"P. & P. is sold."

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Sunday 29 November 1812 was a pretty big day in the world of Jane Austen. I am posting this today because of time zones. In some places it will already be the 29th.

On Sunday 29 November 1812, two hundred years ago, Jane Austen wrote a letter, number 77, to her friend, Martha Lloyd. The letter starts out thanking Martha for her letter, praising Martha for her good works, going on to discuss Martha's good health, the purchase of a cloak, imparts praises towards Martha from Sally (the maidservant at Chawton Cottage). Then on to page two... a little information about Edward and his choice of bedchamer, the pleasant visit they had with Edward and Lizzy, the favourable weather, the finalization of Edward's name being changed to Knight and the need to learn to make a better K, and the mention that their next visitor was likely to be William, Edward's fourth son. On to page three... The list for a dinner party they were to have on Tuesday evening, what seems to be an answer to a question about a poem Jane Austen sent to Martha about Miss Urania Wallop's engagement to Reverend Henry Wake...

And then, inserted amongst all this, "P. & P. is sold. - Egerton gives L110 for it. - I would rather have had L150, but we could not both be pleased, & I am not at all surprised that he should not chuse to hazard so much. - Its' being sold will I hope be a great saving of Trouble to Henry, & therefore must be welcome to me. - The money is to be paid at the end of the twelvemonth. -"

Then she goes on to suggest the gift of a shawl to Miss Benn, and etc.

This is a great example of Jane Austen's wit, is it not? The most exciting news, and the news she knew would thrill Martha Lloyd the most, inserted nonchalantly on page three! like it was not foremost on her mind, just another everyday occurrence.

Martha Lloyd loved the story, even back when it was First Impressions. Of Martha Lloyd, Jane Austen jokingly wrote to Cassandra in letter number 21, dated Tuesday 11 June 1799, "I would not let Martha read First Impressions again upon any account, & am very glad that I did not leave it in your power.-She is very cunning, but I see through her design;-she means to publish it from Memory, & one more perusal must enable her to do it."

Pride and Prejudice first appeared for sale on Thursday 28 January 1813. We should all plan to do something Pride and Prejudicey on that day... have a ball, watch Pride and Prejudice all day like we do A Christmas Story and It's A Wonderful Life, dress in Regency costume, take the day and read Pride and Prejudice (just one more time, maybe in your Regency costume, aloud to your Mr. Darcy or Miss Elizabeth), or... what else can you think of? Please leave a comment.

I remember the first time I read through Jane Austen's Letters, when I came upon this sentence it surprised me, and I admit it brought a tear to my eye. Here we are two hundred years later and still enchanted by Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth...

Well done Jane... well done indeed!

I hope you enjoy your day today!
Terrie

Letter 13, Post 10

Sunday 25 November 2012

To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Mr. Lyford gratified us very much yesterday by his praises of my father's mutton, which they all think the finest that was ever ate." - Jane Austen, Saturday 1-Sunday 2 December 1798

What kind of meat is mutton anyway? Jane Austen has mentioned mutton a few times just so far in her letters... Okay, Wikipedia tells me that mutton is the meat of adult sheep. I am not an adventurous cook, so if it is not poultry, beef, pork, or fish I am not familiar with it.

It seems this sentence was started earlier in this same letter, Letter 13, Post 3,
http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2012/10/letter-13-post-3.html
in which Jane Austen wrote, "Mr Lyford was here yesterday; he came while we were at dinner, and partook of our elegant entertainment. I was not ashamed at asking him to sit down to table, for we had some pease-soup, a sparerib, and a pudding." It must have been a mutton sparerib. Some information about Mr. Lyford, the surgeon from Basingstoke attending Mrs. Austen, is on this post also.

                                            Enjoy your day today!
                                                      Terrie

Letter 13, Post 9

Saturday 17 November 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "There is no reason to suppose that Miss Morgan is dead after all." - Jane Austen, Saturday 1-Sunday 2 December 1798

This is very good news for Miss Morgan, is it not? But, I cannot find anything out about her, fiction or non-fiction. So, we will just let her be.

