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Winchester Cathedral: Jane Austen’s Resting Place

Posted in Anglican Church, Architecture, Churches of the Austen family, Jane Austen's death, Jane Austen's World, Winchester, tagged , , on August 24, 2026| 6 Comments »

By Brenda S. Cox

In the 1850s, one of many visitors to Winchester Cathedral asked the verger where to find Jane Austen’s grave. (A verger is a church official responsible for the building, among other duties.) The verger responded,

“Pray, sir, can you tell me whether there was anything particular about that lady—so many people want to know where she was buried?”

Winchester Cathedral

Flagstone over Jane Austen’s grace in Winchester Cathedral

Memorials to Jane Austen in Winchester Cathedral

We could all tell him what was “so particular” about that lady! The verger might have looked at the ledger stone in the north aisle of the cathedral for clues. It reads (italics added):

In Memory of JANE AUSTEN, youngest daughter of the late Revd GEORGE AUSTEN, formerly Rector of Steventon in this County, she departed this Life on the 18th of July 1817, aged 41, after a long illness supported with the patience and the hopes of a Christian. The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her, and the warmest love of her intimate connections. Their grief is in proportion to their affection, they know their loss to be irreparable, but in their deepest affliction they are consoled by a firm though humble hope that her charity, devotion, faith and purity have rendered her soul acceptable in the sight of her REDEEMER.

This was probably written by Jane’s brother Henry, perhaps in consultation with the rest of her immediate family. The style fits with other epitaphs of the time—not focusing on worldly achievements or fame, but on spiritual attributes, the love of her family and friends, and her hope of heaven. That verger might only have wondered about “the extraordinary attributes of her mind”—the only clue to Jane’s genius as a writer.

The north aisle of Winchester Cathedral, where Jane Austen is buried.

All those Victorian visitors to the Cathedral indicated Austen’s increasing popularity. This encouraged her nephew, Rev. James Edward Austen-Leigh, to write her first biography, the Memoir of 1870. The proceeds paid for an additional plaque in the Cathedral, which does mention her writing, but not in detail.

Plaque on the wall next to Austen’s grave, placed by her nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh, son of her brother Rev. James Austen. Designed by architect Thomas Henry Wyatt, who had worked on Austen-Leigh’s parish church at Bray.

The plaque reads [brackets and italics added]:

Jane Austen, known to many by her writings, endeared to her family by the varied charms of her Character, and ennobled by Christian Faith and Piety, was born at Steventon in the county of Hants [Hampshire] Dec xvi mdcclxxv [Dec. 16, 1775] and buried in this Cathedral July xxiv mdcccxvii [July 24, 1817]  “She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” Prov. xxxi v. xxvi [Proverbs 31, verse 26]

Above this memorial tablet is a third memorial—a stained glass window paid for by public donations in 1900, as Austen’s reputation expanded even more. St. Augustine of Hippo is at the top—Augustine can apparently be shortened to “Austin,” who knew? Below him we find King David, writer of most of the Psalms, with his harp; St. John with the first words of his gospel, “In the beginning was the word”; and other biblical writers (the sons of Korah) with quotations from the Psalms. The quotations are about the fear of the Lord, meekness, wisdom, understanding, justice, and salvation. (They are in Latin with slightly different numbering than today, but the modern verse numbers are: Psalm 34:11, 25:9, 49:3, 71:15).

Stained glass window in Winchester Cathedral commemorating Jane Austen. Designed by C.E. Kempe, 1900, paid for by public subscription.

One more memorial to Austen now graces Winchester Cathedral. Outside, in the Cathedral Close, a new statue depicts Austen, installed for the 250th anniversary of her birth. (A “close” is enclosed land belonging to a cathedral, generally including schools, offices, and homes for the bishop and clergy.)

Jane Austen statue in Winchester Cathedral Inner Close.
Photo ©Betty Parker Ellis, 2026. Taken during the 2026 JASNA Summer Tour.

 

Baptismal Font at Winchester Cathedral. The nearby sign says, “The font is used in baptism, by which sacrament a person becomes a member of the Church. This mid 12th century font of black Tournai marble is decorated with carvings showing the miracles of St. Nicholas, patron saint of children.”

 

Pulpit and stalls at Winchester Cathedral

 

Screen at the high altar of Winchester Cathedral

How was Jane Austen connected to Winchester?

Jane Austen and her family were connected with Winchester Cathedral through their churches. Jane lived her early life in the parish of Steventon, where her father was rector of the parish church. Later in her life she lived in the parish of Chawton, where her brother Edward Knight was squire of the parish, and her brother Henry was briefly curate at the Chawton church.

In the Church of England, parishes are combined into dioceses. Each diocese is led by a bishop, whose center is the cathedral. Both Steventon and Chawton are in the diocese of Winchester, led by the Bishop of Winchester from Winchester Cathedral.

Nave and chancel of Winchester Cathedral

The Austens were also connected to Winchester through its school. Winchester College, near the Cathedral, is the oldest of England’s “public schools.” (The approximate equivalent in the US would be an elite boarding school for junior high and high school.) Some students were “scholars,” on scholarships, and others were “commoners” who paid fees to attend.

