Letter Fourteen, Post Fifteen

Tuesday 18 March 2014
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "Miss Lyford is gone into Suffolk with her Brother & Miss Lodge-. Everybody is now very busy in making up an income for the two latter. Miss Lodge has only 800L of her own, & it is not supposed that her Father can give her much, therefore the good offices of the Neighbourhood will be highly acceptable.-John Lyford means to take pupils.-" - Jane Austen, Tuesday 18-Wednesday 19 December 1798

Miss Lyford was Mary Susannah Lyford (1772-1840) of Basingstoke. She was the sister to Reverend John Lyford (1769-12 June 1799) and Charles Lyford (1778-1859). Charles followed in his father's footsteps and became a surgeon.

Reverend John Lyford is the brother mentioned here and I believe the occasion for their leaving Basingstoke was his upcoming marriage to Miss Lodge. He and Miss Jane Lodge married 19 April 1799. Miss Lodge was the daughter of John Lodge of Great Blakenham near Ipswich, Suffolk. She had 800 pounds of her own, which seems like quite a bit for that day, but I am no expert. It seems like I read somewhere that Mr. Austen made just under 700 pounds a year with farming, teaching, and being the rector of two churches. I don't know, but it is very sweet for everyone to be busy making up an income for them.

For some reason this entry made me think of Cranford. We rented it from Netflix. It is a mini-series about a rural English village in the 1840's. It is just a very sweet story of a neighborhood-very similar to the feel of, how I imagine, Jane Austen's neighborhood would have been. If you have not seen it I would recommend it. Judi Dench is in it, need I say more?

The Ladies of Cranford

I hope you enjoy your day today!

Terrie