Letter #10, Post #9

Monday 30 April 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Your letter was chaperoned here by one from Mrs. Cooke, in which she says that Battleridge is not to come out before January; & she is so little satisfied with Cawthorn's dilatoriness that she never means to employ him again." - Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 october 1798.

Mrs. Cooke was Cassandra Leigh Cooke, Mrs. George Austen, Jane's mother's, cousin. She was the author in the family before Jane Austen. She wrote Battleridge, an historical tale founded on facts. By a lady of quality.


It can still be bought on Amazon new and used.


http://www.amazon.com/Battleridge-historical-founded-volumes-quality/dp/1170654142

Mr. Cawthorn, of Cawthorn & Hutt, 24 Cockspur Street, London, was the publisher. The book came out in 1799.

Here is a link to a Public Overview screen by the Orlando Project by Cambridge University Press.

http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=cookc2

This brings to mind that Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility was published under the authorship of A Lady. I wonder if she was influenced?

I hope you had a good day today!
Terrie

Letter 10, Post #8

Monday 30 April 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "-Almost every thing [p. 3] was unpacked & put away last night;-Nanny chose to do it, & I was not sorry to be busy.-I have unpacked the Gloves & placed yours in your drawer.-Their colour is light & pretty, & I beleive exactly what we fixed on.-" - Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 October 1798

Somehow, I just cannot see Caroline Bingley, Mary Crawford, or even Emma helping the maidservant put their clothes away. Of course, Emma never went anywhere, so she would have been saved from this task.

                           Kelly Reilly as Caroline Bingley, Pride and Prejudice, 2005

                            Haley Atwell as Mary Crawford, Mansfield Park, 2007

I hope you have a good day today,
Terrie

Letter #10, Post #7

Thursday 26 April 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "-I am very grand indeed;-I had the dignity of dropping out my mother's Laudanum last night, I carry about the keys of the Wine & Closet; & twice since I began this letter, have had orders to give in the Kitchen: Our dinner was very good yesterday, & the Chicken boiled perfectly tender; therefore I shall not be obliged to dismiss Nanny on that account." - Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 October 1798

With Jane's mother ill and Cassandra at Godmersham she would be the mistress of the house. It sounds like she was stepping up to the task.

Nanny was Anne 'Nanny' Littleworth. The notes in the back of Jane Austen's Letters by Deirdre Le Faye says she was "(perhaps the cook or the dairymaid), her husband, John was coachman to James Austen, and JA was godmother to their eldest daughter Eliza-Jane."

The family is mentioned as Littlewart in Jane Austen, Her Homes and Her Friends, by Constance Hill

"Presently we learn that our informant's grandfather, whose name was Littlewart, was coachman to Mr. James Austen, Jane's eldest brother. [Page 9] 

" I used to hear a deal about the Austens when I was a lad," continued our friend. "from my

SIGHT OF THE OLD PARSONAGE, STEVENTON

mother, for she was a god-daughter o' Miss Jane's. People tell me now that Miss Jane wrote some fine stories, and I've just seen her name in [Page 10] a newspaper. I'll go and fetch the paper for you to see." And the old man hurries into his cottage.

Whilst he is away I refer to a volume of Jane Austen's Letters which I carry under my arm, to see if, by chance, the name of Littlewart occurs in any of them. Yes! here it is in one dated November 1798. Jane is writing from Steventon to a sister-in-law, and after telling her that "their family affairs are somewhat deranged" owing to illness among the servants, she goes on to say "You and Edward will be amused, I think, when you know that Nanny Littlewart dresses my hair." It was evidently this Nanny Littlewart's daughter that was godchild to Jane Austen. So we have been actually talking to the son of her god-daughter!"

I hope you had a good day today!

Terrie

Letter #10, Post #6

Tuesday 24 April 2012
"To Cassandra, from Steventon, "While my Mother & Mr Lyford were together, I went to Mrs Ryders, & bought what I intended to buy, but not in much perfection.-There were no narrow Braces for Children, & scarcely any netting silk; but Miss Wood as usual is going to Town very soon, & will lay in a fresh stock.-I gave 2s/3d a yard for my flannel, & I fancy it is not very good; but it is so disgraceful & contemptible an article in itself, that its' being comparatively good or bad is of little importance. I bought some Japan Ink likewise, & next week shall begin my operations on my hat, on which You know my principal hopes of happiness depend."-Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 October 1798

Braces for Children threw me, but thanks to the World Wide Web I now know that the term braces is the British term for what we Americans call suspenders, ;) pretty cool. I wonder who she wanted to buy the braces for.