Eight of Jane Austen’s nephews attended Winchester College as commoners (paying students)—six of her brother Edward’s sons (Edward, George, Henry, William, Charles, and Brook), one son of her brother Frank (George), and one son of her brother James (James Edward). The college was strict and spartan. The boys ate mainly boiled beef or mutton with bread and beer. Student prefects brutally ruled younger students. Students occasionally rebelled—Austen’s nephew Charles Bridges Knight was part of a rebellion in 1818 which led to thirty expulsions.

Memorial to William of Wykeham, who rose from humble beginnings to become Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England. He founded Winchester College in 1382; eight of Jane Austen’s nephews attended there.

Jane corresponded with her nephew James Edward and others about the school. On July 9, 1816 she watched “a countless number of Postchaises full of Boys pass by” “full of future Heroes, Legislators, Fools, & Vilains” (going home for the summer from Winchester College). (‘Vilains’ is Austen’s spelling.)

Winchester is only 17 miles from Chawton and 14 miles from Steventon. Jane’s father, George Austen, had an account with John Burdon’s bookshop in Winchester. That shop is now called P&G Wells. Jane loved both books and music. Her piano teacher came from Winchester, where he was assistant organist at the Cathedral. He gave lessons to Jane and others in Steventon. He was George William Chand, later organist of the Cathedral and College.

Winchester bookseller which supplied books to Jane Austen’s family.

Jane also had a friend living in Winchester. Elizabeth Bigg of Manydown Park (brother of Harris Bigg-Wither who proposed to Jane) married Rev. William Heathcote, a prebendary (official) of the Cathedral. Austen might have visited one of their homes in the Cathedral Close. Elizabeth left there when she was widowed, but moved back to the Close when her son entered Winchester College. Cassandra, Jane, and Martha Lloyd did visit her there for a week at the end of 1814.

When Jane moved to Winchester for medical treatment, in her final illness, it was her friend Elizabeth who arranged for her lodgings at 8 College Street. Elizabeth visited her every day.

Jane Austen spent her last eight weeks at 8 College Street in Winchester, where she died.

Austen apparently loved the Cathedral. She might have appreciated its long history, or its medieval beauty. Cassandra wrote,

“it is a satisfaction to me to think that [Jane’s dear remains] are to lie in a Building she admird so much—her precious soul I presume to hope reposes in a far superior Mansion” (July 20, 1817).

Memorial to Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Winchester, 1869-1873; son of William Wilberforce, “The Great Emancipator.” Jane Austen “loved” Thomas Clarkson’s writings; he fought against slavery alongside William Wilberforce.

 

Winchester Cathedral is full of history, and rotates exhibits on various topics. Page from the twelfth-century Winchester Bible. Pigments used to decorate the Bible were also displayed: lead white, orchil (purple), ochres (yellow, brown), red lead, vermilion (red-orange), verdigris (green), lapis lazuli (most expensive, from Afghanistan), carbon black, gold, granular gold, and gold leaf.

Why was Jane Austen buried in Winchester Cathedral?

When Jane Austen died in Winchester (See What Killed Jane Austen?), she was not wealthy or well-known. Because she died in the parish of St. Swithun’s, she had the right to be buried in the Cathedral precinct. However, to be buried inside the Cathedral, she needed social connections, which her family had.

Jane’s brother, Rev. Henry Austen, may have made the request to the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, who would make that decision. He was likely supported by Elizabeth Heathcote, widow of a prebendary, and George William Chad, the organist and Jane’s former piano teacher.

The Dean, Thomas Rennell, was a friend of the Chutes of the Vyne, who knew Jane and her family. The Chutes were also friends and patrons of her brother James, giving him a church living. Jane’s mother’s connections with the aristocratic Leigh family probably also helped. Her father is mentioned in all capital letters on her gravestone, so his holding a Hampshire living for forty years may have been taken into account. Her brother James was too ill at the time to come to Winchester, but he had also held several parish livings for some years.

One more speculation: Henry may have told the Dean that the Prince Regent admired Jane’s work and asked her to dedicate Emma to him. Connections, connections.

It was also expensive to be buried in the Cathedral. The expenses for Austen’s very modest funeral came to £92, paid from her own modest savings. Presumably that included standard burial costs: 10 guineas (£10.50) for burial in the aisle of the Cathedral, plus 6 shillings, 8 pence (1/3 of a pound) for the tolling of the bell. (Burial in the choir would have been 50 guineas; burial near the choir or above the steps, 20 guineas.) Official records say Austen’s estate, after payment of funeral and other expenses, was worth £661 and 2 shillings.

In the end, Jane Austen was buried inside Winchester Cathedral, now considered one of the Jane Austen family churches. She was the only one of her siblings to be buried in a cathedral. Her grave there has attracted many visitors for more than two hundred years. Winchester Cathedral made a great decision in allowing Jane’s grave to be inside!

During the 2023 JASNA Summer Tour, we strewed flowers on Jane Austen’s grave.

 

Winchester Cathedral’s lovely bookshop offers my book, Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England, along with many other excellent books and souvenirs.

Winchester Cathedral is a beautiful, peaceful place of worship. Have you ever visited Jane Austen’s grave? I found it a very moving experience, as have many others. What did you think and feel there?

