Jane Austen was born on a bitterly cold night on December 16, 1775.
Little is known about birthday celebrations on one’s natal day during the Regency era. Jane makes no mention of them, as far as I know, in her letters and novels. Please correct me if I am wrong. Common sense tells us that family members recognized this important day, but how? Perhaps a special meal was made and a handsome present or two were given. In Persuasion, Jane described a Christmas celebration in Uppercross, which gives us a sense of how a boisterous family celebrated an important event:
On one side was a table, occupied by some chattering girls cutting up silk and gold paper; and on the other were tressels and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies where riotous boys were holding high revel; the whole completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard in spite of all the noise of the others.
The rich might have made more of a fuss for a loved one’s birthday – gifting a girl with a diamond brooch or a pearl pendant or the young heir with a sporty phaeton.
In celebration of Jane Austen’s 240th birthday, I’ve made a list of the gifts that people exchanged in Jane’s day, and came up with a variety of items that her family and friends might have given her:
- Brother Edward, a plump goose and a brace of pheasants from his lands
- Brother Charles, a gift of exotic spices and tea from the West Indies.
- Sister Cassandra, an exquisite embroidered shawl made from fine cloth given by brother Frank.
- Her friend, Madame Lefroy, a year’s subscription to a circulating library.
- Brother Henry, several music sheets of songs that were the current rage in London.
- Her mother, a clever poem in her honor, and her father, ink, goose quills, and paper for her literary pursuits.
- Her good friend Martha, special recipes to prepare Edward’s gifts of food.
An other article about Jane’s birthday on this blog:
Baby Jane Austen’s First Two years: Happy 235th Birthday, Jane!
Jane Austen's World 
We English are funny when it comes to cold pies, my family (all Australian born) consider me rather odd for enjoying cold meat pies and enjoying brawn, they will never try either. They don’t know what they’re missing :)
And they consider me odd :?:
I know what your mean. My family and friends think I am odd because I like my pizza cold…I know, I know…..I’m odd but cold meat pies sound wonderful. What is brawn? I have never heard of it.
It’s kind of a jellied meat and I think it’s delicious
http://www.cooksinfo.com/pork-brawn
and the WikiP.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_cheese
will explain all the delights, I hope you enjoy it :)
I love that you remembered Jane’s birthday, Vic…she will always be my favorite author. I was reading a comment recently (on a favorite contemporary author’s blog) and the commenter whined and complained about how hard it was to read Jane Austen and how her books should be rewritten in contemporary language. I was horrified at the idea and thought of you and your blog. My thought was “well, Vic would certainly have something to say about that”. To my mind, Jane just improves with age. I’ll go have a cup of tea in honor of her day!
Hi Vic. I remember that Jane Austen wrote a poem on her birthday once. It’s the one where the mourns Mrs. Lefroy, her friend who was killed in a fall from her horse, on her birthday. “To the Memory of Mrs. Lefroy, who Died Dec. 16 – My Birthday.” Remember? Here’s some of it;
The day returns again, my natal day;
What mix’d emotions with the Thought arise!
Beloved friend, four years have pass’d away
Since thou wert snatch’d forever from our eyes.–
The day, commemorative of my birth
Bestowing Life and Light and Hope on me,
Brings back the hour which was thy last on Earth.
Oh! bitter pang of torturing Memory!–
(Not the happiest birthday thought for her, was it…)
Diana Birchall
This poem is so interesting. I suspect that Jane didn’t like horses and not just because of her friend’s accident. There’s so little in her works about them, and I believe she may not have ridden but preferred to be conveyed. In other authors before autos like Balzac, horses are occasionally part of the plot and when they do show up they give insight into a character. In Eugenie Grandet, the impoverished uncle makes a bequest of his treasured and valuable horse in his will that otherwise contains little of value. It makes him more sympathetic that he made sure someone is caring for his horse. No such plot element occurs in Jane’s works.