In my research I discovered that braces come in different widths and materials. Who knew? Here is a link to a website that sells them. I found it interesting.

http://www.suspendersformen.com/

                                 This brace is made from handwoven silk.

Japan Ink is a high quality black ink that remains shiny when it dries. I hope she was happy with her hat as so much was depended upon it.

And, I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Letter #10, Post #5

Monday 23 April 2012
to Cassandra, from Steventon, "We met with no adventures at all in our Journey yesterday except that our Trunk had once nearly slipt off, & we were obliged to stop at Hartley to have our wheels greazed." - Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 October 1798

Hartley Wintney is 9.5 miles or 15 kilometers west of Basingstoke.

Author Adelle Bradford posted this picture and wrote the following about Harley Wintney:

“The present community of Hartley Wintney was built around the London-Exeter coach road (now the A30) in the 18th Century.  The part timbered building in the photograph is one of several coaching inns in the village from that period. It is called the Lamb Hotel, and I managed to reside there for a few days.

“The name recorded in the 13th century as Hertleye Wynteneye means ‘the clearing in the forest where the deer graze by Winta's island’. Winta was probably a Saxon who held an island in the marshes of the Hart valley where a priory of Cistercian nuns was founded in 1190. One of Hartley Wintney's best known features are the Mildmay Oaks. These were planted by Lady St John Mildmay in response to the call, in 1807, by Admiral Collingwood following the Battle of Trafalgar for landowners to plant Oaks to provide timber for Naval ships.”

                     A photograph of Hartley Wintney in 1904.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Queen Victoria

This is so very cool! They have started a website about Queen Victoria for her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Please take time to check it out. I love Queen Victoria. She still influences us today.

http://www.queen-victorias-scrapbook.org/index.html

                                A painting of Queen Victoria as a young girl. Painted by Richard Westall in 1830.

Enjoy your day!
Terrie

Letter #10, Post #4

Saturday 21 April 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, [p. 2] James seems to have taken to his old Trick of coming to Steventon inspite of Mary's reproaches, for he was here before Breakfast, & is now paying us a second visit.-Mary is quite well he says, & uncommonly large;- they were to have dined here to day, but the weather is too bad. I have had the pleasure of hearing that Martha is with them; -James fetched her from Ibthrop on Thursday, & she will stay with them till she removes to Kintbury.-" - Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 October 1798

James Austen, Jane Austen's eldest brother, married Mary Lloyd as his second wife, on 17 January 1797. Mary was, at this time, eight months pregnant with their son, James-Edward Austen who was born at Deane on 17 November 1798.

On 30 December 1796, the Austen's cousin, Eliza de Feuillide, wrote to a mutual cousin, Philadelphia Walter, this description of Mary, then Lloyd, also then commonly spelled Floyd:

"Has Cassandra informed You of the Wedding which is soon to take place in the family? James has chosen a second Wife in the person of Miss Mary Floyd who is not either rich or handsome, but very sensible & good humoured- you have perhaps heard of the family for they occupied my Uncle's house at Dean six or seven years since, and the eldest Sister is married to Mr. Fulwar Fowle who is Brother to Cassandra's intended; Jane seems much pleased with the match, and it is natural she should having long known & liked the Lady."

James had asked Eliza to marry him before he married Mary. It is said she refused him because he was a clergyman, (sound like Mary Crawford?). In fact, she wrote to her cousin, Philadelphia Walter on 13 December 1796, "... -Lord S's card has this moment been brought me which I think very ominous considering I was talking of Matrimony, but it does not signify, I shall certainly escape both Peer & Parson." Parson meaning James.

Martha Lloyd was Mary's sister. She lived at Chawton with Mrs. Austen, Cassandra and Jane after her mother died.

It is 4.82 miles or 7.75 Kilometers from Deane to Steventon, so it was not too far for James to travel to visit Steventon; with Martha at Deane he probably felt a little freedom.

