C18 to make fans; this might have been used for making hats. See Sacheverell Sirwell and Doris Langley Moore, Gallery of Fashion 1790-1822, London, 1949, 11 and note to Pl.2.
This is a plaited hat, just to give you an idea of what that would look like if the hats she refers to were indeed plaited.
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “After I had written the above, we received a visit from Mr Tom Lefroy and his cousin George. The latter is really well-behaved now; and as for the other, he has but one fault, which time will, I trust, entirely remove – it is that his morning coat is a great deal too light. He is a very great admirer of Tom Jones, and therefore wears the same coloured clothes, I imagine, which he did when he was wounded.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Very sweet, Mr. Lefroy came to visit!
She had a pretty good opinion of him, just one fault, and that of the colour of his coat. I cannot help but wish things had turned out for them.
Mr. George Lefroy would not have been fourteen yet, so maybe he was a rambunctious child when he was younger.
The reference to Tom Jones refers to the book, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, 6 vols. (1749), by Henry Fielding (1707-1754); Book VII, ch. XIV. ‘As soon as the sergeant was departed, Jones rose from his bed, and dressed himself entirely, putting on even his coat, which, as its colour was white, showed very visibly the streams of blood which had flowed down it.’
Friday 1 January 2010
Happy New Year!
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “By not returning till the 19th, you will exactly contrive to miss seeing the Coopers, which I suppose it is your wish to do.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
We discussed the Cooper’s on December 1, 2009, ironically.
Maybe, Revd Cooper was not Cassandra’s favorite relative either?
In 1795 the French threatened the English possessions in the West Indies. The Earl of Craven had recently become colonel of The Buffs, the 3rd Regiment of Foot, and his troops formed part of the force under the command of General Abercromby which sailed out during the winter of 1795-96. Lord Craven asked Tom to accompany him as his private chaplain. Tom did not wish to offend his patron by refusing on the grounds of his engagement to Cassandra, so he went with him in January 1796. He was expected to return home in May 1797, but he died of yellow fever in February 1797 and was buried at sea. Lord Craven was reported to have said afterwards that had he known of Tom’s engagement he would never have allowed him to go.
As far as I can tell the distance between Allington and Steventon was about 36 miles, but I could get lost in a paper bag, so I may not be using the “get directions” thingy right. Anyway, my point is that, it does not seem that Tom and Cassandra would have spent much time together, travel being about 7 to 10 miles an hour, on a good day. They were probably both very practical people, (and hind sight is 20/20) but maybe they should have just taken the risk. None of us are promised our next breath, so you just do not know. Maybe it is true that we regret more the things we did not do than the things we have done. From reading this letter and the next one, I get the feeling Jane would have married Tom Lefroy even without the income and he turned out to become Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. This is just my opinion, and if she had married him, we most likely would not have had her stories, so…
In Wikipedia it says, “He was ordained at Oxford in 1796, and became curate of the village of Netheravon, near Amesbury, in Salisbury Plain. Sydney Smith did much for the inhabitants; providing the means for the rudiments of education, and thus making better things possible. The squire of the parish, Michael Hicks-Beach, invited the new curate to dine, was thrilled to find such a man there, and engaged him as tutor to his eldest son.”
People liked him. He had a great wit. People attended his sermonds in standingroom only crowds.
"Sydney at breakfast made me actually cry with laughing. I was obliged to start up from the table." ~ Thomas Moore
"He drew such a ludicrous caricature that Sir James Mackintosh rolled on the floor in fits of laughter." ~ Lord John Russell
This link is to a very good article about a ‘possible’ meeting of Jane Austen and Sydney Smith at Bath in 1797. I would like to think they did meet, but would it not also be possible that they already knew each other from both of their aquaintences with the Hicks-Beaches’. I really recommend reading this article.
http://www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=105&step=4
This is a link to another good article on this subject.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6747/is_24/ai_n28132589/
Here are some quotes by Sydney Smith:
Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence. Sydney Smith
Letter # 1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "In the first place I hope you will live twenty-three years longer. Mr Tom Lefroy's birthday was yesterday, so that you are very near of an age." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Jane Austen was writing to her sister, Cassandra, who was at the Fowle's (her fiance's parent's house) in Kintbury, Newbury.