 

All photos in this post ©Brenda S. Cox, 2026, unless otherwise noted.

Brenda S. Cox is the author of Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England. She also blogs at Faith, Science, Joy, and Jane Austen.

 

Sources and Further Reading

Jane Austen and Winchester: An Introduction, published by Winchester College.

Jane Austen’s Hampshire by Terry Townsend shows Jane’s connections to various locations in Hampshire, including Winchester.

Jane Austen and Winchester Cathedral, booklet by Michael Wheeler

Deb Barnum’s post on Winchester from the 2025 JASNA Summer Tour shows interior shots of the house in which Austen died; Winchester College; the Epiphany Chapel; bits and pieces of the Cathedral stored in the Crypt; and more.

Winchester Cathedral and Jane Austen

Winchester Cathedral architecture, gorgeous photos

“Austen and Cathedral: Was Interment a Signal Honor?”

 

Other Austen Family Churches

Adlestrop and the Leigh Family

Ashe and the Lefroy Family

Chawton

Deane

Godmersham

Goodnestone

Great Bookham and Austen’s Godfather, Rev. Samuel Cooke

Hamstall Ridware and Austen’s First Cousin, Edward Cooper

Horsmonden

St. Paul’s Covent Garden

St. Swithin’s Walcot (Bath)

Steventon

Stoneleigh Abbey Chapel and Mansfield Park

Tonbridge: Home Parish of Jane Austen’s Father

St. Andrew’s Colyton, Devon

St. Peter’s Hurstbourne Tarrant (the Lloyds’ church)

JASNA Austen Family Churches

 

Churches Mentioned in Austen’s Novels

Garrison Chapel

London Churches

St. Swithin’s, Walcot and other churches in Northanger Abbey

St. George’s, Hanover Square

St. Paul’s, Covent Garden: Actors’ Church

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July in Jane Austen’s World

Posted in A Year in Jane Austen's World, Cassandra Elizabeth Austen, Chawton Cottage, Jane Austen's death, Jane Austen's family, Jane Austen's letters, Jane Austen's life, Jane Austen's World on July 10, 2024| 4 Comments »

As the summer months continue in our month-by-month exploration of Jane Austen’s life, letters, and novels, we turn our attention to July in Jane Austen’s world. If you’re new to the “A Year in Jane Austen’s World” series, you can find previous articles here: January, February, March, April, May, and June.

Last month, we enjoyed the June roses at Chawton House Gardens. Let’s take a look at our monthly view for July! Can you imagine exploring the walled gardens on a warm summer day? I know two kids who did explore the gardens and the apple orchard (with permission) at Chawton House a few years ago!

Chawton House in July: Photo @ChawtonHouse.

July in Hampshire

July in Hampshire brings sporadic heat waves, overcast days, sunny days, and frequent rain showers. The Austen women moved to Chawton in July 1809:

“On this day (7 July) in 1809 Jane Austen moved to Chawton to live in this house. It was here, in this inspiring cottage, that Jane’s genius flourished and where she wrote, revised, and had published all six of her globally beloved novels.” (Jane Austen’s House Museum)

Jane Austen’s House in July, Photo: @JaneAustensHouse.

July in Jane Austen’s Letters

We don’t have as many of Jane’s letters from the month of July on record, though there is one funny aside that caught my attention as I searched through her letters. After complaining earlier to Cassandra about a few days of “cold disagreeable weather,” “fires every day,” and use of her “kerseymere spencer” for evening walks, Jane wrote the following on 1 July 1808: “The weather is mended, which I attribute to my writing about it…”

The fact is, however, that two of the most important letters we have from the month of July are not from Jane herself but from her sister Cassandra. And those, as many of you well know, are the letters Cassandra wrote to her niece Fanny Knight after Jane’s passing in July 1817.

Cassandra’s Letters

Cassandra’s letters, which many of you have read, are some of the most beautiful letters we have on record. Jane was Cassandra’s younger sister, but she was also her lifelong companion and best friend. Cassandra’s sorrow at losing one so dear is obvious in her writings.

In her first letter (18 July 1817), Cassandra tells Fanny about Jane’s last days and hours with delicacy, reverence, and love:

I have lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed. She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow; I had not a thought concealed from her, and it is as if I had lost a part of myself. I loved her only too well,—not better than she deserved, but I am conscious that my affection for her made me sometimes unjust to and negligent of others; and I can acknowledge, more than as a general principle, the justice of the Hand which has struck this blow.

You know me too well to be at all afraid that I should suffer materially from my feelings; I am perfectly conscious of the extent of my irreparable loss, but I am not at all overpowered and very little indisposed,—nothing but what a short time, with rest and change of air, will remove. I thank God that I was enabled to attend her to the last, and amongst my many causes of self-reproach I have not to add any wilful neglect of her comfort.

In her second letter (29 July 1817), Cassandra expresses to Fanny that she often thinks of Jane in Heaven and hopes she will one day be reunited with her there:

If I think of her less as on earth, God grant that I may never cease to reflect on her as inhabiting heaven, and never cease my humble endeavors (when it shall please God) to join her there.

As a lifelong lover of Jane Austen, I treasure Cassandra’s letters deeply, as I’m sure many of you do too. If you have not read her letters in a while, or if you wish to read them for the first time, you can find them HERE.

