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October in Jane Austen’s World

Posted in A Year in Jane Austen's World, Edwardian Life, Georgian Life, Jane Austen Early Life, Jane Austen Novels, Jane Austen's family, Jane Austen's letters, Jane Austen's life, Jane Austen's World, Regency, Regency Life, tagged , , , , on October 9, 2024| 3 Comments »

As we enjoy the crisp air of autumn, let’s take a tour of October in Jane Austen’s World! We’ll look at her life and times through the lens of her letters, novels, and personal interests and see what we can learn about Regency life in the month of October.

If you’re just jumping on the bus, you can find previous articles in the “A Year in Jane Austen’s World” series here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September.

First off, let’s see what Jane Austen’s beautiful Hampshire countryside looks like in October. Big changes occur as the month continues, which means the lush green of summer turns to the yellow, gold, and ruby colors of fall. Here is a stunning photo of Chawton House Gardens:

Chawton House in October: Photo @ChawtonHouse.

October in Hampshire

October in Jane Austen’s Hampshire brings a total change of atmosphere. The leaves turn, and the weather cools and crisps, just like the apples in the orchard at Chawton House. As is our tradition, I’ve collected a few snippets from Austen’s letters regarding the season change, weather, and gardens/orchards:

24 October 1798 (“Bull & George,” Dartford): “My day’s journey has been pleasanter in every respect than I expected. I have been very little crowded and by no means unhappy. Your watchfulness with regard to the weather on our accounts was very kind and very effectual. We had one heavy shower on leaving Sittingbourne, but afterwards the clouds cleared away, and we had a very bright chrystal afternoon.”

27 October 1798 (Steventon): “I understand that there are some grapes left, but I believe not many; they must be gathered as soon as possible, or this rain will entirely rot them.”

24 October 1808 (Castle Square): “We have just had two hampers of apples from Kintbury, and the floor of our little garret is almost covered.”

11 October 1813 (Godmersham Park): “We had thunder and lightning here on Thursday morning, between five and seven; no very bad thunder, but a great deal of lightning. It has given the commencement of a season of wind and rain, and perhaps for the next six weeks we shall not have two dry days together.”

Such detailed descriptions of October! Here now is a current glimpse of Jane Austen’s House Museum and its gardens in October:

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

October in Jane Austen’s Letters: Jane’s Writing

While there are other October letters to consider, there is one excerpt that requires our attention first because it pertains to the safekeeping of Austen’s writing!

24 October 1798 (“Bull and George,” Dartford):

  • “I should have begun my letter soon after our arrival, but for a little adventure which prevented me. After we had been here a quarter of an hour it was discovered that my writing and dressing boxes had been by accident put into a chaise which was just packing off as we came in, and were driven away toward Gravesend in their way to the West Indies. No part of my property could have been such a prize before, for in my writing-box was all my worldly wealth, 7l., and my dear Harry’s deputation. Mr. Nottley immediately despatched a man and horse after the chaise, and in half an hour’s time I had the pleasure of being as rich as ever; they were got about two or three miles off.”

Thank goodness her writing box was found (and any money stowed in it). And what a beautiful description: “all my worldly wealth.” Though money and paperwork are important, one wonders if any of her writing might also have been in that box–a letter, a scene, a phrase. That would be treasure indeed.

Regency Era traveling writing desk.

October in Jane Austen’s Letters: A Great Loss

Now we must turn our main focus to Austen’s letters dating from October 1808. For those of us who take a personal interest in Jane Austen’s life and family, this is the month when Elizabeth Austen, Edward’s darling wife, died (10 October 1808).

Elizabeth Austen nee Bridges (1773-1808) married Edward Austen (Knight) on 27 December 1791, in Goodnestone, Kent, England. They had a large family and were very happily married. She was 35 when she passed and Edward never remarried.

The letters between Jane and Cassandra during that time are particularly tender. Both sisters mourned her death, but as is usual when a family member loses a spouse, they were even more concerned for Edward and his children (Jane’s nieces and nephews). I highly recommend reading the letters in full on your own, but below are several excerpts that share the beautiful manner in which Jane and Cassandra helped to comfort Edward and his children as they grieved the lost of a beloved wife and mother:

13 October (Castle Square):

  • First news of Elizabeth’s death: “My dearest Cassandra,—I have received your letter, and with most melancholy anxiety was it expected, for the sad news reached us last night, but without any particulars. It came in a short letter to Martha from her sister, begun at Steventon and finished in Winchester.”
  • Family Condolences: “We have felt, we do feel, for you all, as you will not need to be told,—for you, for Fanny, for Henry, for Lady Bridges, and for dearest Edward, whose loss and whose sufferings seem to make those of every other person nothing. God be praised that you can say what you do of him: that he has a religious mind to bear him up, and a disposition that will gradually lead him to comfort.”
  • Fanny Knight: “My dear, dear Fanny, I am so thankful that she has you with her! You will be everything to her; you will give her all the consolation that human aid can give. May the Almighty sustain you all, and keep you, my dearest Cassandra, well; but for the present I dare say you are equal to everything.”
  • Update on the boys: “You will know that the poor boys are at Steventon. Perhaps it is best for them, as they will have more means of exercise and amusement there than they could have with us, but I own myself disappointed by the arrangement. I should have loved to have them with me at such a time. I shall write to Edward by this post.”
Patchbox with portrait of Elizabeth Austen, courtesy of Jane Austen’s House.