The Lefroy's were neighbors and friends of the Austen family. They lived at Ashe rectory, which is pictured above, as of 1998.
Also pictured is Tom Lefroy, who was an Irish nephew of the Lefroy's. He had just completed his degree at Trinity College and came for a holiday visit. He actually had just turned 20. Jane was joking about his and Cassandra's birth(days) being the same, his was 8 January 1776 and hers was 9 January 1773.
Tom Lefroy and Jane Austen danced and flirted at four balls during December and January 1795-1796. The movie Becoming Jane is based loosely on this flirtation.
Posted on 24 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "After this necessary preamble I shall proceed to inform you that we had an exceeding good ball last night, and that I was very much disappointed at not seeing Charles Fowle of the party, as I had previously heard of his being invited. In addition to our set at the Harwoods' ball, we had the Grants, St Johns, Lady Rivers, her three daughters and a son, Mr and Miss Heathcote, Mrs. Lefevre, two Mr. Watkins, Mr J. Portal, Miss Deanes, two Miss Ledgers, and a tall clertyman who came with them, whose name Mary would never have guessed. We were so terrible good as to take James in our carriage, though there were three of us before; but indeed he deserves encouragement for the very great improvement which has lately taken place in his dancing." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Charles Fowle (24 October 1770 - 12 February 1806) was Tom Fowle's, Cassandra's fiance's, younger brother. He was probably a student of Jane Austen's father in the 1780's. He was called to the bar in 1800 and practised law in Newbury. In 1799 he married Honoria Townsend. He was also a Major in the Hungerford Pioneers. He became ill in 1805 and died in Kintbury 12 February 1806. It is interesting that his father, Revd. Thomas Fowle II, died on 7 February 1806. They were both buried on 17 February 1806. What a sad day for the families.
,+miniature+c.1790.jpg)
,+second+wife+of+James+Austen,+probably+made+by+her+son+James+Edward+Austen-Leigh+c.+1825.jpg)
James Austen / Mary Lloyd Austen
She refers here to Mary Lloyd (1771-1843), pictured above in the silhouette, as the person who would never have guessed the tall clergyman's name; and to her brother James, also pictured above, as the tall clergyman. He was, at this time, a widower and the curate of Deane which was just two miles north of Steventon. He and Mary Lloyd married 17 January 1797, a little over a year after this letter was written. And, as she continues on in the next sentence on the subject of James, it must be him.
Post: Saturday 28 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “Miss Heathcote is pretty, but not near so handsome as I expected. Mr. H. began with Elizabeth, and afterwards danced with her again; but they do not know how to be particular. I flatter myself, however, that they will profit by the three successive lessons which I have given them.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Mr. H.; Mr. Heathcote, Revd William Heathcote (1772-1802), rector of Worting, Hants, and Prebendary of Winchester, which means he received an allowance from Winchester.
Elizabeth; Elizabeth Bigg, Harris Bigg-Wither’s sister, of Manydown.
I think they did profit from Jane’s three successive lessons because they married 11 January 1798, just two years later and had one son. Perhaps a bit of Emma, the matchmaker?
Post: Sunday 29 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “You scold me so much in the nice long letter which I have this moment received from you, that I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together. I can expose myself, however, only once more, because he leaves the country soon after next Friday, on which day we are to have a dance at Ashe after all. He is a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you. But as to our having ever met, except at the three balls, I cannot say much; for he is so excessively laughed at about me at Ashe, that he is ashamed of coming to Steventon, and ran away when we called on Mrs. Lefroy a few days ago.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
You know, when you think about it, this description of Mr. Lefroy was quite a compliment, coming from the lady who would come up with Henry Tilney, Edward Ferrars, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Edmund Bertram, Mr. Knightly and, for sure, Captain Wentworth. Considering all of their opposition, Mr. Willoughby, Mr. Wickham, etc., she knew the difference.
And what do you think Cassandra thought when she received this letter? It does not seem that Cassandra ever got to meet Mr. Lefroy. I am sure she would have liked to. There is more to come on this subject! For now, if you wish, watch Becoming Jane and enjoy the story.