July in Jane Austen’s Novels

Pride and Prejudice

  • July is when Elizabeth travels with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner: “The time fixed for the beginning of their northern tour was now fast approaching; and a fortnight only was wanting of it, when a letter arrived from Mrs. Gardiner, which at once delayed its commencement and curtailed its extent. Mr. Gardiner would be prevented by business from setting out till a fortnight later in July, and must be in London again within a month; and as that left too short a period for them to go so far, and see so much as they had proposed, or at least to see it with the leisure and comfort they had built on, they were obliged to give up the Lakes, and substitute a more contracted tour; and, according to the present plan, were to go no farther northward than Derbyshire. In that county there was enough to be seen to occupy the chief of their three weeks; and to Mrs. Gardiner it had a peculiarly strong attraction. The town where she had formerly passed some years of her life, and where they were now to spend a few days, was probably as great an object of her curiosity as all the celebrated beauties of Matlock, Chatsworth, Dovedale, or the Peak.”
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner

Mansfield Park

  • Mr. and Miss Crawford come on the scene: “Such was the state of affairs in the month of July; and Fanny had just reached her eighteenth year, when the society of the village received an addition in the brother and sister of Mrs. Grant, a Mr. and Miss Crawford, the children of her mother by a second marriage. They were young people of fortune. The son had a good estate in Norfolk, the daughter twenty thousand pounds.”

Emma

  • The night before Mr. Knightley returns from London, Emma spends a miserable evening wondering what will come of Harriet’s feelings (and her own feelings) toward Mr. Knightley: “The evening of this day was very long, and melancholy, at Hartfield. The weather added what it could of gloom. A cold stormy rain set in, and nothing of July appeared but in the trees and shrubs, which the wind was despoiling, and the length of the day, which only made such cruel sights the longer visible.”
  • Emma’s thoughts that evening regarding the loss of Mr. Knightley, if he were to marry Harriet: “All that were good would be withdrawn; and if to these losses, the loss of Donwell were to be added, what would remain of cheerful or of rational society within their reach? Mr. Knightley to be no longer coming there for his evening comfort!—No longer walking in at all hours, as if ever willing to change his own home for theirs!—How was it to be endured?”
Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma, 1997.

Persuasion

  • Sir Walter Elliot’s wedding day: “Walter Elliot, born March 1, 1760, married, July 15, 1784, Elizabeth, daughter of James Stevenson, Esq. of South Park, in the county of Gloucester, by which lady (who died 1800) he has issue Elizabeth, born June 1, 1785; Anne, born August 9, 1787; a still-born son, November 5, 1789; Mary, born November 20, 1791.”
  • The letter Mrs. Smith produces from Mr. Elliot, written to “Charles Smith, Esq. Tunbridge Wells,” dated July 1803, reads as follows:

“Dear Smith,

“I have received yours. Your kindness almost overpowers me. I wish nature had made such hearts as yours more common, but I have lived three-and-twenty years in the world, and have seen none like it. At present, believe me, I have no need of your services, being in cash again. Give me joy: I have got rid of Sir Walter and Miss. They are gone back to Kellynch, and almost made me swear to visit them this summer; but my first visit to Kellynch will be with a surveyor, to tell me how to bring it with best advantage to the hammer. The baronet, nevertheless, is not unlikely to marry again; he is quite fool enough. If he does, however, they will leave me in peace, which may be a decent equivalent for the reversion. He is worse than last year.

“I wish I had any name but Elliot. I am sick of it. The name of Walter I can drop, thank God! and I desire you will never insult me with my second W. again, meaning, for the rest of my life, to be only yours truly,

“WM. ELLIOT.”

Samuel West at Mr. Elliot in Persuasion, 1995.

July Dates of Importance

This brings us now to several important July dates that relate to Jane and her family:

Family News:

July–August 1768: The Austen family moves to Steventon, Hampshire.

3 July 1779: James Austen matriculates at St. John’s College, Oxford (BA 1783, MA 1788).

1 July 1788: Henry Austen matriculates at St. John’s College, Oxford (BA 1792, MA 1796).

2 July 1806: Mrs. Austen and her daughters leave Bath.

24 July 1806: Francis Austen marries Mary Gibson.

7 July 1809: Austen women and Martha Lloyd move to Chawton Cottage.

Historic Dates:

14 July 1789: Storming of the Bastille in Paris.

July 1793: Beginning of the Reign of Terror in France.

Writing:

July 1813: Austen (most likely) finishes Mansfield Park.

18 July 1816: Austen completes first draft of Persuasion.

Sorrows:

18 July 1817: Jane Austen dies, early in the morning, attended by her sister Cassandra.

24 July 1817: Jane Austen is buried in Winchester Cathedral.

Helen LeFroy at a private JASNA ceremony at Jane Austen’s grave, Winchester Cathedral, 2007. Image @ Rachel Dodge.
Jane Austen’s Grave.

