Inquiring readers: Not often does news of great import come our way, such as this item unearthed from the depths of Andrew Capes’s crashed computer. His having retrieved it is nothing short of miraculous, for now he can share the rest of Charlotte Collins’ story with the world. If you found this news item as intriguing as I did, please let him know what you think of it in the comment section below! Article copyright (c) Andrew Capes.
Extract from the Hertfordshire Gazette, June 1876
Obituary Notice
Mrs Charlotte Collins of Longbourn Hall
We have been saddened recently to receive
notification of the death at the end of May, at
the advanced age of 92 years, of Mrs Charlotte
Collins, née Lucas, widow of the late Reverend
William Collins, of Longbourn Hall, near
Meryton. Mrs Collins is survived by her only
son, Thomas Collins, his wife Mary (née
Bennet), and her grandson, the Rt Hon. Sir
Timothy Collins PC, all of whom continue to
reside at Longbourn Hall.
Mrs Collins’s funeral at Meryton was attended
by a distinguished gathering of friends and
relations, many of whom had travelled great
distances to be present. Several members of the
extended Lucas family were there, although
Mrs Collins had outlived all her immediate
relations, and there were also representatives
and descendants of the former Bennet family,
with whom the Collinses had maintained
intimate connections for a great many years.
Among the latter were Mrs Elizabeth Darcy,
widow of the late Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy of
Pemberley in Derbyshire, and her niece, Mrs
Jane Lucas, daughter of the late Mr & Mrs
Charles Bingley of Freshfield Park in Yorkshire,
who is also the late Mrs Collins’s sister-in-law.
The occasion was graced with the presence of
Lydia, Lady Wickham, widow of Lieutenant
Colonel Sir George Wickham, Bart., late hero
of the French, American, and Affghan
campaigns. The Dowager Lady Wickham has
recently returned from India to pass her
remaining years with her son, Sir Arthur
Wickham de Bourgh, at his family home,
Rosings Park in Kent.
Charlotte Collins was born in March 1784, the
eldest of five children of Sir William and Lady
Lucas, latterly of Lucas Lodge near Meryton in
Hertfordshire. There she met and married the
Reverend William Collins, a cousin of the
Bennet sisters, in January 1812. The couple lived
at Hunsford in Kent where their son, Thomas
Collins, was born in 1813. In 1823, upon the
death of Mr Frederick Bennet, the Reverend
Mr Collins inherited Longbourn-house, an
estate of which Mrs Collins was destined to
remain mistress for over half a century.
Upon their removal to Longbourn, Mr and Mrs
Collins were pleased to allow Mr Bennet’s
widow and daughter Mary to continue to live in
the house, and to treat it as their home. Mary
had been entrusted under the terms of Mr
Bennet’s will with the care of his extensive library,
and she immediately set about this task
with the greatest diligence, continuing to
pursue improvements to the collection, chiefly
through a series of judicious acquisitions,
almost without interruption from that time
until the present day. Upon that occasion also,
Mr Collins desired that the name of the house
be changed from Longbourn-house to
Longbourn Hall, to reflect the elevated status
with which he expressed the hope that it
would, in the course of time, become
associated.
Regrettably, however, within less than a year of
the Collins family’s installation at Longbourn,
the Reverend Mr Collins sustained a minor
injury whilst engaged in clearing undergrowth
from a small wilderness beside a lawn in his
garden, the resulting wound from which most
unfortunately became infected. The rapid
progress of this infection caused him to
succumb soon afterwards, his resulting death
thus sadly depriving him of anything more than
the briefest period of enjoyment of his newly
acquired estate.
Mrs Bennet also died later that same year, and
Mrs Collins thereafter began to observe in
young Thomas the development of a strongly
studious character, carefully fostered by Miss
Mary Bennet’s solicitude towards him in her
combined role of cousin, mentor and librarian.
There gradually grew between these two
younger members of the household a firm
attachment, which eventually developed
beyond their previous cousinly affection, this
being confirmed by their marriage in 1833 and
the subsequent birth of a son, Timothy, in the
following year.
For above forty years since then, membership
of the Longbourn household underwent no
material alteration, until the recent death of
the elder Mrs Collins. This period has
nonetheless been punctuated by several notable
events associated with the family, perhaps the
most remarkable of which was the famous
Catherine (“Kitty”) Carter trial of 1862. Kitty
Carter was Mrs Mary Collins’s sister, and, in
defiance of social conventions, the elder Mrs
Collins allowed her to stay as a guest at
Longbourn Hall throughout the whole of that
protracted and scandalous affair.
The details of the case are so well known, even
today, that it would be superfluous to recount
them here; suffice it to say that the verdict
eventually obtained vindicated the faith that
both Mrs Collinses had placed in their relation,
who duly acknowledged her debt to them in an
autobiographical memoir, published later that
year, through which her name became known –
some might say, notorious – around the world.
Some nine years previously, a considerable
change had taken place at Longbourn, with the
purchase by the Great Northern Railway of
part of the estate’s farming land, for the
construction of the line through Meryton to
Ware. The substantial sum thereby realised
enabled the elder Mrs Collins to throw out a
new self-contained wing from the earlier house,
with the intention of entertaining friends and
family without interfering with the orderly
conduct of the rest of the household. The
generous nature of her year round hospitality
benefited in its turn from the improvements in
the means of travel provided by the new
railway, such that her visitors were now able to
reach Meryton from places as far afield as
Derbyshire and Yorkshire in a matter of hours,
rather than the days that had previously been
occupied in the completion of such journeys.
Mrs Collins retained few links with the Church
of England after the death of her husband,
although she did maintain friendships with
several of his former parishioners in and around
Hunsford for some time after her removal from
that part of the country. She was amused in her
later years to learn that the Rosings Estate, of
which the Hunsford rectory – where she spent
the first ten years of her married life – formed a
small part, had passed into the hands of the
nephew of her daughter-in-law, when it was
inherited by Sir Arthur Wickham de Bourgh,
Bart, upon the death of his first wife, Anne.