Monday 30 November 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "We left Warren at Dean Gate, in our way home last night, and he is now on his road to town. He left his love, &c., to you, and I will deliver it when we meet." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Warren; The index in the back of the book refers to John-Willing Warren (1771-c.1831), He was most likely a student of Mr. Austen's at Steventon, c.1785 and went on to Oxford and, also, contributed to The Loiterer, a magazine Jane Austen's brothers published while they were at Oxford. He became a barrister-at-law and a Charity Commissioner. He married in 1807. He is mentioned again, later, in this letter and others. His part in Becoming Jane, the movie, is not consistant with what is written of him in the letters.
Dean Gate; The Dean Gate Inn, just outside the village of Deane on the B3400, was and is a stopping place for coaches, horse or pertol-powered, on the Basingstoke-Andover road. What a pretty place!
Here is a link:
http://www.deanegatepub.co.uk/
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Henry goes to Harden to-day in his way to his Master's degree. We shall feel the loss of these two most agreeable young men exceedingly, and shall have nothing to console us till the arrival of the Coopers on Tuesday. As they will stay here till the Monday following, perhaps Caroline will go to the Ashe ball with me, though I dare say she will not." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Henry, Jane Austen's fourth older brother, would have been 24 or 25 years old at the time this letter was written. Harden is spelt Harpsden today and is near Henley-on-Thames, Oxon.
Henley Golf Course / An old postcard of Harpsden Court
Here is a link to Harpsden/Henley today:
http://henleyonthames.org/locations/details.asp?fldLocationID=53
The Cooper's were related to the family on Jane's mother's side, the Leigh's. The party could have included Jane Cooper (29 June 1771 - 9 August 1798) and her husband, Capt. Thomas Williams, RN, but most likely it would have been Revd Edward Cooper, jr. (1 July 1770 – 20 February 1833) and his wife, Caroline-Isabella Powys (died 1838). They had eight children. Revd Cooper would have been the curate at Harpsden near Henley, Oxon at this time, which is where Henry had just left to.
Their children at this time would have been Edward-Philip (27 October 1794 – 29 November 1864)) and Isabella-Mary (29 November 1795 – 31 January 1859). Henry Austen was Edward-Philip’s godfather.
The Revd Cooper was not one of Jane’s favorite relatives. He was plump and jolly; but “she found him to be pompous and too enthusiastically pious in the Evangelical style,” according to Deirdre Le Faye; maybe just a hint of Mr. Collins? It seems that she did like Caroline, though. She was looking forward to their visit.
Friday 11 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I danced twice with Warren last night, and once with Mr Charles Watkins, and, to my inexpressible astonishment, I entirely escaped John Lyford. I was forced to fight hard for it, however. We had a very good supper, and the greenhouse was illuminated in a very elegant manner.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Warren; probably John Warren
Mr Charles Watkins; He was, or would become, Revd Charles-Kemeys (1777-1840), the rector of Fenny Compton, War., (1821-1840)
John Lyford; I do not think her statement here is meant to be mean, but to be humorous. Out of all the men at the ball she noticed that she did not dance with Mr. Lyford. He was in fact Revd John Lyford (1769 to 12 June 1799); the curate of Basing and Nately 1793. He married Jane Lodge 19 April 1799, died suddenly and was buried at Basingstoke
An interesting note about his family is that his brother, Charles Lyford (1743-1805), was a surgeon in Winchester and his son, Giles-King Lyford (1764-1837), was Surgeon-in-Ordinary at the County Hospital, Winchester, and attended Jane Austen during her last illness.
Saturday 12 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We had a visit yesterday morning from Mr Benjamin Portal, whose eyes are as handsome ever.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
This is a quote from Lord Brabourne in his Letters of Jane Austen concerning Mr Benjamin Portal, “Neither can I bring proof positive as to the identity of Mr. Benjamin Portal, which is the more to be regretted because a person with such "handsome" eyes deserves to be identified. There was, however, a certain clergyman, the Rev. William Portal, a member of the Freefolk and Laverstoke family, who had a wife, seven sons, and the Rectory of Stoke Charity in Hants. None of these sons married, but, judging by dates, some of them must have been living about 1796, and probably Benjamin was one of them”
There is another mention of Benjamin Portal in letter #21, written Tuesday 11 June 1799, from 13, Queen Square, Bath, after the Austen’s had moved to Bath. She wrote to Cassandra, “Benjamin Portal is here. How charming that is!-I do not exactly know why, but the phrase followed so naturally that I could not help putting it down.- My mother saw him the other day, but without making herself known to him.-“ Very curious! I wonder why Mrs. Austen did not speak to him.
