Miss Jane Austen... In Real Life: Letter #11, Post #12

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Letter #11, Post #12

Tuesday 10 July 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Harry St. John is in Orders, has done duty at Ashe, and performs very well. " - Jane Austen, Saturday 17-Sunday 18 November 1798

Harry must be Henry-Ellis St. John (1776-1842), the son of Reverend Ellis St. John, jr., of West Court, Finchamstead, Berks. Harry was rector of Winchfield, Hants from 1800 to 1809.

Finchampstead is a civil parish near Wokingham in Berkshire County.

West Court, Finchamstead, Berkshire. What an impressive building. It is now a military building.
This link tells some history of the house.
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/west_court.html

This is a link to an aerial view of St. Mary's Church in Winchfield, Hants. which would have been Harry's church.
http://vimeo.com/35160210

This is a stationary view of the South porch of St. Mary's

Advowson

“The advowson of the church of Winchfield followed the same descent as the manor, until the death of Lawrence Rudyerd in 1757. Instead of passing with the manor to his aunts, Frances and Mary Tichborne, it passed to his sisters Mary Lodge and Frances, wife of Nicholas Mayhew, by whom it was sold in 1767 to the Rev. Ellis St. John. It was sold by his son Henry in 1848 to Lady St. John-Mildmay, from whom it has passed to Sir Henry P. St. John-Mildmay, bart., the present patron.” This information, written in 1911, is from:
'Parishes: Winchfield', A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 109-112. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=56761 Date accessed: 10 July 2012

The definition of advowson from the freedictionary is:

Advowson – the right in English law of presenting a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice.

I wonder if this is how Mr. Collins got his job? In my opinion Lady Catherine would have chosen Mr. Collins for his lack of self-awareness and his eagerness to please. She would have certainly been able to control him.