The concern that the elder Mrs Collins felt for
the education and welfare of her grandson, Mr
Timothy Collins, showed her to be
exceptionally solicitous on his behalf, and it
could be said with some certainty that his
successful parliamentary career, up to and
including his position in Mr Gladstone’s recent
administration, in the course of which he was
honoured with a knighthood, was the direct
result of the attention which she paid to his
upbringing. She also instilled in him the
passionate advocacy of many international
causes, foremost among which was that of
Italian unity, finding especial friendship and
fellow-feeling with the great Italian leader
Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was invited to
Longbourn Hall briefly on the occasion of his
visit to London in 1864.
Mrs Collins had always taken a great interest
not only in her own family, but also in those
both of her lifelong friend Mrs Elizabeth
Darcy, and of Mrs Darcy’s sister, the late Mrs
Jane Bingley. It was with great pleasure that she
saw her own younger brother, John Lucas,
marry Mr and Mrs Bingley’s daughter, also Jane,
in 1832, thereby sharing her own extended
family of nephews, nieces and cousins with
those of the former Bennet sisters.
Mrs Collins was widely renowned and loved for
the care she took to include all her extensive
family and friends in her regular invitations to
Longbourn, and for her careful remembrances
of birthdays and anniversaries of even the
youngest members of the family, extending to
the third and fourth generations, always with
thoughtful and appropriate gifts.
Mrs Collins travelled extensively, both in the
United Kingdom and abroad, often, especially
in her latter years, accompanied by her lifelong
friend Mrs Elizabeth Darcy. They completed
their last foreign journey together, to Italy, only
five years ago, at the height of the war in
France, which contributed not a little to the
excitements and discomforts of that journey.
Mrs Collins retained her health and her
faculties, save for gradually failing eyesight, to
the end of her long life, and many will recall the
occasion of her 90th birthday celebrations
which brought people from all over Britain, and
some from further afield, at which she herself
expressed a wish for it to be considered as, in
some measure, a way of bidding farewell to all
her many friends and relations.
The request expressed by Mrs Collins, that her
remains be removed from Meryton and
interred alongside those of her husband in the
churchyard at Hunsford, was complied with
shortly after her funeral, and a small family
gathering attended the interment ceremony as
a final farewell gesture to a well-loved and
notable figure who will be much missed, not
only here in Hertfordshire, but also much
further afield.
The Widow's Mite, 1876. Image @Morbid Anatomy
—————————————————————————————————
NOTES ON THE OBITUARY OF MRS CHARLOTTE COLLINS
AS SHOWN IN THE HERTFORDSHIRE GAZETTE, JUNE 1876
—————————————————————————————————
This Obituary Notice was discovered in the archives of the (fictional, of course) Hertfordshire Gazette, a long defunct weekly newspaper which circulated (as its title implies) mainly in Herfordshire, during the latter half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth.
The piece was deliberately written without reference to any of the many continuations of P&P, even those attributed to Jane herself. I felt that a retrospective view from 63 years on would imply a much greater leap of the imagination than a mere ‘continuation’ of the novel would require.
Most of it needs no explanation for those familiar with the novel, though there are some things which might raise a question or two. Some of these are:
What was the ‘Kitty’ Carter trial?
The details are not recorded – but there WAS a notorious murder trial in 1862 – a nurse called Catherine Wilson was tried and found guilty of multiple murders for money; she was the last woman to be publicly hanged in London – some 25,000 people attended her execution. The ‘Kitty’ Carter trial was clearly much more ‘classy’ than that, involving scandal in very high places, and a very different outcome; it probably would not have involved murder. Carter, of course, was one of Wickham’s fellow officers.
Two of the marriages are with much older women. Is this not improbable?
Uncommon, but by no means improbable. It was certainly possible for an older woman to marry a younger man. I think the Mary/Thomas marriage entirely natural; and although the Arthur Wickham/Anne de Bourgh one might be a little more unlikely, Arthur would have inherited his father’s title (which was granted only a short time before his death in action in the First Affghan Campaign of 1837-39) when he was in his mid-20s and Anne was newly independent on the death of Lady Catherine.
What was Sir Timothy Collins’s post in the Gladstone cabinet of 1871-74?
He was Chairman of the Local Government Board, a new post created by Gladstone in 1871. He must have been promoted when he was quite young. In historical fact, the post of President of the Board went to Sir James Stansfeld, but I think Sir Timothy probably edged ahead of him at the time of the vote of no confidence in Stansfeld as Civil Lord of the Admiralty in 1864. Stansfeld, incidentally, was also a great supporter of Garibaldi.
Great Northern Railway – Meryton to Ware
No such line was actually built – the railway at Ware was built in 1843 by the Great Eastern Railway. However, the Great Northern did build a line from Welwyn to Hertford in 1858 which connected with the Ware line. The Great Northern main line would have made access from Yorkshire and Derbyshire to Meryton via Hitchin or Hatfield very much easier than it had previously been from about 1851 onwards.
Respectfully submitted by Andrew Capes. Your comments are most welcome.
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That was a lot of fun! I love the old picture you found. I could well imagine a lot of this obit. coming true.
Such fun! I can well imagine that Charlotte enjoyed a long and prosperous life. You managed to work in a lot of Jane Austen characters we have come to love. So clever.
That was a lot of fun! The only one f in Afghan, though!
Affghan was commonly spelt with two ffs throughout the C19; see, for example, Alexander Allerdyce “The Close of the Affghan Campaign” in Blackwoods Magazine, November 1880. Google it – there are plenty of other examples. Glad you enjoyed the article!
Oh my word! The relationships between the various characters made my head swim; especially Wickam’s son marrying Anne de Bourgh! LOL
Brilliantly done!
Lively and lovely. I believe Jane would approve.
Would you please write more?? Reading this was so realistic and fun. Usually, I do not enjoy reading Jane Austen “spinoffs”. However, your writing is the exception. More—please.