In an article written for The Review of English Studies, New Series, vol. 12, No. 47, (Aug., 1961), pp. 251-263 by Walton Litz, titled The Loiterer: A reflection of Jane Austen’s Early Environment, Mr. Benjamin Portal is mentioned. This is a quote from the first page of the article, “In 1789 Jane Austen’s eldest brother James, then a Fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford, founded a weekly periodical entitled The Loiterer. The first issue was ready on Saturday, 31 January 1789, and the periodical ran for sixty numbers, the last appearing on 20 March 1790. At the termination of The Loiterer’s brief life title-pages, lists of errata, and tables of contents were supplied to those readers who wished to preserve the work in two bound volumes. Of The Loiterer’s sixty essays, twenty-seven were written by James Austen, while his younger brother Henry (then a scholar of St. John’s) contributed to ten numbers. Three of the remaining issues were the work (in whole or in part) of the Rev. Benjamin Portal, a friend of the Austen family who is mentioned twice in Jane Austen’s early letters.”
So, it would seem that Mr. Benjamin Portal was a family friend, a classmate to James and Henry, had handsome eyes, and became a pastor, just like they did. Have you noticed how many reverends there were at the dance?
Thursday 17 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Everybody is extremely anxious for your return, but as you cannot come home by the Ashe Ball, I am glad that I have not fed them with false hopes." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Friday 18 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "James danced with Alethea, and cut up the turkey last night with great perseverance." - Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
I am not sure if she ment it took great perseverance to dance with Alethea or cut up the turkey. Anyway, Alethea was a friend of Jane and Cassandra's. She lived at Manydown. It was her brother, Harris Bigg-Wither who proposed to Jane in December 1802.
Sunday 20 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “You say nothing of the silk stockings; I flatter myself, therefore, that Charles has not purchased any, as I cannot very well afford to pay for them: all my money is spent in buying white gloves and pink Persian.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Charles would have been Charles Fowle. There is a note about him above.
Persian was a thin, silk fabric usually used to make undergarments; and everyone knows you cannot attend a ball without white gloves.
Monday 21 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I wish Charles had been at Manydown, because he would have given you some description of my friend, and I think you must be impatient to hear something about him.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Again she mentions Mr. Tom Lefroy! This is very sweet. I wonder who wrote to Cassandra in the first place about Mr. Lefroy.
This was Manydown; it was destroyed in 1960. What a beautiful place. It would have been Jane Austen's home if she would have accepted Harris Bigg-Wither.
Saturday 26 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “Henry is still hankering after the Regulars, and as his project of purchasing the adjutancy of the Oxfordshire is now over, he has got a scheme in his head about getting a lieutenancy and adjutancy in the 86th, a new-raised regiment, which he fancies will be ordered to the Cape of Good Hope. I heartily hope that he will, as usual, be disappointed in this scheme.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
In 1793 Henry became a lieutenant in the Oxfordshire Militia, which was a home defense force. It seems that Henry had the idea of joining the Regular Army as his plan of purchasing the adjutancy had not worked out. Unlike being rewarded for good performance commissioned officers had always been taken from the upper classes, usually the younger sons of aristocracy and gentry. So, commissions and promotions were purchased to the rank of lieutenant colonel. The adjutancy would have been a promotion to an executive officer, which he would have had to pay for. Henry remained in the militia until 1801 and did become a captain and adjutant in 1797.
The Dutch East India Company created the settlement of Cape Colony on the tip of Southern Africa, the Cape of Good Hope.
