Wednesday 23 March 2011
Letter #3, To Cassandra, from Cork Street, London
"We are to be at Astley's to night, which I am glad of." - Jane Austen, Tuesday morning 23 August 1796

Astley's was Astley's Amphitheatre, an equestrian circus opened in London by Philip Astley in 1773.
This blog has a very nice page on Astley's Amphitheatre:
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/astleys-amphitheatre/

Jane Austen mentions Astley's Amphitheatre in Emma. Mr. Knightly is discussing with Emma the fact that Mr. Martin and Harriet Smith are now engaged and he gives these details:

"'It is a very simple story. He went to town on business three days ago, and I got him to take charge of some papers which I was wanting to send to John.- He delivered these papers to John, at his chambers, and was asked by him to join their party the same evening to Astley's. They were going to take the two eldest boys to Astley's. The party was to be our brother and sister, Henry, John - and Miss Smith. My friend Robert could not resist..." Emma, chapter 54

Astley's Amphithreatre

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Letter #3, To Cassandra, From Cork Street, London

"Edward & Frank are both gone out to seek their fortunes; the latter is to return soon & help us seek ours. The former we shall never see again." - Jane Austen, Tuesday morning 23 August 1796

Edward must have been going on without them, perhaps on to Rowling.

It sound as though there is someone there with her, but I do not know who that would be. There is a letter or letters missing in between this one and the next. The fourth letter is written from Rowling, so there is no clue.

Edward Austen Knight (7 December 1767 to 19 November 1852), third in line. He was adopted by Thomas Knight II in 1783. Thomas Knight was a distant cousin to the Austens. Mr. Knight and his wife did not have children. At the time of this writing Edward would have been twenty-eight years old. He was married to Elizabeth Bridges on 27 December 1791. They had eleven children; but at the time of this writing only Fanny-Catherine (1793), Edward (1794), and George-Thomas (1795) were born. They lived at Rowling, Kent which was this groups destination.

Francis-William 'Frank' Austen (23 April 1774 to 10 August 1865), the sixth child. He would have been twenty-two at the writing of this letter. He was not yet married, but he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. I believe he was serving on the HMS Lark in 1796.

This story makes me happy! Click on this link:
http://www.janeaustensoci.freeuk.com/pages/portrait.htm

Edward Austen Knight's life size portrait, thought to be done in Rome in 1788

It seems appropriate that Edward is back at Chawton.

Monday 21 March 2011

Letter #3, To Cassandra, From Cork Street, London

"We set off again this morning at seven o'clock & had a very pleasant Drive, as the morning was cloudy & perfectly cool - I came all the way in the Chaise from Hertford Bridge. -" - Jane Austen, Tuesday 23 August 1796, Tuesday morning

A chaise as described in the Encyclopedia Britannica
post chaise, four-wheeled, closed carriage, containing one seat for two or three passengers, that was popular in 18th-century England. The body was of the coupé type, appearing as if the front had been cut away. Because the driver rode one of the horses, it was possible to have windows in front as well as at the sides. At the post chaise’s front end, in place of the coach box, was a luggage platform. The carriage was built for long-distance travel, and so horses were changed at intervals at posts (stations).


In England, public post chaises were painted yellow and could be hired, along with the driver and two horses, for about a shilling a mile. The post chaise is descended from the 17th-century two-wheeled French chaise.

She refers to Hertford Bridge here. As far as I can tell she must have meant Hartford Bridge. There is a Hertford Bridge at Oxford College but it was not completed until 1914, so she could not have been referring to this one. There is also a Hertford, England but the distance between Hertford and London is 26.9 to 31.1 miles. It would add another day or two to their journey to go from Staines to Hertford and then Hertford to London, so it cannot be Hertford, England. This leaves only Hartford Bridge, which is 10 miles NW of Basingstoke on the route to Staines. The post station at Hartford Bridge was called the White Lion Inn. Today it is an antique store, but they have taken care to preserve the original features.

Here is a link:
http://www.whitelionantiques.co.uk/


White Lion Antiques which in Jane Austen's time was the White Lion Inn. She would have stopped here on her way to Basingstoke and then on to Staines.

Sunday 20 March 2011
Letter #3, To Cassandra, From Cork Street, London, Tuesday 23 August 1796

"We reached Staines yesterday I donot [know omitted] when, without suffering so much from the Heat as I had hoped to do." - Jane Austen, Tuesday 23 August 1796

This is a description of Staines according to the Encyclopedia Britannica;
Staines, town in Spelthorne borough, administrative county of Surrey, historic county of Middlesex, England, on the left bank of the River Thames. A residential community on the western fringe of Greater London, Staines marks a crossing of the Thames used since Roman times by the major road from London to the southwest of Britain. Nearby are large reservoirs where Thames water is pumped, purified, and stored for London’s Metropolitan Water Board. Pop. (2001) 50,538.