That was such fun to read! I have to admit my heart did a flip when I saw Mrs. Darcy was widowed. I have often wondered which would predecease the other. I would like to read more by this author.
Engaging amusement! Very clever.
I started losing my way and half believed for a delicious moment that it was all true.
My goodness how well written. His attention to detail made the entire death notice totally believable. Excellent job! I truly enjoy things like this; when one loves the characters created by Jane Austen as much as I do, one is always delighted to hear news of their lives later.
This was very creative. I enjoyed it very much. I think Charlotte’s character and reputation were very detailed and helped to see the character as a real person.
The title caught my attention immediately, especially since I just entered the “Jane Austen Made Me Do It” short story contest (currently being hosted by The Republic of Pemberley) with a story entitled “Mr. Collins’s Last Supper.” It’s a totally tongue-in-cheek account of poor Mr. Collins’s early demise. Great fun to write (and read too, I trust)! As in your scenario, Mrs. Collins lives on remarkably well without him to a ripe, old age.
wonderful, a great piece of writing very enjoyable, I love that poor Mary gets a happy ending
One of the most brilliant, witty, and original continuations I have ever read.
Made my day! I too started to “lose my way” and began to believe it was all true! We must have more from the mysterious Andrew Capes [He of the Greatcoat with many capes, I assume?]
I have one carp: where are Elizabeth and Darcy’s descendants? Did Lizzie have only nieces and nephews? Who, oh, who inherited Pemberly.
None of the Darcy descendants were directly connected with Mrs Collins, and would not therefore be singled out for a mention even if they were present at her funeral. Jane Lucas, on the other hand, was her sister-in-law, and merited a mention in her own right. Snobbishness alone was responsible for the report of Lydia’s presence, since she was titled; this is fortunate for us, as we learn about the Rosings connection from it – there was no other justification for her mention: this was a small provincial newspaper and the reporter would have been somewhat in awe of such titles.
Very, very clever and thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you.
One quibble, though. I believe a knighthood is only for life. I’m pretty sure Wickham’s son could not inherrit the title.
George Wickham was created a Baronet, a hereditary title – like Sir Walter Elliot in Persuasion. Many of the Baronetcies created in the 1830s still exist today, so there could even be a Wickham de Bourg descendant with the same title (as the seventh or eighth holder) walking around in 2011. It was a very rare honour indeed for a military man, so something utterly extraordinary must have given rise to it. One day we might even find out what that was!
Interesting Obit! Very lively and entertaining.
I wonder how the Collinses continued to stay in Longbourn Hall after Mr. Collin’s untimely death, since the estate is entailed, as the Bennet sisters couldn’t inheritit from their father? Maybe its was held in trust by Charlotte for Thomas till he reached the legal age to inherit?
Vidya
When Mr Collins came into full possession of the Longbourn estate in 1823, I think he was meticulous in changing the legal status of the property and updating his will, so that most of the estate would pass as a dower to Charlotte for her lifetime if she survived him, which of course she did. Some of it may well also have been held in trust for Thomas until he reached his majority in 1834.
An entailment was only to last 3 generations and had to be renewed by the third. Mr. Bennet’s father initiated the entailment which then passed to Mr. Bennet and on to Mr. Collins who would have to reestablish the entailment. If he did not, then Longbourn would have naturally passed to his son or even a daughter if there had been one. An entailment was created purely to ensure that the estate and lands remained in the family and as a whole. There were many occurrences of property being sold or divided between siblings thus breaking up what previous generations had worked hard to preserve. And if a woman inherited, the line would die out either by her remaining childless or, if she married, it was considered that she was now a part of her husband’s line and the estate would by default have passed into another family. Even if Mr. Collins had re-entailed the estate, it would have passed to his son and been held in trust either by Mrs. Collins or an attorney, although I would assume the former.
As an aside, of course, Mary became mistress of Longbourn on Charlotte’s death, as full ownership of the estate would undoubtedly have passed to Thomas.
Thanks for the clarification, Andrew. That would explain it. I thought you’d said Wickham was knighted.
Thank you, Andrew. This obit is a pleasure….sweet Charlotte, how natural that she would have led such a life of generosity…do write more!
Poor Charlotte. That’s the saddest marriage in Austen.
Just wonderful! I wanted to believe and your writing made it so easy. I’ve read many sequals and wished I lived during that time.
Please write more.
well done!
“Regrettably, however, within less than a year of
the Collins family’s installation at Longbourn,
the Reverend Mr Collins sustained a minor
injury whilst engaged in clearing undergrowth
from a small wilderness beside a lawn in his
garden, the resulting wound from which most
unfortunately became infected. ”
-Poor Mr Collins, amusing to the end ….
This obituary was a masterful contium in the life of Charlotte Collins (nee Lucas), and fleshes her out in a very believable way.
Your account of Mr. Collins’ untimely death was masterful; as displayed by your deft use of Jane Austen’s original language from Pride and Prejudice: “Miss Bennett, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness on one side of your lawn.”
Mr. Collins will, of course, be remembered for his fawning excesses towards his benefactor, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. It seems, therefore, fitting for him to meet his end by means of his inheriting this same little “wilderness”; thus we find him hoisted on his own petard!
Thank you, Andrew.
Loved every bit of it! So believable. Please, please!! do a followup on Darcy & Lizzy! Would love to see a similar write up of their later ‘lives’.
That was fantastic! I was heartbroken when I read the late Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy! Oh, my how the heart flutters! Spasms and flutters!
I really enjoyed this piece. I love the cleverness of it all!
Very entertaining reading.
What fun it is to imagine Elizabeth and Charlotte, in their late eighties, touring Italy together! Thank you for this glimpse into their fictional future.
Ha ha! Lovely! I have a little question …
Charlotte instructed that her remains be interred with those of her husband. What were her reasons? Was this out of respect for the conventions of the time? Or perhaps warm feelings had blossomed during or after the marriage? Please enlighten us if you can.