Henry was thinking of joining the newly raised 86th Regiment, which had been ordered to sail for the Cape, be stationed there for three years, and then on to India. This is probably why Jane would have wanted Henry’s scheme to be disappointed. And, since the Dutch East India Company went bankrupt in 1798, it was a blessing that this did not work out for Henry.
As a side note, One of Cape Colony’s products was the rare and excellent Constantia Wine that Mrs. Jennings offers to Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility.
Tuesday 29 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We have trimmed up and given away all the old paper hats of Mamma’s manufacture; I hope you will not regret the loss of yours.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
The notes in the back of the book for letter #1 Ms Avril Hart at the V&A museum, suggests that these were made from narrow folded strips of paper woven and plaited together, forming a lattice-work pattern. Alternatively, stamped paper (finely perforated with delicate patterns) was used in the C18 to make fans; this might have been used for making hats. See Sacheverell Sirwell and Doris Langley Moore, Gallery of Fashion 1790-1822, London, 1949, 11 and note to Pl.2.
This is a plaited hat, just to give you an idea of what that would look like if the hats she refers to were indeed plaited.
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “After I had written the above, we received a visit from Mr Tom Lefroy and his cousin George. The latter is really well-behaved now; and as for the other, he has but one fault, which time will, I trust, entirely remove – it is that his morning coat is a great deal too light. He is a very great admirer of Tom Jones, and therefore wears the same coloured clothes, I imagine, which he did when he was wounded.” – Jane Austen, Saturday 9 January 1796
Very sweet, Mr. Lefroy came to visit!
She had a pretty good opinion of him, just one fault, and that of the colour of his coat. I cannot help but wish things had turned out for them.
Mr. George Lefroy would not have been fourteen yet, so maybe he was a rambunctious child when he was younger.
The reference to Tom Jones refers to the book, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, 6 vols. (1749), by Henry Fielding (1707-1754); Book VII, ch. XIV. ‘As soon as the sergeant was departed, Jones rose from his bed, and dressed himself entirely, putting on even his coat, which, as its colour was white, showed very visibly the streams of blood which had flowed down it.’
Friday 1 January 2010
Happy New Year!
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “By not returning till the 19th, you will exactly contrive to miss seeing the Coopers, which I suppose it is your wish to do.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
We discussed the Cooper’s on December 1, 2009, ironically.
Maybe, Revd Cooper was not Cassandra’s favorite relative either?
Saturday 2 January 2010
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We have heard nothing from Charles for some time. One would suppose they must have sailed by this time, as the wind is so favourable.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
This is just a side note and totally off the subject, but the days of the week fall the same in 2010 as they did in 1796. I just found that interesting.
Anyway, Charles, Jane Austen’s baby brother was in the Royal Navy as a midshipman at this point, on the HMS Unicorn, under Capt. Thomas Williams. Capt. Williams married the Austen’s cousin, Jane Cooper who is the sister to the Revd mentioned yesterday. (The not so favorite relative). She was born 29 June 1771 and died 9 August 1798 in a road accident in the Isle of Wight. They did not have any children.
Charles was very interesting in his own right. He was tall and good-looking, with hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair.
+prtrait+c.1809,+in+Captain%27s+uniform.jpg)
He entered the Naval Academy in the summer of 1791. He would have been 11 or 12 years old! Times have certainly changed. The Austen’s must have been very good parents because their children were, by our standards at least, over-achievers.
Charles is the brother who brought Jane and Cassandra the topaz crosses which Jane wrote to Cassandra about on Wednesday 27 May 1801, “He has received 30L for his share of the privateer & expects 10L more-but of what avail is it to take prizes if he lays out the produce in presents to his Sisters. He has been buying Gold chains & Topaze Crosses for us; - he must be well scolded.” Well scolded indeed, it meant so much to her that she used the situation in Mansfield Park when Fanny Price’s brother, William, brought her an amber cross on a visit to Mansfield Park.
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We have heard nothing from Charles for some time. One would suppose they must have sailed by this time, as the wind is so favourable.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
This is just a side note and totally off the subject, but the days of the week fall the same in 2010 as they did in 1796. I just found that interesting.