July Beginnings and Endings

It’s interesting to note that Jane Austen moved to Chawton in July 1809 and passed away (in Winchester) in July 1817. Her years at Chawton Cottage are some of the most fruitful of all her writing career. From Jane Austen’s House Museum:

1811: Sense and Sensibility published.
1813: Pride and Prejudice published.
1814: Mansfield Park published.
1816: Emma published (December 1815).
1815 – 1816: Jane writes The Elliots (later published as Persuasion).
January 1817: Jane begins The Brothers (later published as Sanditon), but she only completes the first twelve chapters.

Though we wish Austen could have lived much longer, enjoyed her wonderful family, and written many more novels, it’s incredible to think that she was able to accomplish so much in just a few short years. I’m thankful that Austen enjoyed a season of joy and creativity at Chawton Cottage. She wrote happily there in the beloved Hampshire countryside of her youth.

See you next month for August in Jane Austen’s World!

RACHEL DODGE teaches college English classes, gives talks at libraries, teas, and book clubs, and writes for Jane Austen’s World blog. She is the bestselling author of The Little Women Devotional, The Anne of Green Gables Devotional and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen. Now Available: The Secret Garden Devotional! You can visit Rachel online at www.RachelDodge.com.

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Jane Austen’s Final Writing: A Remembrance

Posted in Jane Austen's death, Jane Austen's World, Winchester, tagged , , , on July 17, 2022| 8 Comments »

I thought of Jane Austen today on the eve of the 205th anniversary of her death in Winchester. At only 42 years of age, she left us a legacy so rich that her genius as a writer is regaled to this day. Several days prior to her death on July 18, 1817, she wrote the following poem about the Winchester races.

James_Pollard_-_Ascot_Heath_Race_for_His_Majesty's_Gold_Plate_-_B1985.36.811_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art

Ascot Heath Race for His Majesty’s Gold Plate, James Pollard, 1826, Yale Center for British Art, Wikimedia Commons. While this is not an image of the Winchester racing stands, one can gain a good idea of the size of the crowds and their enthusiasm.

When Winchester Races

When Winchester races first took their beginning
It is said the good people forgot their old Saint
Not applying at all for the leave of Saint Swithin
And that William of Wykeham’s approval was faint.

The races however were fixed and determined
The company came and the Weather was charming
The Lords and the Ladies were satine’d and ermined
And nobody saw any future alarming.–

But when the old Saint was informed of these doings
He made but one Spring from his Shrine to the Roof
Of the Palace which now lies so sadly in ruins
And then he addressed them all standing aloof.

‘Oh! subjects rebellious! Oh Venta depraved
When once we are buried you think we are gone
But behold me immortal! By vice you’re enslaved
You have sinned and must suffer, ten farther he said

These races and revels and dissolute measures
With which you’re debasing a neighboring Plain
Let them stand–You shall meet with your curse in your pleasures
Set off for your course, I’ll pursue with my rain.

Ye cannot but know my command o’er July
Henceforward I’ll triumph in shewing my powers
Shift your race as you will it shall never be dry
The curse upon Venta is July in showers–‘.

– Jane Austen

About the poem:

When it was written:

“Jane Austen wrote this poem just two days before her death, on 15 July 1817, which was the day of the Winchester Races, a fashionable race day and also St. Swithin’s Day. – Jane Austen’s House Museum

St Swithin:

St Swithin, a 9th century bishop, patron saint of Winchester, is linked through long tradition to the idea that if it rains on his feast day, it will continue to rain for 40 days and nights. The summer of 1817 was notably wet…” – Jane Austen’s House Museum

Venta:

Winchester’s old name, which dates from Roman times.

About the Winchester Races during the 18th-19th Centuries:

During both centuries races, such as the Winchester Races, welcomed all people from every segment of society, whether they were betting or enjoying the social events. Groups of hairdressers and milliners traveled from London and Bath to Winchester during their respective racing seasons to provide fashionable services (and between 1781 and 1790 the ‘finest assortment of French Pomades and coloured powders’). London’s season, linked to the sessions in Parliament, began in February at the start of the opening session. Many did not arrive until after the fox-hunting season at the end of March. Horse racing was an important component of each social season in the aforementioned cities.

The Winchester Races were held in late June/early July each season, from Tuesday until Thursday during one week. The city’s annual social calendar revolved around the social seasons of winter and summer. Amusements ranged from balls, assemblies, cockfighting, public breakfasts, fairs, etc. During race week, public breakfasts and balls were held daily. An annual performance by the Winchester College boys included a reading of a selection of prose and a music festival were also organized.

James_Pollard_-_Racing_(set_of_four),_2._A_View_of_the_Road_to_Newmarket_Races_-_B1985.36.862_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art

A View of the Road to Newmarket Races, James Pollard, Yale Center of British Art, Wikimedia Commons.While this scene is about the crowds going to the Newmarket Races, one can imagine a similar group heading for Winchester in 1817.

These annual races drew people from all walks of life for nearly a fortnight. Genteel society took advantage of the social events to show off their finery, of which, as previously mentioned, certain working groups took full advantage. The change in racing venues provided an opportunity for visitors to move from a stifling London to fresher more rural environments, with the added attraction of more gambling opportunities.