                                            Ibthrop

                                   Deane Manor

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Letter #10, Post #3

Thursday 19 April 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Lyford has promised to call, in the course of a few days, & then they will settle about the Dandelion Tea;-the receipts for which were shewn him at Basingstoke, & he approved of them highly; they will only require some slight alteration to be better adapted to my Mother's Constitution." - Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 october 1798

This is a link to information about dandelion tea and it's health benefits. It seems like Mrs. Austen was having stomach problems. Jane Austen mentions bile as part of the problem.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dandelion-tea.html

Dandelion is a flowering herb, which is commonly grown in the gardens. Its botanical name is Taxacum officinale. Dandelion is known by several other names as well. Some of them are blow ball, canker wort, pissabed, wild endive and swine snout. During the spring season, the leaves and roots of dandelion produces a substance called mannitol. It finds use in the treatment of high blood pressure and various cardiac problems. This is why, dandelion is often prescribed by the herbalists to restore the normal healthy state. There are several other benefits of dandelion. They are described in the paragraph 'dandelion tea benefits' in this article. You may derive all the dandelion health benefits by drinking a cup of dandelion tea once a day. Let's find out how to make dandelion tea at home.

Dandelion Tea Recipe
You can use flowers, green leaves, and even roots of dandelion to make tea. The dandelion tea recipe remains the same for any part of the plant. The choice is completely yours. Whichever plant part you choose, make sure that you wash it thoroughly with water. It should be completely free from dust and dirt. Suppose, you select to use green leaves of dandelion to make tea, you may pick fresh leaves and either use them right away or store them packed in a plastic bag in a refrigerator for a day or two. Take a cup of water in a bowl. Heat the bowl till the water starts boiling. Put off the heat supply. Put the dandelion leaves into it and allow steeping for about 20 minutes. Filter the water out in a cup and add sugar or honey according to your taste. Mix the ingredients well. The dandelion tea has been prepared and is ready to be drinking. Read ondandelion root benefits.

Dandelion Tea Benefits
There are innumerable benefits of dandelion tea. Some of the dandelion tea health benefits are mentioned as under. Here are some dandelion tea benefits.

• Aids in weight loss
• Rejuvenates your mind and body
• Detoxifies your body
• Boosts digestive system
• Promotes the functioning of the excretory system
• Acts as a blood purifier
• Reduces the potassium loss from the body
• Relieves retention of water
• Relieves bloating
• Reduces inflammation of body parts like gallbladder and bile duct
• Helps in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism
• Reduces high cholesterol
• Contains antioxidants which prevents your body from the ill-effects of free radicals
• Maintains health of patients of type-1 and type-2 diabetes
• Improves skin complexion

Dandelion Tea Side Effects
Generally, dandelion is considered safe for usage. But, it may not be recommendable to many people. To exemplify a few, people suffering from bile duct obstruction problem should not take dandelion tea as it increases the flow of bile. Secondly, people with closure of the biliary ducts and other similar ailments should not take dandelion tea. Thirdly, people taking lithium-based medicines should not consume dandelion tea. This is because, it may aggravate the side effects of lithium. Fourthly, dandelion tea may hinder with the functioning of diuretics and antihypertensive medications.

Dandelion tea has numerous health benefits. It may also cause certain side effects under certain circumstances. If you wish to obtain all the dandelion tea health benefits without affecting yourself with its negative effects, you should take it with an expert's agreement. Visit a herbalist and discuss your medical state with respect to dandelion tea consumption. If he gives you a green signal, take dandelion tea on a regular basis.

By Kalpana Kumari
Published: 5/5/2010

                                 A cup of dandelion tea.

                                     Just Pretty!