Anyway, Charles, Jane Austen’s baby brother was in the Royal Navy as a midshipman at this point, on the HMS Unicorn, under Capt. Thomas Williams. Capt. Williams married the Austen’s cousin, Jane Cooper who is the sister to the Revd mentioned yesterday. (The not so favorite relative). She was born 29 June 1771 and died 9 August 1798 in a road accident in the Isle of Wight. They did not have any children.
Charles was very interesting in his own right. He was tall and good-looking, with hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair.
+prtrait+c.1809,+in+Captain%27s+uniform.jpg)
He entered the Naval Academy in the summer of 1791. He would have been 11 or 12 years old! Times have certainly changed. The Austen’s must have been very good parents because their children were, by our standards at least, over-achievers.
Charles is the brother who brought Jane and Cassandra the topaz crosses which Jane wrote to Cassandra about on Wednesday 27 May 1801, “He has received 30L for his share of the privateer & expects 10L more-but of what avail is it to take prizes if he lays out the produce in presents to his Sisters. He has been buying Gold chains & Topaze Crosses for us; - he must be well scolded.” Well scolded indeed, it meant so much to her that she used the situation in Mansfield Park when Fanny Price’s brother, William, brought her an amber cross on a visit to Mansfield Park.
.
These are the topaz crosses Charles brought to Jane and Cassandra. Jane's is the one with the oval stones. It is awesome that Charles bought these in 1801 and they are still intact in 2010. In fact, I read somewhere that Keira Knightly wore Jane's cross in one of the scenes in Pride and Prejudice, hum... sounds like a good excuse to watch it again, just to look for the necklace, yeah right! I will use any excuse to watch Pride and Prejudice.
Monday 4 January 2010
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “What a funny name Tom has got for his vessel! But he has no taste in names, as we well know, and I dare say he christened it himself.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
The name of the vessel was, most likely, the Ponsbourne.
Tom; Tom Fowle, Cassandra’s fiancé. They became engaged in the winter of 1792-93. He had been one of Mr. Austen’s students. He was the rector of Allington, a very small parish near Amesbury in Wiltshire. This did not provide a sufficient income to support a wife and family, but the Earl of Craven, a relative, had promised him one of two more valuable Shropshire parishes when one became vacant, so they had to wait to marry.
[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer (1868)]
"ALLINGTON, a parish in the hundred of Amesbury, in the county of Wilts, 3 miles to the S.E. of Amesbury. It lies on a branch of the river Avon, and near the Roman way, Icknield Street. It was formerly a possession of the priory of Farleigh. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Salisbury, value £236, in the patronage of the Earl of Craven. It has a small endowed free school."
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “What a funny name Tom has got for his vessel! But he has no taste in names, as we well know, and I dare say he christened it himself.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
The name of the vessel was, most likely, the Ponsbourne.
Tom; Tom Fowle, Cassandra’s fiancé. They became engaged in the winter of 1792-93. He had been one of Mr. Austen’s students. He was the rector of Allington, a very small parish near Amesbury in Wiltshire. This did not provide a sufficient income to support a wife and family, but the Earl of Craven, a relative, had promised him one of two more valuable Shropshire parishes when one became vacant, so they had to wait to marry.
[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer (1868)]
"ALLINGTON, a parish in the hundred of Amesbury, in the county of Wilts, 3 miles to the S.E. of Amesbury. It lies on a branch of the river Avon, and near the Roman way, Icknield Street. It was formerly a possession of the priory of Farleigh. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Salisbury, value £236, in the patronage of the Earl of Craven. It has a small endowed free school."
In 1795 the French threatened the English possessions in the West Indies. The Earl of Craven had recently become colonel of The Buffs, the 3rd Regiment of Foot, and his troops formed part of the force under the command of General Abercromby which sailed out during the winter of 1795-96. Lord Craven asked Tom to accompany him as his private chaplain. Tom did not wish to offend his patron by refusing on the grounds of his engagement to Cassandra, so he went with him in January 1796. He was expected to return home in May 1797, but he died of yellow fever in February 1797 and was buried at sea. Lord Craven was reported to have said afterwards that had he known of Tom’s engagement he would never have allowed him to go.