Royalty was at times present at the Winchester races, but the ‘the bulk of its pleasurable amenities was utilised by the county gentry. Winchester society was well patronised by the Duke of Chandos and the Pawlett family (Marquesses of Winchester), as well as a host of others who were noted in the newspapers..’ – Proc. Hampshire Field Club Archived. Soc. 54,1999, 127-145 (Hampshire Studies 1999) LEISURE AND SOCIETY IN GEORGIAN WINCHESTER, By M COOPER

I don’t know what happened to Jane Austen’s original copy of the poem. This site by the Jane Austen’s House Museum offers a facsimile in her sister Cassandra’s hand. (Link to the Winchester Verses). On 24 May 1817, she left Chawton with Cassandra and moved into lodgings in Winchester to be near Dr Lyford at the County Hospital. Her illness however rapidly worsened and she died on 18 July 1817.

“The poem, which is written in cross-rhymed quatrains, was initially suppressed by [Jane’s] Victorian-era family, and later released in edited versions that changed words and punctuation (including one version that altered the word “dead” to “gone”. They thought that joking about St. Swithin and horse racing and death would be dimly viewed by the public.” –Kelly R. Fineman

Austen Family Poetry:

Jane’s family left a legacy of letters, poems, riddles, and charades, which are charmingly captured by David Selwyn in his book, The Poetry of Jane Austen and the Austen Family. Below is a link to a youtube video on the Winchester City Museum site, in which another one of Jane’s poems is captured.

More About July 18, 1817 on this blog:

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What Killed Jane Austen?

Posted in Jane Austen's death, Jane Austen's World, medicine, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2021| 14 Comments »

By Brenda S. Cox

“God grant me patience, Pray for me Oh Pray for me.” –Jane Austen’s last recorded words, from Cassandra’s letter to Fanny Knight, July 20, 1817

You probably know that Jane Austen died young, at age 41, on July 18, 1817.

What did she die of? We don’t know, but many scholars have speculated. Most of these conditions had not even been identified in Austen’s time.

Her Symptoms

From letters we learn that Austen had:

  • Fluctuating symptoms, better, worse, better, worse
  • Pain in her face (Sept. 15 and 24, 1813, exacerbated by cold air), back (Sept. 8, 1816), and knee (Feb. 21, 1817), though not much pain near the end
  • Discoloration of skin, especially face, “black and white and every wrong color” (March 25, 1817)
  • Pale skin (from her niece Caroline’s observations)
  • Recurrent fevers (March 25, April 6, 1817)
  • Sleepless nights
  • A clear mind (she wrote a poem on Winchester Races shortly before her death)
  • Fatigue, weakness, langour, often needing to lie down (May 22, 1817, as well as months before that)
  • A “Discharge” for a week, which the “applications” of a Winchester doctor alleviated (May 22, 1817)
  • A seizure near the very end; when repeated, Cassandra describes it as faintness (July 20, 1817)

Her Self-Diagnosis

What did Austen think she had? On Jan. 24, 1817, she wrote, “I am more & more convinced that Bile is at the bottom of all I have suffered, which makes it easy to know how to treat myself.” And again on April 6, “I have been suffering from a Bilious attack, attended with a good deal of fever.”

Bile is often mentioned in Austen’s letters as a source of disease for her family and friends. The liver produces bile as part of the digestive process. She implies that she has a digestive disorder.

On Feb. 21, 1817, Austen wrote, “I am almost entirely cured of my rheumatism, just a little pain in my knee now & then, to make me remember what it was, & keep on flannel.” March 26, 1817, she wrote, “I have still a tendency to Rheumatism.” So at this point she attributed her pain and weakness to rheumatism in her joints.

Contemporary Treatments

In Austen’s time, doctors considered that the “humours” in the body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, had to be in balance. In Dr. Buchan’s popular Domestic Medicine (11th ed., 1790), he writes, “Jaundice, indigestion, loss of appetite, and a wasting of the whole body” are “the consequences of a vitiated state of the liver, or obstructions of the bile” (56). 

For an intermittent fever, Dr. Buchan recommends ipecac, which will cause the patient to vomit up bile and clean out the system (150). For stomach issues caused by bile, he recommends bleeding, liquids and light foods (such as Mr. Woodhouse’s gruel), and warm baths (290-291).

For jaundice (probably what we would call hepatitis, which turns the patient’s skin and eyes yellow, from excess bile), Buchan says “numberless British herbs” supposedly cure it, but he observes that generally the disease goes away by itself, so the herbs don’t necessarily cause the cure. He goes on to recommend hempseed and several other herbs that he thinks work. He also describes other diseases as connected with bile.

John Wesley, the Methodist preacher, wrote a very popular book called Primitive Physic: Or, An Easy and Natural Method of Curing Most Diseases. It went through many editions and is still available today (I bought mine at the Wesley Museum in London). His goal was to list “cheap, safe, and easy medicines” available to “plain, unlettered” people. He marked those he had tried himself. Wesley started with lifestyle recommendations, such as, eat and drink moderately, and exercise regularly. Then he gave remedies for many diseases.

For “bilious cholic” (upset stomach ejecting bile), he recommends drinking warm lemonade or taking “sweet oil.” He gives nine remedies for rheumatism, including cold baths, warm steams, and eating barley-gruel with currants, roasted apples, fresh whey, and light pudding.

We don’t know what remedies Austen might have tried for her “bile” or rheumatism.

