Letter #6, Post #13

Sunday 4 March 2012
To Cassandra, from Rowling, "[p. 4] I depend on hearing from James very soon; he promised me an account of the Ball, and by this time he must have collected his Ideas enough, after the fatigue of dancing, to give me one." - Jane Austen, Thursday 15-Friday 16 September 1796

                                                    James Austen 1795

James was Jane Austen's eldest brother. He was born 13 February 1765, so he was thirty-one at this time. He was a scholar and Fellow of St John's College, Oxford, 1779. (Can that be right? He was a scholar and Fellow of St John's college, Oxford at fourteen?) Anyway, he received an MA at twenty-three in 1788.

In 1796 he was the vicar of Cubbington, War.

                                          St. Mary's in Cubbington, Warwickshire

A painting of Cubbington, Warwickshire by Dutch painter Hendrikus Van den Sande Bakhuyzen. He was born in 1795 and died in 1860, so this was painted after James was vicar here, but it is so sweet I just had to include it.

James married Anne Mathew on 27 March 1792 at Laverstoke, Hants. They had one daughter together, Jane-Anna-Elizabeth, born 15 April 1793. She was known as Anna. Anne Mathew Austen died 3 May 1795. They were only married three years.

I wonder how close James and Jane were. She was born in 1777; and he went away to college in 1779; and she spent, at least, her first year away from the family with the nurse.

I read somewhere that James' personality was more somber and stoic, humm, maybe like someone else we know, at least, until he could be taught the error of his ways... Mr. Darcy. I don't know, just a thought.

I hope you have a great day today!
Terrie