Yes, Diana! How could I have forgotten this poem? “This day, commemorative of my birth…” One gets the sense from that phrase that birthdays were remembered in some fashion. Jane’s birth in December meant that fruits and fresh vegetables were in short supply. I should have had Edward give her some hot house oranges or a pineapple! :)
Bonjour,
Je boirais également une tasse de thé en son honneur,je passe toujours de bon moment en sa compagnie,j’ai réalisé son coverlet,son buste brodé,mais suis tellement déçue que les traductions française
ne sont pas a la hauteur des tous les écris anglais hélas,j’ai également remarqué que ses romans ne sont pas traduit en intégralité.
Un grand dommage pour les personnes ne sachant pas trop lire l’anglais.
Merci JANE pour tant de belles heures en ta compagnie.
A vous merci pour ce billet bien agréable a lire
avez -vous été voir ma carte scrap sur mon blog
http://irisombreetlumiere.blogspot.com
pour l’anniversaire de JANE
je partagerais aujourd’hui une bonne tasse de thé en son honneur
agréable journée
Byron mentions his birthday. I think a person would keep track of their own, at least.
Other than special birthdays such as a boy being breeched ( Jane mentions that) or a person coming of age, or reaching 100 or something, it doesn’t seem as though others took much notice of one’s birthday. One might keep track of birthdays but it doesn’t seem as though they were the occasion for parties or gifts. Perhaps it will take a more detailed look at various biographies with special attention to the time period around birthdays to see if there is anything to discover.
On the other hand, there isn’t much in letters and diaries about Christmas presents either.
Good points, all, Nancy. When I was growing up in The Netherlands, the child celebrating the birthday brought the goodies to class. We thanked our parents for giving us birth. I recall receiving a simple present or two, but there was none of the big fuss that birthdays generate in the States today. This European tradition might well have been widespread and come from traditions that were begun a century or more before.
I think it really interesting that 2 outstanding contemporaries, Jane Austen and Beethoven, share the same Dec 16th birth date. Speaks well of the era!
Wasn’t that year, 1775, the year of the horrendous Lisbon earthquake mentioned in Candide?
Lovely post. Happy Jane Austen Day!
WOW, I’ve been a fan of Jane Austen since I was about 13, and never knew we shared a birthday!
OH and with Beethoven also, which every reader of Peanuts knows is also the 16th!
Happy Birthday!!
HAPPY JANE AUSTEN DAY. Enjoyed your post.
Marilyn
Vic, again I learned so much from you! Both in this post and the one about Jane’s first two years. So glad you supplied that link as I think I somehow missed that post.
Jean, Thanks!! Vic
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“Little is known about birthday celebrations on one’s natal day during the Regency era. Jane makes no mention of them, as far as I know, in her letters and novels. Please correct me if I am wrong.”
Since you ask, Vic… Jane Austen’s first preserved letter (9-10 January 1796) was written to Cassandra, who was on a visit in Kintbury. The letter was begun on Cassandra’s birthday, and begins with birthday greetings and an allusion to Tom Lefroy’s birthday the day before:
“In the first place I hope you will live twenty-three years longer. Mr. Tom Lefroy’s birthday was yesterday, so that you are very near of an age.”
As for birthday celebrations, try Jane Austen’s early writings, for example “Jack & Alice”:
“Mr Johnson was once upon a time about 53; in a twelve-month afterwards he was 54, which so much delighted him that he was determined to celebrate his next Birthday by giving a Masquerade to his Children & Freinds. Accordingly on the Day he attained his 55th year tickets were dispatched to all his Neighbours to that purpose.”
There follows “an account of the Evening”, which ends with:
“The Masks were then all removed & the Company retired to another room, to partake of an elegant & well-managed Entertainment, after which the Bottle being pretty briskly pushed about by the 3 Johnsons, the whole party not excepting even Virtue were carried home, Dead Drunk.”
Christopher, thank you for offering these glimpses. Diana commented on the mention of Mrs. Le Froy’s birthday. I have since writing this post read a few accounts of the masquerades. I had not thought to consult her juvenilia. I should have said ‘descriptions,’ not mentions. Your addition of the masquerade is most welcome.