Instead, let's take a walk down memory lane...

This video was made by Cornish Blue Pixie on youtube. It is one of my favorites.
I hope you enjoy it,
Terrie

Letter 13, Post 8

Friday 16 November 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "I find great comfort in my stuff gown, but I hope you do not wear yours too often. I have made myself two or three caps to wear of evenings since I came home, and they save me a world of torment as to hair-dressing, which at present gives me no trouble beyond washing and brushing, for my long hair is always plaited up out of sight, and my short hair curls well enough to want no papering. I have had it cut lately by Mr. Butler." - Jane Austen, Saturday 1-Sunday 2 December 1798

From what I understand "stuff" would be referring to the type of fabric used to make the gown, either cotton or wool. It can also be used to refer to the gowns barristers wear or wore in England.

So, I am imagining Jane Austen sitting at her writing table in the dressing-room, in her, probably wool (being that this letter was written in December) night gown, in a night cap, drinking a glass of wine, peering over the top of her spectacles, writing to Cassandra by the light of the crackling fire, all snuggly warm and comfortable, maybe fuzzy slippers?... maybe not.

By not wanting Cassandra to be wearing her stuff gown too often she was probably hoping Cassandra's life to be a bit more exciting at Godmersham than hers at Steventon at the time.

                                 The sketch of Jane Austen, her sister, Cassandra made ca. 1810.

                                 The enhanced version of the same sketch!

It looks like her hair in 1810 was much the same as she described it in this letter twelve years earlier, as would be considered the style of the day.

Mr. Butler was Mr. Richard Butler, hairdresser from Basingstoke.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

We have received an invitation to the Darcy/Bingley wedding!

We have been invited to the wedding of the centuries! Two centuries to be exact! Pride and Prejudice was first released on January 28, 1813 and we still delight in the romance and sweetness of the story.

Let's join the fun, shall we!

Hmm, what shall I wear? If I sit on the groom's side I should dress quite formal... Perhaps I would feel more comfortable on the bride's side... I feel I know them all so well...

I hope I see you there!

Love,

Terrie

Letter 13, Post 7

Sunday 11 November 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Who is Miss Maria Montresor going to marry, and what is to become of Miss Mulcaster?" - Jane Austen, Saturday 1-Sunday 2 December 1798

This reads like the opening scene for a soap opera, does it not?

Miss Maria-Lucy Montresor of Nash Court, Kent was the sister to General Sir Henry-Tucker Montresor. She married Lt.-gen. Sir F. W. Mulcaster in September of 1801. Miss Mulcaster was his sister. So, Miss Mulcaster became Miss Maria Montresor's sister-in-law.

                                         Nash Court, Kent
I love that these beautiful, massive estates are still around. It seems as though England does a very good job of taking care of it's national treasures.

The house Tom Lefroy built in 1837, Carrigglas Manor, county Longford, Ireland, before, from this website:
http://chooseireland.com/county/longford/carrigglas-manor-house/

It is a very sad story, what has happened to Tom Lefroy's estate in Ireland. In August 2007 the Becoming Jane Fansite posted that Tom Lefroy's estate, Carrigglas, was to be sold and turned into a four star hotel. You can read about it here.
http://becomingjane.blogspot.com/2007/08/oh-no-carrigglas-is-turned-into-hotel.html

This is bad enough, but, it got worse. At the end of September this year they posted an update. If you have time take a few minutes and watch this video showing what has happened to Carrigglas.
http://becomingjane.blogspot.nl/2012/09/the-sad-fate-of-carrigglas-manor.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYDKZ33pWX8

                                         Carrigglas Manor, currently.

This is a link to another video on youtube about Carrigglas, but this one has some great views of Carrigglas as it was before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZqIJdSW1ko&feature=related

I told my husband that if we had a lot of money I would buy Carrigglas and turn it back into a bed and breakfast. He was not big on it. I have also been known to say that I would buy the swamp land Steventon sat on and rebuild it as close to the original as could be known. I suppose that is why we do not have a lot of money;)

I hope you had a good day today!
Terrie