Letter #6, Post #16

Wednesday 7 March 2012
To Cassandra, from Rowling, "As You are likely to have the Williams' and Lloyds with You next week, You would hardly find room for us then-." - Jane Austen, Thursday 15-Friday 16 September 1796

It is not clear, but maybe she is referring here to Lady Jane Cooper Williams who had arrived at Steventon on Thursday. She is the wife of Captain Sir Thomas Williams. We discussed them in Letter #6, Post #8.

http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2012/02/letter-6-post-8.html

The Lloyds were most likely Martha Craven Lloyd (1729-16 April 1805), Martha Lloyd (1765 - 1843), and Mary Lloyd (1771-1843). Mary married James Austen in 1797 and Martha married Frank Austen in 1828.

I wonder how many bedrooms the Steventon rectory had.

Okay, an hour and a half later, I found that it is practically impossible to know exactly how many bedrooms the Steventon rectory had. Catherine Austen Hubback, Frank's daughter, said the rectory had seven bedrooms and three attics, but she never saw the house. She was using Frank's memories for this information. In an interesting article in Persuasions On-line by Linda Robinson Walker, she makes an argument for four to five bedrooms. She goes into great detail about the house, who lived in it, how many servants, students, Jane Austen's childhood, etc.

http://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol26no1/walker.htm

All proof as to why there would be no room for Jane, Frank and Henry, and maybe Mary Pearson.

                                          This is just a great picture from Bumble Button's blog.

I hope you have a great day!
Terrie