I’m not entirely sure why she put this provision in her will – it was probably done at a late stage in her life. My guess is that she did it to show her respect for a man who had – whatever his (many) failings – managed to set her up in the position she had held for over fifty years. She may also have felt that nobody else would wish to be interred near him. Another interesting question is why Mr Collins was buried at Hunsford at all, as he had already moved away from there when he died. Perhaps they both thought of Hunsford as home, after bringing young Thomas up there for ten years. I don’t think that anything that could really be described as ‘warm feelings’ blossomed between them – Charlotte was quite clear that she was not at all romantic, so – respect for her husband, perhaps; but anything like love, affection, passion, romance, or even attachment – no.
I second everyone’s glowing reviews, a thoroughly enjoyable read! Thank you so much. I have one “doubt”, regarding the marriage of Mary Bennett and Thomas Collins, how does this work? Would Mary not be at least 17 years older than Thomas? If he were 20 she would be at least 37 years old, and as such beyond child rearing age? Also, having served as governess to Thomas, wouldn’t the match just have been considered a little too — um, well, pervy? Is this like a reverse Emma/Knightley or Fanny/Edmund?
My second question which I am surprised no one has brought up is the excellent matter of the kitty Bennett trial, ha ha! I loved this and am dying of curiosity, what did Kitty do???
Thanks so much and please do write more!
it depends on the woman but 37 isn’t impossible, though it is uncommon (my aunt just had a kid at 43), it is a lot more risky however.
Never mind! I read the notes more carefully and see these have been addressed :)
Great job!
Delightful. I am pleased to see that Charlotte was able to live a fulfilling life. A pleasant diversion during my work break. Thank you!
Bravo! I daresay this ‘spin’ which linked the subsequent lives of most of the main characters was brilliant. Your continuum of their stories was artfully woven together. On days such as this when things are not proceeding in quite the manner that I would wish, I often look at a JA DVD to relax. Today I decided to look up the Regency Period in general and came across this blog. I was absolutely delighted when I read this yarn and became quite caught up in keeping up with the newer characters’ connection to the Bennetts. This made my day.
Please give us more.
This is so HILARIOUS, and so plausible! loved it.
I enjoyed reading this so much, though I can’t imagine Charlotte being intimate with Mr. Collins frequently enough to have sired a son since she went to such extraordinary events to avoid him; as she said, between her “encouraging him to get plenty of fresh air and exercise” by spending the whole day in the garden, calling upon Lady DeBourgh, or studying in his “book room” or sitting near the front window to catch Lady Catherine driving by. She stated that that they barely spent more than 1/2 hour together, snicker snicker. I can imagine her also retiring to her little parlour regularly (“not tonight, my dear, I have a headache). On the other hand, one can speculate that Mr. Collins would, under the guise of theology, strongly urge Charlotte to be mindful of her conjugal duties. In my opinion, that possibility was the most distasteful in her rationalization of marriage to whom Lizzie referred to as “such a ridiculous man!”
Does anyone agree with me that all of the movie portrayals of Mr. Collins seem to focus on him as a kind of “randy” (for lack of a better word) man? In Austen’s novel, the main impression I get is that he’s a self-important and pretentious social climber (I like to tell myself he’s probably insecure), but in the movies, one sees him almost slavering over the females. I always wanted to believe that Charlotte knew how to handle him and that eventually he would settle down and stop acting so ridiculous, lol.
As well as his wonderfully delineated character and dialogue, Mr Collins has been given rather more of a back history by Jane than many of her other characters – especially notable is the effect of his subjection to an ‘illiterate and miserly’ father on his obsequious and clearly damaged – but not actually malicious – personality. Charlotte was clear-headed about her marriage to him, and I think this would have included her perception of it as her duty to have one (but no more than one) child by him.
Masterful! Please do another!
Extremely entertaining! It’s fun to see all the P&P characters again…after many many years, and to trace their fortunes through life. It almost seemed real to me!
Good God. Be not alarmed, madam(s), whilst I vomit….
Oh, Andrew! This is marvelous! But did Charlotte have a dark side, perchance? Always encouraging Mr. Collins to clear more land, necessitating the use of sharp tools. Then, when the inevitable injury occurred, was she a very careful, cleanly nurse? Hmmmmmmm…
An intriguing idea, though maybe a bit too far out of character! I am sure Charlotte had a dutiful, but brief, period of mourning on her husband’s death, and had no part whatever in causing or hastening it. She might have quietly relished the irony of where the injury happened, though, as Elizabeth must have told her the story of Lady Catherine’s visit and that interview…
This is simply wonderful!
Oh my god! As said by several of the viewers above, this article made my day!
I laughed my head off when I saw Mr. Collins’ death, attributing to the very same “prettyish kind of wilderness” in which Lady Catherine de Bourgh tried to scold Elizabeth into not marrying Mr. Darcy, as well as the son of George and Lydia Wickham inheriting Rosings. What irony! I wonder what Elizabeth would think of the latter event. She would definitely find it ridiculous, although she might check her smile so as not to look too disrespectful to the late Lady Catherine, lol~
One question, though, regarding Elizabeth’s offsprings not being mentioned – as you said in your comments on one fellow reader’s post, only the directly connected and the titled would be mentioned under such a circumstance. But would Mr. Darcy (or one of his sons) not be titled during the course of his life? It’s kind of hard to imagine him not leading an extremely successful career or making great contributions to the nation and thereby not being awarded a title.
And of course I’m dying to know the details of the “Kitty” trial, or maybe I should surf on web to find the real trial where your ideas came from?
I’m doing a research on regency social manners for a class on P&P I’d give for my “students” online when I came across your article. I’d like to ask if I could use this article as an after-class reading – with tributes to you, the author, of course. I’m sure my (mostly Chinese) students will find this article amusing once they had their heads straightened out for the various connections, since P&P is much loved in China as well. Anyway, many thanks to – again – making my day!
