Letter #5, Post #6

Sunday 29 January 2012
To Cassandra, from Rowling, "Henry went away on friday as he purposed without fayl-; You will hear from him soon I imagine, as he talked of writing to Steventon shortly." - Jane Austen, Monday 5 September 1796

Henry-Thomas Austen, the fourth child born to George and Cassandra Leigh Austen on 8 June 1771.

You have to love Henry. He was obviously smart; he was a scholar and Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford by the time he was nineteen and had a Master's degree by twenty-five.

He was not afraid to try different things, or schemes, he started as a Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire Militia in 1793 and became Captain and Adjutant in 1797; he was an army agent and banker from 1801, the Receiver-General for Oxfordshire 1813; went bankrupt in 1816; took Holy Orders and became curate of Chawton 1816, chaplain to the British Embassy in Berlin 1818; Domestic Chaplain to HRH the Duke of Cumberland and also Domestic Chaplain to the Earl of Morley 1820; rector of Steventon 1820-1822; curate of Farnham in Surrey 1822 to 1827 and Master of the Grammer School there from 1823 to 1827; he was perpetual curate of Bentley, Hants 1824 to 1839. He then lived in Colchester, Essex and Tunbridge Wells.

He won fair cousin Eliza de Feuillide's hand when older brother James could not. They were married 31 December 1797. She passed away 25 April 1813. Henry buried her with her mother and her son from her first marriage in Hampstead, NW.

His second marriage was to Eleanor Jackson on 11 April 1820. Sadly, he had no children by either marriage.

Henry was instrumental in getting Jane's novels published and was the first to provide biographical information about her in the form of the introduction in the front of Northanger Abby and Persuasion.

It is said Henry was Jane's favorite brother.

He died 12 March 1850 and is buried at Tunbridge Wells at the age of seventy-seven.

I hope you had a great day!
Terrie