As far as I can tell the distance between Allington and Steventon was about 36 miles, but I could get lost in a paper bag, so I may not be using the “get directions” thingy right. Anyway, my point is that, it does not seem that Tom and Cassandra would have spent much time together, travel being about 7 to 10 miles an hour, on a good day. They were probably both very practical people, (and hind sight is 20/20) but maybe they should have just taken the risk. None of us are promised our next breath, so you just do not know. Maybe it is true that we regret more the things we did not do than the things we have done. From reading this letter and the next one, I get the feeling Jane would have married Tom Lefroy even without the income and he turned out to become Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. This is just my opinion, and if she had married him, we most likely would not have had her stories, so…
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I am sorry for the Beaches’ loss of their little girl, especially as it is the one so much like me.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
The Beaches, or Michael and Henrietta Maria Hicks-Beach, as they were known, had four estates, but the one closest to the Austen’s would have been Netheravon, Wiltshire. They had nine children, four of them died in infancy. It sounds like Jane knew them well, to recognize herself in their little girl. Plus, Netheravon is in the same area, by Amesbury, as Tom Fowle’s parish, Allington.
There are some who believe Jane modeled Henry Tilney (Northanger Abby) after Sydney Smith (June 3, 1771 – February 22, 1845), who was an English writer and Anglican clergyman, and for a time curate of Netheravon and tutor to the Hicks-Beach sons. He was just three and a half years older than Jane.
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I am sorry for the Beaches’ loss of their little girl, especially as it is the one so much like me.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
The Beaches, or Michael and Henrietta Maria Hicks-Beach, as they were known, had four estates, but the one closest to the Austen’s would have been Netheravon, Wiltshire. They had nine children, four of them died in infancy. It sounds like Jane knew them well, to recognize herself in their little girl. Plus, Netheravon is in the same area, by Amesbury, as Tom Fowle’s parish, Allington.
There are some who believe Jane modeled Henry Tilney (Northanger Abby) after Sydney Smith (June 3, 1771 – February 22, 1845), who was an English writer and Anglican clergyman, and for a time curate of Netheravon and tutor to the Hicks-Beach sons. He was just three and a half years older than Jane.
Sydney Smith
In Wikipedia it says, “He was ordained at Oxford in 1796, and became curate of the village of Netheravon, near Amesbury, in Salisbury Plain. Sydney Smith did much for the inhabitants; providing the means for the rudiments of education, and thus making better things possible. The squire of the parish, Michael Hicks-Beach, invited the new curate to dine, was thrilled to find such a man there, and engaged him as tutor to his eldest son.”
People liked him. He had a great wit. People attended his sermonds in standingroom only crowds.
"Sydney at breakfast made me actually cry with laughing. I was obliged to start up from the table." ~ Thomas Moore
"He drew such a ludicrous caricature that Sir James Mackintosh rolled on the floor in fits of laughter." ~ Lord John Russell
This link is to a very good article about a ‘possible’ meeting of Jane Austen and Sydney Smith at Bath in 1797. I would like to think they did meet, but would it not also be possible that they already knew each other from both of their aquaintences with the Hicks-Beaches’. I really recommend reading this article.
http://www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=105&step=4
This is a link to another good article on this subject.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6747/is_24/ai_n28132589/
Here are some quotes by Sydney Smith:
Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence. Sydney Smith
Live always in the best company when you read. Sydney Smith
Manners are like the shadows of virtues, they are the momentary display of those qualities which our fellow creatures love and respect. Sydney Smith
Marriage resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be separated; often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes between them. Sydney Smith
Never give way to melancholy; resist it steadily, for the habit will encroach. Sydney Smith
Never talk for half a minute without pausing and giving others a chance to join in. Sydney Smith
No man can ever end with being superior who will not begin with being inferior. Sydney Smith
Poverty is no disgrace to a man, but it is confoundedly inconvenient. Sydney Smith
Solitude cherishes great virtues and destroys little ones. Sydney Smith
The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. Sydney Smith
To do anything in this world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in, and scramble through as well as we can. Sydney Smith
What would life be without arithmetic, but a scene of horrors? Sydney Smith
What you don't know would make a great book. Sydney Smith
Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed. Sydney Smith
A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience. Sydney Smith
A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience. Sydney Smith
A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort. Sydney Smith
Among the smaller duties of life I hardly know any one more important than that of not praising where praise is not due. Sydney Smith
Correspondences are like small clothes before the invention of suspenders; it is impossible to keep them up. Sydney Smith
Errors, to be dangerous, must have a great deal of truth mingled with them. It is only from this alliance that they can ever obtain an extensive circulation. Sydney Smith
Find fault when you must find fault in private, and if possible sometime after the offense, rather than at the time. Sydney Smith
Great men hallow a whole people, and lift up all who live in their time. Sydney Smith
Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything. Sydney Smith
In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigor it will give your style. Sydney Smith
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can. Sydney Smith
Wednesday 6 January 2010
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I condole with Miss M. on her losses and with Eliza on her gains, and am ever yours, J.A.