I am pleased that you laughed at my piece – the whole intention was to try to capture just a little flavour of the delight that we all get from the original books! On the question of Darcy and a title, that had occurred to me too, but in fact there were a great many very rich and influential landowning families in Britain at the time without titles. I prefer to think that Darcy was following in his father’s rather austere footsteps, and would have actually scorned the frivolity of titles, especially where they would involve being caught up in the intrigues of the Court of the (appalling, extravagant, unprincipled) Prince Regent. Maybe, later, under Victoria it might have been different; but I doubt if Darcy or Elizabeth – or their children – ever cared two hoots about anything associated with the formality of titles, and would have, politely but very very firmly, refused anything that was offered.
Please feel free to use the article in any way you like for the entertainment of your students – I would love to know whether they, too, enjoyed it, especially if it got a laugh or two from them!
Loved it, Mr. Capes, really enjoyed your work, all but ONE not so little mistake. Cannot understand how you think Mr. Darcy would die before Elizabeth. I know for a fact she lived to 93 and he made 98+, passing just a few days after he lost her. Of course both enjoyed good health and clear minds right to the end. So Charlotte’s travels were with both Darcys, not just with Elizabeth.
I have this straight from Jane Austen, who tells me you were on all other points very correct. We both wonder that you didn’t realize that such a magnificent marriage could only come to an end virtually together.
Write write write more. Loved it!
My Dearest Mr. Capes, I find that I must simply tell you what a superb telling of a great lady and her passing you have presented. As one who often puts pen to paper, I recognize the difficulty in capturing the essence of one’s personality and character, especially when one is close to the deceased as you obviously were.I should not be surprised to discover you are indeed a relative of the dear Mrs. Collins. I am most pleased the affection between Mrs. Darby and Mrs. Collins was nourished and maintained throughout their most extraordinary lives. Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Darby with all their friends and family have been a most pleasant addition to our lives and, of course, should be recognized for that contribution. Perhaps we shall meet once again upon our own passing. I do hope to visit Mrs. Darby at Pemberly soon. I deeply appreciate your writing of Mrs. Collins. Your most ardent reader, Lady Bartlett
Andrew,
You realize this fascinating obit on Lady Charlotte/Mrs. Collins has left all of us ardent Jane Austen fans LONGING for more…a novelette would be enthusiasticly welcomed. Have read all the books (finished and unfinished) as well as letters and every available re-write. Have seen every movie (even that version with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier and those awful costumes that were inaccurate to the period in an effort to make the actresses more appealing to the audience!).
Your voice and style has exceeded the talents of so many others who have attempted to capture the Austen energy. Some publisher must see this site and make you an offer you cannot refuse, or at least we can hope so…
That was a lot of fun! Thank you. My husband got a little lost in all the connections, so I enjoyed explaining it all… but he’s a Jane Austen fan, too, so we both found this extremely entertaining. I must agree with others, though, that this does cause us to want more! :O)
Thank you, Mr. Capes, for a clever and original contribution. The entirely appropriate demise of Mr. Collins was the highlight of this piece. I could just picture it and smiled at the delicious irony. I don’t doubt Charlotte’s scrupulous attention to social norms of mourning and I am not surprised to find them buried in Huntsford near his esteemed patron’s estate. “Grateful object” to the end.
Regarding the likelihood of Mr and Mrs Collins producing a child, this is not a matter for speculation: it is quite clear that Charlotte is expecting a child at the end of Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Collins writes to Mr Bennet that he is expecting ‘a young Collins olive-branch’, this being a reference to the Psalms where ‘his children shall be like olive branches round about his table’ (quotations from memory, sorry if they are not quite accurate).
I enjoyed this piece very much: so amusing, and like many others I am desperate to know what Kitty did….?!
Yes – characteristically, Mr Collins was rather muddled in his biblical reference: the olive BRANCH was the symbol of peace from ancient times; the psalm (in the King James version) which refers to children likens them to olive PLANTS around the table. But the meaning in his letter is clear enough. As regards What Kitty Did – I’m pretty sure the Prince of Wales’s involvement was hinted at – not with Kitty herself (she was in her sixties by then), but perhaps with her daughter or her husband; there was definitely more than a whiff of blackmail and scandal about the whole business. And despite the desperate efforts of everyone concerned to hush everything up, it looks as if it came out in a very, very high profile court case. Hmm, must try to find out more about it myself!
I think the version of the Psalms most familiar to those in the Anglican tradition (Jane Austen, Mr. Collins) is not the King James Bible version but the earlier translation used in the Book of Common Prayer, which would be read at morning and evening prayer every day. In Psalm 128 in the prayer book, verse 4, ‘Thy children like the olive-branches: round about thy table’. So Mr. Collins was not muddled, but accurate in his quotation of a Psalm that would be read at evening prayer on the 27th day of the month: I presume the Collinses would have had household prayers, so that even if he had no church service on the 27th this would still be read……
OOOH, Kitty and Bertie. Now there’s a thought. I can imagine her head would be totally turned if he cast an eye her daughter’s way – a crown even better than a scarlet coat!
Thanks for that elucidation of the olive branches: it was much better than mine. I’m afraid I’m not very good on Anglican prayerbooks.
Bertie of course narrowly avoided multiple scandals both before and after his marriage in 1863, so there would not be anything surprising about Kitty being somehow involved in one. But so far the details are obscure …
The Psalms in the Prayer Book are from the Great Bible of the reign of Henry VIII; Tig Lang is thus quite correct.
One small query – would Lizzie Bennet not have been known formally as Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy? Likewise Charlotte would have been Mrs William Collins, surely? This was the case in formal contexts well into my lifetime.
Yes – the formal use of the husband’s christian name in the wife’s title was current, if a little old-fashioned, even when I was young. It amused (and slightly appalled) my mother to be listed in the local newspaper among the people attending a funeral as ‘Mrs Robert Capes’ (actually, now I remember, the thing which amused her was that they got it wrong and printed her name as ‘Mrs Rupert Caper’). By the nineteenth century, I think it was usual for widows to revert to their own first names unless (as in the case of the two Mrs Collinses) there was any ambiguity. I don’t think, though, that the rules on this particular question were particularly rigid until the end of the nineteenth/early twentieth century. I could be wrong, though.