The coaching inn at Staines in Jane Austen's time was The Bush. It remains today.



Jane Austen slept here, more than once. The Mercure Bush Hotel, Staines, England. This is just beautiful!
http://www.aboutbritain.com/hotels/hotel1930.asp

Staines Town Hall Square

Staines old town hall from the back

The following link is to a site with some very pretty pictures of Staines going to Windsor

http://www.thames-path.org.uk/thames_staines_windsor.html

It is 9 miles from Steventon to Basingstoke and 39.6 to 50.3 to Staines depending on which current day route you take.

In 1784 a mail stagecoach went 120 miles from London to Bristol in 17 hours, so, 17 x 60 = 1020, divide that by 120 miles and you get 8.5 miles an hour.

So, let's just say the trip from Steventon to Staines was 50 miles, at 8.5 miles an hour it would take almost six hours to get to Staines. This is probably a fast estimation, with the roads, horses and condition of the coaches maybe seven or eight hours? I am guessing.

What a difference to travel approximately 50 miles a day in Jane Austen's time and now. Well, I am quite sure we have missed a few flowers along the way.

Friday 18 March 2011
Letter #3, To Cassandra, From Cork Street, London
Tuesday 23 August 1796
"My dear Cassandra
Here I am once more in this Scene of Dissipation & vice, and I begin already to find my Morals corrupted. -" - Jane Austen, Tuesday 23 August 1796

Just a few words and so much to consider:
First, the address, Cork Street; Tom Lefroy's great-uncle, Benjamin Langlois lived on Cork Street. It is possible that the Austen's would have received an offer to stay with Mr. Langlois because of their family friendship with their neighbors, George and Anne Lefroy. Mr. George Lefroy was Mr. Langlois's nephew.

Tom Lefroy stayed with Mr. Langlois while he was pursuing his legal studies at Lincoln's Inn, London. I know people like to think that Jane and Tom saw each other during this time, but, according to Joan Klingel Ray in her essay, The One-Sided Romance of Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy, "Trinity term ended on June 15th and the next term, Michaelmas, would not start until November 6th. Irish students normally returned home to Ireland during the long break (Hutchings, 11 April 2006)." So, most likely, he was not there. Coupled with the fact that it was an over-night stay (they would be in Rowling by Thursday) and she was traveling with Edward and Frank and soon to catch-up with Henry, I do not believe her older brothers would take her into a situation that might possibly break her heart or even let her think that he would be there. I am sure they would know when the sessions would be in. So, no, I do not believe he was there and I am glad of it; less hurt for her. He had his chance and he blew it.
I will say, from the description of his character and from what he actually accomplished in his life, for Jane Austen to be writing through her tears at his leaving, she had a great ability to know a good man. Hence: Henry Tilney, Edward Ferrars, Mr. Darcy, Edmund Bertram, Mr. Knightly, and Captain Wentworth.

Okay, back to the address. There is a book out by Vera Quin titled Jane Austen Visits London , which is discussed in Jane Austen In Vermont. Here is a link:

http://janeausteninvermont.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/letter-no-3-scene-of-dissipation-and-vice/

In her book Vera Quin discusses Cork Street and states that Benjamin Langlois lived at 18 Cork Street. I have not been able to find an image of 18 Cork Street, (and trust me, if I lived in England I would try my darnedest to take one of my own), but I have found one of 19 and 20 Cork Street. They are both now galleries with great enterances.

http://www.browseanddarby.co.uk/default.aspx

19 Cork Street is Browse and Darby

20 Cork Street is the Redfern Gallery. The Redfern Gallery has a great history page on their site which states that the Fourth Earl of Sandwich lived at this address, a door down from Tom Lefroy's great-uncle. The Fourth Earl died in 1792 and Tom did not live on Cork Street until 1793, I believe; but, still, the Fourth Earl seemed to be quite a character. Check him out if you are interested.
http://www.redfern-gallery.com/pages/history.html

Second, she says she is "once more" in London. She has been there before and in her tone she seems happy to be there again; happy to be "in this scene of Dissipation and vice; happy to have her Morals corrupted." I am sure people who live in the country always consider the city a place to become tainted.