To Miss Austen,
Rev. Mr. Fowle’s,
Kintbury,
Newbury.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
Miss M., most likely Miss Jane Murden, who was the daughter of Christina Fowle Murden and a Mr. Murden. She would have been Tom Fowle’s (Cassandra’s fiancé) aunt, living at Kintbury,
Eliza; most likely, Eliza Lloyd Fowle, (died 1839), married her cousin, Revd Fulwar-Craven Fowle (14 May 1764 – 9 March 1840). She would have been Tom Fowle’s sister-in-law and cousin . They were also living in Kintbury.
There is no way to know what the gains and losses were, but the notes in the back of the book describe Revd Fulwar-Craven Fowle, being remembered by his descendants as, “physically rather short and slight, with fair hair, very blue eyes, and a long nose, and also as having an impatient and rather irascible nature; he was an excellent horseman and a most successful Lt.-Colonel of the local volunteer force, the Kintbury Riflemen, 1805. He did not bother to read anything of Emma except the first and last chapters, because he had heard it was not interesting.” It seems he might have been hard to live with, so, whatever the gains or losses, I am glad that his wife, at least, had a gain here.
Well, we finished the first letter. I have learned quite a bit about the people around Jane Austen and I hope you have also. One thing that strikes me is, had it not been for Jane Austen mentioning these people in her letters would anyone, except family doing genealogy research, notice these people were here, living at one time? She has, in some respect, made them famous, just by her mention. I doubt there are many other people from her time period you can google and find information for.
Letter #1, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I condole with Miss M. on her losses and with Eliza on her gains, and am ever yours, J.A.
To Miss Austen,
Rev. Mr. Fowle’s,
Kintbury,
Newbury.” – Jane Austen, Sunday 10 January 1796
Miss M., most likely Miss Jane Murden, who was the daughter of Christina Fowle Murden and a Mr. Murden. She would have been Tom Fowle’s (Cassandra’s fiancé) aunt, living at Kintbury,
Eliza; most likely, Eliza Lloyd Fowle, (died 1839), married her cousin, Revd Fulwar-Craven Fowle (14 May 1764 – 9 March 1840). She would have been Tom Fowle’s sister-in-law and cousin . They were also living in Kintbury.
There is no way to know what the gains and losses were, but the notes in the back of the book describe Revd Fulwar-Craven Fowle, being remembered by his descendants as, “physically rather short and slight, with fair hair, very blue eyes, and a long nose, and also as having an impatient and rather irascible nature; he was an excellent horseman and a most successful Lt.-Colonel of the local volunteer force, the Kintbury Riflemen, 1805. He did not bother to read anything of Emma except the first and last chapters, because he had heard it was not interesting.” It seems he might have been hard to live with, so, whatever the gains or losses, I am glad that his wife, at least, had a gain here.
Well, we finished the first letter. I have learned quite a bit about the people around Jane Austen and I hope you have also. One thing that strikes me is, had it not been for Jane Austen mentioning these people in her letters would anyone, except family doing genealogy research, notice these people were here, living at one time? She has, in some respect, made them famous, just by her mention. I doubt there are many other people from her time period you can google and find information for.
Hі thеre it's me, I am also visiting this website on a regular basis, this website is really pleasant and the users are actually sharing pleasant thoughts.
ReplyDeletemy web blog okc roofer