I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Letter #10, Post #2

Wednesday 18 April 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "-James called on us just as we were going to Tea, & my mother was well enough to talk very chearfully to him, before she went to Bed.-" - Jane Austen, Saturday 27-Sunday 28 October 1798

                  Such a cute tea time sampler from the Sampler Girl!

http://www.thesamplergirl.com/catalog.php?item=275

I hope you had a good day today.
Terrie

Letter #10, Post #1

Tuesday 17 April 2012
There is a letter missing dated Thursday 25 October 1798
Letter number ten was written Saturday 27-Sunday 28 October 1798
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "My dear Cassandra, Your letter was a most agreable surprize to me to day, & I have taken a long sheet of paper to shew my Gratitude. We arrived here yesterday between 4 & 5, but I cannot send you quite so triumphant an account of our last day's Journey as the first & second.-Soon after I had finished my letter from Staines, my Mother began to suffer from the exercise & fatigue of travelling so far, & she was a good deal indisposed from that particular kind of evacuation which has generally preceded her Illnesses-. She had not a very good night at Staines, & felt a heat in her throat as we travelled yesterday morning, which seemed to fore-tell more Bile-. She bore her Journey however much better than I had expected, & at Basingstoke where we stopped more than half an hour, received much comfort from a Mess of Broth, & the sight of Mr Lyford, who recommended her to take 12 drops of Laudanum when she went to Bed, as a Composer, which she accordingly did.-It is by no means wonderful that her Journey should have produced some Kind of visitation;-I hope a few days will entirely remove it." - Jane Austen, Saturday 27 October 1798

It took three days to travel 112 miles from Godmersham to Steventon. The route we would take today is different than the route the Austen's took, but it would take us about two and a half hours.

Just for fun the walking time and distance would be 107 miles and take a day and and twelve hours. I am sure that would be without stopping.

Mr. John Lyford (1740-1829) was the surgeon of Basingstoke. His nephew, Giles-King Lyford was Surgeon-in-Ordinary at the County Hospital, Winchester. He attended Jane Austen during her last illness.

Poor Mrs. Austen. It is miserable enough to be ill at home, much less while traveling.

I hope you had a good day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #9

Monday 16 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George, Dartford, "Our route to-morrow is not determined. We have none of us much inclination for London, and if Mr Nottley will give us leave, I think we shall go to Staines through Croydon and Kingston, which will be much pleasanter than any other way; but he is decidedly for Clapham and Battersea. God bless you all!

"Yours affectionately, J. A.
     "I flatter myself that itty Dordy will not forget me at least under a week. Kiss him for me.
"Miss Austen,
"Godmersham Park,
"Faversham." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

Edward and Elizabeth's fifth child, William, was born on 10 October 1798, so I think this would have been the occasion for this trip and the reason Cassandra stayed behind to help.

Their children to this point were Frances-Catherine (Fanny) born 23 January 1793; so she would have been five years old. Edward, who was born 10 May 1794 and would have been four years old. George-Thomas, born 22 November 1795,  and would have been almost three. Their fourth child was Henry, born on 27 May 1797 and would have been a year and five months.

Itty Dordy could have referred to any one of the boys or it could have been an attempt at a name for baby William by one of the other children. I don't know, but it is cute.

I love this painting, The Oddie Children; it was painted by William Beechey (1753-1839) in 1789.
It is from Bumble Button's blog.
http://bumblebutton.blogspot.com/

Mr. Nottley must have been giving the Austen's his advise on the best way to return home. Being the landlord of the Bull and George, he was probably an amiable sort of man who liked to talk. Reverend Austen also seemed like an amiable person (I always think of Mr. Bennett when I think of him) and it sounds like they might have had quite a conversation.

So, we finished Letter number nine today. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you had a good day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #8

Sunday 15 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George, Dartford, "My father is now reading the 'Midnight Bell', which he has got from the library, and mother sitting by the fire." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

What a picture; to the romantic this seems like bliss.

The Midnight Bell, A German Story Founded on Incidents in Real Life, by Francis Lathom. It was a Gothic novel published in 1798, so it was a new release. Francis Lathom was born 14 July 1774, so he was just a year and half older than Jane Austen. This is a link to information about him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Lathom

He wrote quite a few novels, but Midnight Bell is still famous because Jane Austen listed it among the horrid novels in Northanger Abbey in a conversation between Catherine and Isabella:

“Dear creature! How much I am obliged to you; and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of the same kind for you.”

“Have you, indeed! How glad I am! What are they all?”

“I will read you their names directly; here they are, in my pocketbook. Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest, Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries. Those will last us some time.”

“Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid?”