I have just read your post, and I was asking myself if this really could have happened considering the age difference for pairs such as Mary with Mr. Collins’ son, and Wickam’s son with Anne de Bourgh!!!
Otherwise, well done!
Those two age differences are great, it is true; but once you investigate real lives in the past you find many surprises which undermine the conventional assumptions. I have come across a real life example of one of my own relatives who had her first child (of two) at the age of 43, with a younger father, almost 100 years ago.
This has been a lovely read – have never been able to get P&P out of my system (and why would I?!).
I would be intrigued to know about the later years of Lady Catherine, in particular her socialising with Elizabeth and D’Arcy. It was hinted at, that she finally accepted the union – but details, details!
And of course, we all want to know about the children of that marriage.
The book Pride & Prejudice (and BBC movie with Colin Firth, NOT the later one) spurred me on to read plenty of non-fiction about the great houses, lifestyle and servants of that era.
Is it only me who feels immensely sad that many of those beautiful old houses and estates – and a more innocent way of life – has disappeared for all time?
I’m not quite in tune with this loud, mass-produced, largely uncultured new world…
I don’t think Lady Catherine could ever bring herself to accept Elizabeth unreservedly – her snobbery was too deep-seated – but she did pay her due respects at Pemberley eventually. And although Wickham of course could never go back there, Lydia did, quite often; and it can be safely assumed that Arthur often accompanied her – so that an acquaintance between him and Anne de Bourgh is not at all improbable. And once Arthur had inherited the title (at the age of 20 or thereabouts) he would have become quite eligible for the by then rather desperate Anne – possibly even to her mother, too – despite the wide age difference. Maybe the change to the title (to Wickham de Bourgh) was the price Lady Catherine extracted for her consent to the match. Maybe one day we shall learn more about that!
I shall be ever loathe to read of the death of Mr. Darcy. I do prefer Beverly Anderson’s account of the Darcy’s being together until the very end of their lives and that they would serve as hosts and companions for the widowed Mrs. Collins as they traveled abroad. Otherwise, a thoroughly entertaining piece and such a fit ending for Mr. Collins. I am disturbed that the horrible Wickham & Lydia obtained such a success as a reward for their wicked ways. How did he not gamble away everything? I am sure it must not have been a faithful marriage at all – on either part. There must be other “little Wickhams” running around trying to lay claim to his estate!
Ah, but your thoughts on Wickham would mean that ‘the good ended happily, the bad unhappily’ and, as Wilde continued, ‘that is what Fiction means’. The idea of the piece was to seem as unFiction-like as possible, so what was reported was what actually happened, not what we think ought to have … there, I’d better stop before I begin to believe in it all myself.
Mr. Wilde himself, however, is contrary in his statement as he loved a happy ending with those in triumph being discovered to be good and honorable in their very character. I do not think this can be so with Wickham as his character is proved to be quite the opposite. We must also remember that Ms. Austen wrote of the continued financial difficulties of the Wickhams due to being “two persons so extravagant in their wants, and heedless of the future” and how she and Jane would be “applied to for some little assistance towards discharging their bills” every time they changed their quarters which was frequently – especially after “the restoration of peace.” No, I must, in this instance, believe that they never amounted to anything that was desirable or honorable.
Mr Capes, I did not realize that your intention was to be as ‘unFiction-like as possible’. Now that you say so, it’s obvious. But, good thing I didn’t grasp that at once because then I’d never have read past the first three inches.
It was still fun reading, just once. I have succeeded in re-establishing my knowing that the Darcys lived in good health to their late 90s —
Don’t you like fiction?
The intention was for the story to seem unFiction-like and to give the illusion of reflecting reality. Real life has a persistent way of taking us by surprise, to places and events we did not foresee, without allowing for the ‘alternative endings’ of Fiction. But in reality it was of course all a fiction … wasn’t it?
So, it’s I again. It’s taken me a long period of time before I finally reached the end of the task of teaching P&P, and as I said I recommanded this article as a side-reading. As expected, my students were totally in the dark about the whole network of relations, and I had to point out and explain to them about the parts which I so loved. Nonetheless, it did seem that they enjoyed the joke, which is quite enough for ESL students.
And, well, maybe I’m just being obnoxious, but regarding the Darcy’s title – do I recall somewhere in my desperate readings of side articles or fanfictions or whatever it is, that the surname Darcy should actually be D’Arcy, which hints at elevated social status in previous generations?
I must confess that I knew little about the social classes in England until I took on the charge of teaching the class I told you about and started reseaching about these things. I used to think that because Mr. Darcy earned ten thousand a year and his mother was “Lady Anne Darcy”, he must be titled (maybe in disguise?), and wasn’t able to appreciated Lizzy’s assertion that “he is a gentleman and I am a gentleman’s daughter, on this ground we are equal”. Of course later I was set straight that Lady Anne Darcy was so called because she’s a daughter of an earl. But if, as hinted, that the D’Arcys were supposed to be titled, then would it not seem a slap on the royal face to whomever was the king or queen of England at the time to renounce the title? Another question though, with Lady Catherine de Bourgh as a sister, would Lady Anne be allowed to marry our hero’s father if he was not at that time titled? Not that I think the late Earl and Contess of Matlock were as unreasonable as Lady Catherine, but they do still have a daughter like Lady Catherine, which tells a bit about their parenting.
Such are my listless thoughts. Maybe the whole D’Arcy thing was just a good-natured joke – who knows. Once I even came across something about Longbourn being a gift of Queen Elizabeth I to one of her maids-in-waiting upon the latter’s marriage to a Bennet…
By the way, the discussion here is truly interesting. :)
I think you ask some very interesting questions here. I have also read the name was D’Arcy though, for the life of me, I can’t think where. Maybe in some old copies of the book. But, another question begs…if Sir William Lucas could be “elevated to a Knighthood” then why would the Darcy’s also not be so? Surely the Darcy family had far more land and money than the Lucas family. The landed gentry usually had a title bestowed upon them and most especially if they were good landlords and of a generous nature. We are assured that Mr. Darcy and his father were both such people. Hmm…a very interesting line of thought and a wonder why Jane Austen did not title him.
