Monday 10 May 2010

Monday 10 May 2010
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “Wm. Chute called here yesterday. I wonder what he means by being so civil. There is a report that Tom is going to be married to a Litchfield Lass.” – Jane Austen, Friday 15 January 1796

When I first read this, I thought she was referring to Mr. Tom Lefroy, but she was not; she was referring to Mr. Tom Chute, Williams’ brother.

William-John Chute (1757-1824) was MP for Hants and married to Elizabeth Smith. He had inherited The Vyne/Vyne Estate in Sherborne St. John, Hants. It says something about the Austen family that the MP would visit them, does it not?

The Vyne in Sherborne St. John

Another picture of The Vyne in Sherborne St. John

This is a link to information about The Vyne and how you can visit it.
http://www.visitsoutheastengland.com/site/things-to-do/the-vyne-p51263


Tom Chute ((1772-1827), the Revd Thomas-Vere Chute; he attended Pembroke College, Cambridge and received a BA in 1794 and an MA in 1801. He was in the Hants Fencible Cavalry and was stationed at Deal and New Romney, Kent in 1798. He was ordained in 1804. He occupied the Lobb family livings of Great Moulton St Michael and South Pickenham in Norfolk. He inherited the Vyne in 1824 and died unmarried at South Pickenham Hall 22 January 1827. He owned copies of Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice. and Northanger Abby & Persuasion. He signed his name in the volumes.

Great Moulton St. Michael

This is a link to Great Moulton St Michael, one of Revd Chute’s churches. It has some great indoor pictures.

http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/greatmoulton/greatmoulton.htm

South Pickenham in Norfolk

This is a link to South Pickenham in Norfolk. It also has some great pictures of the inside of the church.

http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/southpickenham/southpickenham.htm


I guess things did not work out with the Litchfield Lass. But, think about this for a minute, Tom Chute was three years older than Jane, so very near her age. They way she mentions him in the same paragraph as Mr. Tom Lefroy, and it seems, in a very melancholy state, makes me think that there had been something between Jane and Mr. Chute. She was, after all writing to Cassandra, and Cassandra would have been aware of Jane’s feelings, so she could make reference without much detail.

He went to Pembroke College, not that far of a stretch to Pemberley, is it?

I know I am way to much of a romantic when it comes to Jane Austen, but here is a picture of his house – hum - maybe Chadwick House was not so much the inspiration for Pemberley as some might think, as she would have been more likely to have visited Pickenham Hall than to have ever visited Chadwick House.

Could this be the real story of Pride and Prejudice gone very, very wrong? Since we have very little or no information before the first letter that Cassandra let us keep, we can only imagine. This could be a very sad statement, they both died unmarried, and he, owning a copy of Pride and Prejudice with his name written in it, showing that he intended to keep it

And her, with the notion of a man who was wrong, but willing to change for the love he has for a woman. – Sigh…