“Yes, quite sure; for a particular friend of mine, a Miss Andrews, a sweet girl, one of the sweetest creatures in the world, has read every one of them. I wish you knew Miss Andrews, you would be delighted with her. She is netting herself the sweetest cloak you can conceive. I think her as beautiful as an angel, and I am so vexed with the men for not admiring her! I scold them all amazingly about it.” - Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, Chapter Six.

It would be fun to read the Northanger Abbey horrid gothic novels sometime, yeh, when I retire ;)

I hope you enjoyed your day today!

Terrie

Letter #9, Post #7

Saturday 14 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George, Dartford, "My day's journey has been pleasanter in every respect than I expected. I have been very little crowded and by no means unhappy. Your watchfulness with regard to the weather on our accounts was very kind and very effectual. We had one heavy shower on leaving Sittingbourne, but afterwards the clouds cleared away, and we had a very bright chrystal afternoon." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

She was having a very pleasant trip with her parents. So, sweet!

                       I could not resist!

 I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #6

Friday 13 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George, Dartford, "I should have begun my letter soon after our arrival but for a little adventure which prevented me. After we had been here a quarter of an hour it was discovered that my writing and dressing boxes had been by accident put into a chaise which was just packing off as we came in, and were driven away towards Gravesend in their way to the West Indies. No part of my property could have been such a prize before, for in my writing-box was all my worldly wealth, 7L., and my dear Harry's deputation. Mr Nottley immediately despatched a man and horse after the chaise, and in half an hour's time I had the pleasure of being as rich as ever; they were got about two or three miles off." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

                   Jane Austen's writing box. Photo British Museum.

An interesting link about Jane Austen's writing desk:
http://multimediacommons.blogspot.com/2010/08/austens-portable-writing-desk.html

Anyone ever loose their luggage at the airport? It was probably not remedied this easily.

Mr. Nottley was the landlord of the Bull and George in Dartford.

Harry was Harry Digweed (1771-1848). He was joint tenant with his brother, William-Francis (1776), of Steventon manor-house. So, they rented Steventon manor-house from Edward Austen Knight.

The deputation was a paper from Edward giving Harry Digweed the right to shoot game on Steventon land.

In Persuasion, chapter three, Jane Austen mentions a deputation:

     "Mr. Shepherd hastened to assure him, that Admiral Croft was a very hale, hearty, well-looking man, a little weather-beaten, to be sure, but not much, and quite the gentleman in all his notions and behaviour; not likely to make the smallest difficulty about terms, only wanted a comfortable home, and to get into it as soon as possible; knew he must pay for this convenience; knew what rent a ready-furnished house of that consequence might fetch; should not have been surprised if Sir Walter had asked more; had inquired about the manor; would be glad of deputation, certainly, but made no great point of it; said he sometimes took out a gun, but never killed; quite the gentleman."


I hope you have a good day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #5

Wednesday 11 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George, Dartford, "We sate down to dinner a little after five, and had some beef-steaks and a boiled fowl, but no oyster sauce." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

I have just been reading the ending of Pride and Prejudice looking for a scene in which Mr. Darcy is having dinner with the Bennett's for the first time after he and Elizabeth become engaged. Mrs. Bennett has served five or six sauces with dinner in an attempt to impress Mr. Darcy. He thinks to himself it is odd to serve five or six sauces, but eats them anyway. I did not find this scene in the book. I was sure it was in the book. I think this must mean I have seen and read too many adaptations; maybe they are all blending together. Maybe I need a sunny spot on a beach with time to read the entire Pride and Prejudice book instead of trying to just use it as a reference guide. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

Does anyone else recall a scene like this? If you do, do you remember which P & P adaption it is related to? Anyone?

Bumble Button posted some beautiful pictures of roses yesterday.
http://bumblebutton.blogspot.com/2012/04/roses-for-your-atc-scrap-booking-and.html

I hope you enjoy your day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #4

Tuesday 10 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George, Dartford, "We have got apartments up two pair of stairs, as we could not be otherwise accommodated with a sitting-room and bed-chambers on the same floor, which we wished to be. We have one double-bedded and one single-bedded room; in the former my mother and I are to sleep. I shall leave you to guess who is to occupy the other." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

Just to hold down the suspense I will tell you her father, Reverend George Austen, is to occupy the other room ;).

There is not too much to say about this passage. It is pretty self-explanatory.