There were many great families of Landed Gentry in Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries who scorned peerages and titles as entirely unnecessary to their status in society. A good example were the Bankes of Kingston Lacey in Dorset – probably even wealthier than the Darcys of Pemberley – whose magnificent house was their family seat for over 300 years. The National Trust website gives a good account of its history. As for the question of the Darcy surname – it could have had a Norman origin dating back 500 years or more (i.e. 700 years back from now); but again, such families made very little of such an inheritance, and were simply concerned to pass their land on intact from generation to generation – hence the very strong tradition of primogeniture. The Darcys would, of course, have seen huge changes from the second half of the nineteenth century onwards as a result of industrialisation in Britain.
It seems to me that J. A. gives a good description of Mr. Collins as a “tall, heavy looking young man. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal.”. The complete reverse of all the Mr. Collins in the filmed versions. The directors go for the easy stereotype I suppose, although any competent actor could add the pompous demeanor.
With regard to Charlotte’s possible life with her husband, would she have felt reviled by him as everyone seems to think or would she have accepted him as a partner, helped over time to lighten his manner, enlarge his ideas as it was her first duty to look after his wellbeing? We probably all know people from other countries who had arranged marriages to partners they are less aquainted with and they often do appear to be as happy as we do who marry our own choice.
Forms of address for married ladies was always with the husbands name eg. Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy even in widowhood. The exception was for a divorce when one used their Christian name eg. Mrs. Lydia Wickham (couldn’t use Elizabeth for that example). I thought a Normas Darcy was a name associated with the Conqueror.
Oh this is delightful. I confess to relief upon reading that Mr. Collins went to his reward sooner rather than later, since Mrs. Collins was so well provided for at Longbourn.
Very surprised about some of the developments, but I did enjoy how you incorporated them and had me wishing for a sketchpad to jot down the family tree. :)
Please, please write about the Kitty Collins trial!
Marvelous! Beautifully realized, and I, too, love the means of dear Mr Collins’s demise.
Well done. I loved reading how lovely Charlotte Collins’ life turned out despite marrying an individual which has caused
some of us to cringe over, while recalling.
Just the sort of way things should have
turned out for her, including being generous,
well loved and living a long life.
Enjoyed reading how many of our favorite ‘relations’ and their descendants furthered their opportunities for advancement
and happiness within the same cozy social
circles we enjoyed in Jane Austen’s original
novel. Bravo !
[…] of scientific stuff in my life I felt so deprived of pop lit that much. Recently, I came across The Obituary of Charlotte Collins. It was an excellent travel back through time I almost forgot it was […]
[…] of scientific stuff in my life I felt so deprived of pop lit that much. Recently, I came across The Obituary of Charlotte Collins. It was an excellent travel back through time I almost forgot it was […]
Lilibet, you say that the description of Mr. Collins is completely opposite to his portrayal in any of the filmed versions. This is not so: the TRULY EXCELLENT BBC version from 1979 has a tall, heavy looking Mr. Collins with a grave and stately manner (rather undermined by their very funny accompanying music).
… and the ‘Lost in Austen’ version of Mr Collins fitted the original description pretty well, too.
The Collinses most certainly had at least one child as in his letter regarding Lydia, he mentions Charlotte’s “situation” and there is the expectation of a “young olive branch.”
Andrew,
how very clever of you, you really got me there, thought it was a discovery!!!and suddenly thought that Jane Austen must have been writing about true people and situations! I am fascinated by Pride and Prejudice and its characters have been a part of my life since I can remember. Is this a book of yours or just an article? If it is a book I would love to read it and if it is not, do please write it…tks Mariella
This is really most ‘diverting’! I loved the portrayal of Charlotte’s practical nature, especially in the 1995 BBC version of P&P.
this was fantastic! i, also, was caught up in the lives of the characters and forgot, for a wee moment, that they were not living and breathing. for me, austen’s work breathes life into the characters – she makes us forget that we are not reading about people who could be living. this obit made me feel the same way. you truly captured the essence of the characters and allowed me to believe, for a brief moment, that there was more to read and enjoy about their lives. THANK YOU!!!!!
The only drawback for fans of Jane Austin is the ‘desire to know what happened next’. Your obituary certainly holds the framework for follow up novels, and, having been written, will work its way in to my imagination as ‘fact’. Much enjoyed. Preapring a piece on P&P myself.
Cheers!
Mr Capes this is wonderful! So funny and full of delicious irony, which most who attempt P&P follow ons fail to achieve. The elevation of the Wickhams is particularly hilarious. I have often thought that someone should do for Lydia what George MacDonald Fraser did for Harry Flashman, and you seem to be the man for the task.
Yes – Lydia seems to have led an eventful life; but her fearless energy would have suited her well for it, I suspect. I think that by this very late stage of their lives, Lydia and Elizabeth might have resumed a quite friendly relationship with one another. And I am sure Lydia settled in well with the dynasty that had become established at Rosings by that time, too.
How creative! Here’s my favorite sentence: “Regrettably, however, within less than a year of the Collins family’s installation at Longbourn, the Reverend Mr Collins sustained a minor injury whilst engaged in clearing undergrowth
from a small wilderness beside a lawn in his garden, the resulting wound from which most unfortunately became infected.” Nice quoting of the “wilderness” expression Lady Catherine uses in P&P. And such a fitting ending for Mr. C. Does this mean Charlotte accidentally caused her own husband’s death by encouraging him to garden so much?
Hmmm…”Does this mean Charlotte accidentally caused her own husband’s death by encouraging him to garden so much?” Good question. In any case, I’m SURE she was heatbroken. :)
“Does this mean Charlotte accidentally caused her own husband’s death by encouraging him to garden so much?” … perish the thought! But of course, unforeseeably, at the time of his death Mr Collins had already given her everything she wanted in life: a home, a family (Mary, though adult, was already poised to take the role of adoptive daughter), a comfortable establishment, a fine house and estate, so he had in effect already become surplus to her needs. She, though, could not possibly have seen it like that – and, I am certain, would never have dreamt of doing so.