Mr. Curtis, her apothecary in Alton, and Mr. Lyford, her doctor in Winchester, tried to cure her, but we don’t know what diagnoses they made. For some possibilities, as well as more modern ideas, see “Did Jane Austen die from Nervous Consumption on July 18, 1817?” 

Modern Theories

Many modern scholars and doctors have speculated on what might have caused Jane’s death. Here are a few of their ideas:

Addison’s disease (tuberculosis of the adrenal glands)

This theory was put forward by Sir Zachary Cope in 1964. Austen’s langour, fatigue, skin discoloration, and stomach irritability fit with Addison’s. However, her niece described her as pale, while Addison’s generally gives a tanned appearance, according to Claire Tomalin in Jane Austen: A Life. The National Organization for Rare Disorders says, though, that Addison’s can cause white patches and darker patches, including black freckles on the face, so that might fit. However, her clear mind and lack of pain towards the end do not fit with Addison’s, apparently.

Lymphoma, such as Hodgkin’s Disease, a form of cancer

A study in June 2005 gives Hodgkin’s Disease as a more likely diagnosis. This causes an immune deficiency. The article considers Austen’s medical history of recurrent infections, including possible conjunctivitis which gave her eye problems, typhus when she was a child, and the whooping cough she contracted as an adult. She may have had an immune deficiency and lymphoma for years. Jane Austen’s birth, a month late, could have made her more susceptible to an immune deficiency. Trigeminal neuralgia, causing her face pain exacerbated by cold, could also be associated with a lymphoma.

Tuberculosis, or consumption

Another writer, K.G. White,  suggested in 2009 that tuberculosis, or consumption, was much more widespread in Austen’s day than Addison’s, and is another possible cause of her death. It may have been a secondary infection on top of a lymphoma. 

In Sense and Sensibility, Marianne Dashwood nearly dies of an illness brought on by indulging her misery and “sitting in her wet shoes and stockings.”

Lupus (an autoimmune disease)

An even more recent theory claims that all Austen’s symptoms were consistent with systemic lupus erythematosus. Joint pain, skin discoloration, fever, fatigue, and fluctuating symptoms that come and go are all consistent with lupus. See “Black and White and Every Wrong Colour.” 

Accidental Arsenic Poisoning

The British Library suggests that Austen may have died of accidental arsenic poisoning, from arsenic in medications or the water supply. They tested three pairs of spectacles from Austen’s writing desk, which are believed to be hers. Based on the prescription strengths, the researchers speculate that she may have gotten cataracts due to arsenic poisoning. Arsenic could also have caused her facial discoloration. See Dr. Sandra Tuppen’s article  and “Jane Austen Poisoned.”

Breast Cancer

Another possibility is breast cancer, which Carol Shields suggests in Jane Austen: A Life (NY: Penguin, 2001), 173-174. Austen’s Aunt Philadelphia (her father’s sister) apparently died from breast cancer, and estrogen fluctuations might have caused Austen’s fevers. 

Typhus

Another theory is that she died of a recurrence of the typhus which almost killed her as a child, while she was in Southampton. See Linda Robinson Walker, “Jane Austen’s Death: The Long Reach of Typhus?”

Overdose?

Helena Kelly, in Jane Austen: The Secret Radical, thinks that whatever Austen was sick with, “a dose of opiates strong enough to knock her out completely for nine hours has to have at least hastened her death” (282). The laudanum Dr. Lyford gave her may have been too high a dose, which caused her to eventually stop breathing.

In the end, we don’t really know what took Jane Austen away—to heaven, as her sister Cassandra strongly believed. We know she left this world before she could finish all the works we wish she might have done. But we’re thankful for those works she did complete and the legacy she left to us all.

What’s your favorite theory about what happened to our beloved Jane? Can you add any information about the possible diagnoses above?

Jane’s obituary in the Salisbury and Winchester Journal says, “Her manners were gentle, her affections ardent, her candour was not to be surpassed, and she lived and died as became a humble Christian.” (Candour at this time meant that she thought the best of people, as Jane Bennet did.) (Quoted in Claire Tomalin, Jane Austen: A Life.)

For spiritual and religious aspects of death in Austen’s novels and in her experience, see my article in Persuasions On-Line, “Preparation for Death and Second Chances in Austen’s Novels.” 

You can connect with Brenda S. Cox, the author of this article, at Faith, Science, Joy, and Jane Austen or on Facebook.

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Jane Austen Appears in Vic’s Dream on the 203rd Anniversary of Her Death: A Surreal Journey in Photos

Posted in Jane Austen in the modern world, Jane Austen's death, Jane Austen's enduring popularity, Jane Austen's image, Jane Austen's life, Jane Austen's music, Jane Austen's World, tagged on July 18, 2020| 7 Comments »

Inquiring readers: Today is the 203rd anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. She lived from December 16th, 1775 to July 18, 1817, and managed to achieve more in 41 years than a majority of us in twice that time. My previous posts marking this occasion were somber. This one provides a more light hearted, science fictiony approach. The North American Friends of Chawton House sent a limited edition of Celebrity Jane, a bobblehead doll, after I made a contribution that qualified me for this gift. NAFCH challenges Celebrity Jane doll possessors to share photos of Bad Ass Jane, as I renamed her, in various locations in our lives. I chose home.