Have you been on the Jane Austen Centre in Bath's website? They offer some fun stuff.

http://www.janeausten.co.uk/the-jane-austen-centre/film-of-the-centre/

I hope you have a great day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #3

Monday 9 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George in Dartford, "It wanted five minutes of twelve when we left Sittingbourne, from whence we had a famous pair of horses, which took us to Rochester in an hour and a quarter; the post boy seemed determined to show my mother that Kentish drivers were not always tedious, and really drove as fast as Cax. Our next stage was not quite so expeditiously performed; the road was heavy and our horses very indifferent. However, we were in such good time, and my mother bore her journey so well, that expedition was of little importance to us; and as it was, we were very little more than two hours and a half coming hither, and it was scarcely past four when we stopped at the inn. My mother took some of her bitters at Ospringe, and some more at Rochester, and she ate some bread several times." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

This is a great opportunity to take a look at the travel times in Jane Austen's time.

If they left Sittingbourne at almost noon and arrived at Rochester at 1:15, seventy-five minutes, and the distance between Sittingbourne and Rochester is 11 miles or 17.7 Kilometers, they traveled 6.81 miles an hour and were very happy with the progress.

According to the distance calculator traveling at 50 miles an hour by car it would take you thirteen minutes to get there today. As you can see in the image below the entire day's trip of 45 miles would take an hour and thirty-eight minutes. But, do we stop to smell the roses? Perhaps we can smell them when we get there.

The only thing I can find that might be a meaning for cax is a reference in dictionary.com for William Caxton (1422 to 1491) who printed and published the first book in English (1475) and established the first printing press in 1477. I suppose going from hand copying everything to a printing press would have seemed pretty fast. So, maybe this is the possible reference.

It is very sweet how she kept trying to encourage the Godmersham people that her mother was doing well.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone,

                           What more needs to be said?

Enjoy your day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #2

Friday 6 April 2012
To Cassandra, from the Bull and George in Dartford, "You have already heard from Daniel, I conclude, in what excellent time we reached and quitted Sittingbourne, and how very well my mother bore her journey thither. I am now able to send you a continuation of the same good account of her. She was very little fatigued on her arrival at this place, has been refreshed by a comfortable dinner, and now seems quite stout." - Jane Austen, Wednesday 24 October 1798

Mrs. Austen must have taken ill while she was at Godmersham.

In the notes at the back of the book, Jane Austen's Letters by Deirdre Le Faye, say Daniel was the Godmersham coachman. He would have taken the Austen's to Sittingbourne in Edward Austen Knight's carriage. He is possibly the Daniel Boys who was buried at Godmersham on 22 December 1835 at the age of 73.

I found a link to WikiTree with a family tree listing to Daniel Boys.
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Boys-209

I believe this would be the same Daniel Boys because of his location, Godmersham, and his death being listed in December 1835.

So, Daniel Boys was born 17 January 1764 in Godmersham. His father was Nicholas Boys and his mother, Sarah Oliver. He had two sisters Elizabeth and Sarah. He married Mary Ann Day and they had a son named William in about 1806. Their son was born in Godmersham.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Letter #9, Post #1

Thursday 5 April 2012
To Cassandra, from 'Bull and George', Dartford, Wednesday 24 October 1798,
"My dear Cassandra"

I stopped at this point because, although, this letter covers one occasion, a trip Jane was making with her mother and father from Godmersham Park to Steventon, there are a great many interesting topics mentioned. I think we should take them one bite at a time and savor each morsel.

Okay, Jane was writing to Cassandra, so Cassandra had stayed behind at Godmersham with Edward and Elizabeth, who had moved from Rowling to Godmersham in 1797.

Mr. and Mrs. Austen and Jane stopped at a the Bull and George in Dartford for the night and this is where Jane was writing from.

Bull and George 46 High Street Dartford, England

Isn't this a great picture? For some reason I am always amazed by the clarity of old photographs. (Probably doesn't say much for family photography skills! Ha)

The Bull and George closed down in 1972 and was demolished in 1981. Pretty awesome it lasted until 1972. From what I can gather, now it's a Boots the Chemist, a pharmacy chain.

Oh, well...

I hope you enjoyed your day today!

Terrie