When Mary Bennet married Charlotte’s son Thomas born 1813 she would have been around 39 years old and young Mr Collins but 21. Mary had to be at least 39 as Lydia and Kitty were both younger and Lydia was around 16 when she wed. In 1812 Mary was old enough to be Thomas’s mother. I doubt Miss Austen would have been so careless.
I quite agree that a sensible author would not have put such an occurrence into a novel, as it would have diverted the reader’s attention much too far away from character and plot development. But that is quite a different matter from reporting (even fictional) real-life events. I repeat what I said earlier: that I found an example from my own family history of a relation who had her first child (whose many descendants are around today), of two, at the age of 43 – yes, that’s forty-three – almost 100 years ago. Such things really could and did happen, however much we might disapprove of them. In fact, perhaps we should re-examine the reasons for our disapproval, because few of them, I think, would stand up to rational scrutiny.
Andrew, There were a number of instances back in those days when young men married women old enough to be their mothers. It is not a far stretch to think that Jane might have observed such a relationship and would possibly have explored a similar story line had she lived long enough to write more novels.
You are perfectly correct and I apologize for my oafish behaviour, I shall have to think first in the future before dashing off such an ill thought out criticism.
Thank you Andrew, this was extreamly witty. It cheered me up immensly on a bleak rainy day!
Reblogged this on Meet Cute and commented:
For Speculative Pride & Prejudice Fans
i constantly read about Jane Austen’s life so when I saw this I just clicked on it and halfway thru I realized I reading about one of her characters. So that should tell you how believable it was to me. Amazing job Andrew! I’ll have to admit that my heard skipped a beat at the mention of Darcy’s name as well.
Sorry for the typos….I have 5 kids in the background :P
What a delightful discovery. At first I thought I was reading an orbiturary on the actress who portrayed Charlotte in the Kierra Knightly/Matthew MacFadden version of P&P but as I read on I came to realize it was a realistic sounding and creative look at the P&P characters in later life. I add my encouragement to the others above…please, please write more. And if you are published I’ll purchase it
Oh! Miss Austen and I share something in common – our birthdates – December 16!
Reblogged this on Hawthorne Cottage and commented:
If you are a lover of all things Jane Austen, as I am, then you will surely appreciate this post from the Jane Austen World blog (here on WordPress) – an obituary of Charlotte Collins (best friend of Elizabeth Bennett in “Pride And Prejudice”).
[…] of scientific stuff in my life I felt so deprived of pop lit that much. Recently, I came across The Obituary of Charlotte Collins. It was an excellent travel back through time I almost forgot it was […]
Wow. I really liked this.
I liked this a lot, except for the Wickham succes part. Not because bad has to end bad, but because Wickham has all the typical signs of being a sociopath. There are succesful sociopaths in business and such, but they are far more succesful in masking their sociopathy, and even then at some point run into exposure through great fraud being exposed (Madoff). In every sense, Wickham is a mediocre sociopath who will not forego a moment’s pleasure for the long term benefit (as Mr. Gardener originally hopes), as well as very personally spiteful against his self believed narcistic injury (the possibility of hurting Darcy through eloping with Georgiana, repeated with injuring Elizabeth through eloping with her sister after Elizabeth made clear she has no interest in him anymore). All Wickham truly has going for him is his charm, which is easy even for criminal sociopaths. As for the army: sociopaths are the best in killing the enemy because they are fearless and rash, but they will be the last to save their comrades (no empathy, selfish). It is more likely that Wickham lies to society that he earned a medal, than that he actually did earn one, let alone earned a title over it. And he would have hardly held on to the same garison for more than a few years. (them changing quarters so often suggests this). As for the son: there is a hereditary factor to this, and with Lydia as the frivolous mother there is hardly any nurture aid to overcome what was nature would give the son. Chances are low that Darcy and Lizzy would have tolerated such a nephew in Pemberley for long. On the other hand, such a son might have charmed his way in with an older, old maid with money and property with greater succes, and succeeded where Wickham didn’t. All in all, I find that part quite unbelievable.
Yes, it was quite extraordinary that Wickham turned out as he did. It was certainly not in any way foreseeable, but life has a way of taking unpredictable twists and turns. It is easy to pin a label (‘sociopath’) on someone, and expect them to conform to it for the rest of their lives. But chance can sometimes result in a violent change of fortune, especially in a military context. I do not know what the circumstances were that led to George Wickham’s transformation from charming villain to titled hero, but I think it must have been a combination of his all-or-nothing gambling streak (remember his debts – and even the recklessness of his elopements), and his just happening to be in the right place at the right moment to bring him to the attention of someone very, very influential. Remember also that there was only a very short time between the title being conferred and his death in action. What actually happened was undoubtedly hugely unlikely: but it is equally certain that it was not impossible. That being so, the credibility of a (fictional) piece of factual reporting does not need to be called into question.
I conclude then he died because a suicide mission killing enemies by the above account. Of course, someone who is a sociopath will alas never alter in mind and heart, but only gets better at their mask and deception. But I assure you it’s not a label I give freely. Many of Jane Austen’s villains are not: most of them are just weak, thoughtless, selfish men/women imo. There is only one though who truly is petty, projectively smearcampaigning, vengeful, entitled, succesfully deceptive and charming. I think that if he had not died because of action, he would have loved to ruin his career some more, leave some debt behind and move to several quarters more, knowing it would make Mr. and Mrs. Darcy feel obliged to spend money on him once again to ease their sister’s difficulties.
I read this lovely obituary twice and found it more fantastic the second time. Thank you for a wonderful read. It also made my day and I will treasure it forever.
Delightful.
Reblogged this on Murosymuebles's Blog.
Delightful unfiction fiction!
I can see Wickham campaigning with Sir Harry Flashman!