Image of Bad Ass Jane meeting her 18th century silhouette, as drawn by Mr. Rose at the 2019 AGM in Williamsburg

Bad Ass Jane meets her 18th century silhouette, as drawn by Mr. Rose at the 2019 AGM in Williamsburg

It was a dream. It must have been. I had been researching Jane Austen’s life in Steventon until I fell asleep. Then, when I awoke around 2 A.M., as I am wont to do, I saw a bad ass version of Jane Austen on my bookshelf, staring at a silhouette of herself. Only she wasn’t quite the spinsterish virgin that I knew and loved so well, Oh, no! She was Bad Ass! A Rocker Chick. A person who would have appealed to my rebellious younger self and my current, well, rebellious me.

She still wore her virginal cap, but from the neck down she wore a black tee, low rise jeans that bared her midriff, and leather boots! Best of all she carried a guitar. Regency Jane loved playing music every morning on her piano forte. Bad Ass Jane (BAJ) plays electric guitar at every opportunity. (How BAJ finds the time to write—heaven knows.)

I gruffed at this strange Jane, who wanted to discuss the books in my book shelf, most of which pertained to her life and history. I needed my beauty sleep and promised her a tour of my house and gardens the following morn, but she would have none of it. She desired my company NOW! Jane played a few tunes on her guitar, which woke me more efficiently than two cups of Moroccan coffee. She mesmerized me with her persistence, pluck, and talent.

Image of Bad Ass Jane meets Cassandra, her two children, and mother wearing pearls.

Bad Ass Jane visits Cassandra, her two children, and mother wearing pearls.

I pointed to a 5 foot tall doll house, in which my 7-year-old grand nieces played occasionally. “Here’s your family.” I gestured to the top floor of the house where two female adults and two children resided.

BAJ peered inside. “My family? They look strange and somehow not themselves. And the fashion! Oh, so revealing. Who are those children?”

“Dear Jane,” I said familiarly. “Recall that this is a dream and that this story is a mere figment of my imagination and the result of a host of wishes. Tom Fowle never died. He returned with Lord Craven from the West Indies healthy and hale and became the intended heir of a living in Shropshire. He and Cassy married and had two beautiful children. Your mama, Mrs. Austen, acquired a gorgeous necklace of pearls, brought back by Tom.”

Copy of Bad Ass Jane in the ficus tree

Bad Ass Jane in the ficus tree

“How strange,” BAJ muttered. She wandered from the doll house to our ficus tree lit with fairy lights.

 

Bad Ass Jane among the wine glasses

She then visited the wine corner. Recalling that she had a fondness for a tipple here and there, I offered a glass. Savoring the wine (a nice Australian Shiraz), we discussed her family, my family (our fathers, with their dry wit and extensive libraries had much in common), and our writing. She was better than me. Way. And more successful. Way. I felt humbled in her presence.

When BAJ learned about her enduring fame–the JASNA Societies, the JA groupies, the Austenesque novels and stories–her bobble head bobbled. “Goodness, I’m famous! Did I become rich?”

I shook my head sadly. “Not you, but Cassandra and your ancestors benefited most generously.”

When dawn broke, we walked into my back yard. BAJ played her guitar in the morning, much as she played her pianoforte before breakfast. I was mesmerized. It was time to greet the sun.

Image of Bad Ass Jane at the bird feeders

Bad Ass Jane at the bird feeders

I pointed to my bird feeders, where my hungry hordes of wildlife shrieked for their breakfast: blue jays, red cardinals, musical wrens, and colorful goldfinches. The deer, chipmunks, and squirrels were silent but watchful. Their ferocious appetites challenged my meager resources weekly. All stood a respectful distance away as I filled tubs, tubes, platforms, and the ground.

An impatient BAJ wanted in on the action and hopped right on to the feeders. In an impeccable British accent, she asked, “Pray, where are they?”

birds-deer

The deer and their fawns and birds appeared as we stood still

“Gurl,” I said. “Your Bad Ass attitude must’ve scared them. Stay still and behold the magic.” Shy creatures appeared flock by flock and one by one from the forest within feet of us. BAJ noted with irony that the brown sparrows were as common in the U.K. as in my back yard.

We visited the flowers. “They’re nothing as fabulous as your English gardens,” I cautioned, and so we viewed several areas designed to be deer proof.

BAJ among the peonies. Or panties as pronounced by North American southerners,
North American robins love these berries that bloom from March through June
Deer proof marigolds

At the last, BAJ noticed a sign. “Pray, what is this?”

Image of BAJ posing with an American security sign

BAJ meets an American security sign

“The sign is for security,” I answered. “This deters burglars. We call in and help arrives within, well, whenever.”

She laughed and said, “Is not a dog more effective?,” and jumped into a West Highland Terrier planter.

Image of BAJ's Westie carriage

BAJ Westie carriage

I guffawed. Jennie, our Westie is all bark and no bite. Poof, my dream ended. Once again I missed the chance to ask BAJ the questions swirling in my head. I’d assumed that I had all the time in the world. Ah, well. The mystery that is Miss Jane Austen continues.

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