15 October (Castle Square):

  • Concern for Edward: “Your accounts make us as comfortable as we can expect to be at such a time. Edward’s loss is terrible, and must be felt as such, and these are too early days indeed to think of moderation in grief, either in him or his afflicted daughter, but soon we may hope that our dear Fanny’s sense of duty to that beloved father will rouse her to exertion. For his sake, and as the most acceptable proof of love to the spirit of her departed mother, she will try to be tranquil and resigned. Does she feel you to be a comfort to her, or is she too much overpowered for anything but solitude?”
  • Concern for Lizzy: “Your account of Lizzy is very interesting. Poor child! One must hope the impression will be strong, and yet one’s heart aches for a dejected mind of eight years old.”
  • Mourning clothes for Cassandra: “Your parcel shall set off on Monday, and I hope the shoes will fit; Martha and I both tried them on. I shall send you such of your mourning as I think most likely to be useful, reserving for myself your stockings and half the velvet, in which selfish arrangement I know I am doing what you wish.
  • Mourning clothes for Jane: “I am to be in bombazeen and crape, according to what we are told is universal here, and which agrees with Martha’s previous observation. My mourning, however, will not impoverish me, for by having my velvet pelisse fresh lined and made up, I am sure I shall have no occasion this winter for anything new of that sort. I take my cloak for the lining, and shall send yours on the chance of its doing something of the same for you, though I believe your pelisse is in better repair than mine. One Miss Baker makes my gown and the other my bonnet, which is to be silk covered with crape.”
  • Sisterly Condolences: “That you are forever in our thoughts you will not doubt. I see your mournful party in my mind’s eye under every varying circumstance of the day; and in the evening especially figure to myself its sad gloom: the efforts to talk, the frequent summons to melancholy orders and cares, and poor Edward, restless in misery, going from one room to another, and perhaps not seldom upstairs, to see all that remains of his Elizabeth. Dearest Fanny must now look upon herself as his prime source of comfort, his dearest friend; as the being who is gradually to supply to him, to the extent that is possible, what he has lost. This consideration will elevate and cheer her. Adieu. You cannot write too often, as I said before. We are heartily rejoiced that the poor baby gives you no particular anxiety. Kiss dear Lizzy for us. Tell Fanny that I shall write in a day or two to Miss Sharpe.”
From Beatrice Knight’s article on Regency Mourning. Click HERE to read her article on this topic.

24 October (Castle Square):

  • Edward’s sons arrive: “Edward and George came to us soon after seven on Saturday, very well, but very cold, having by choice travelled on the outside, and with no greatcoat but what Mr. Wise, the coachman, good-naturedly spared them of his, as they sat by his side. They were so much chilled when they arrived, that I was afraid they must have taken cold; but it does not seem at all the case: I never saw them looking better.”
  • Jane’s Affectionate Observations: “They behave extremely well in every respect, showing quite as much feeling as one wishes to see, and on every occasion speaking of their father with the liveliest affection. His letter was read over by each of them yesterday, and with many tears; George sobbed aloud, Edward’s tears do not flow so easily; but as far as I can judge they are both very properly impressed by what has happened. Miss Lloyd, who is a more impartial judge than I can be, is exceedingly pleased with them.”
  • Entertaining the boys: “George is almost a new acquaintance to me, and I find him in a different way as engaging as Edward. We do not want amusement: bilbocatch, at which George is indefatigable, spillikins, paper ships, riddles, conundrums, and cards, with watching the flow and ebb of the river, and now and then a stroll out, keep us well employed; and we mean to avail ourselves of our kind papa’s consideration, by not returning to Winchester till quite the evening of Wednesday.”
  • Church on Sunday: “I hope your sorrowing party were at church yesterday, and have no longer that to dread. Martha was kept at home by a cold, but I went with my two nephews, and I saw Edward was much affected by the sermon, which, indeed, I could have supposed purposely addressed to the afflicted, if the text had not naturally come in the course of Dr. Mant’s observations on the Litany: ‘All that are in danger, necessity, or tribulation,’ was the subject of it.”
  • Sunday walk: “The weather did not allow us afterwards to get farther than the quay, where George was very happy as long as we could stay, flying about from one side to the other, and skipping on board a collier immediately.”
  • Sunday evening: “In the evening we had the Psalms and Lessons, and a sermon at home, to which they were very attentive; but you will not expect to hear that they did not return to conundrums the moment it was over… While I write now, George is most industriously making and naming paper ships, at which he afterwards shoots with horse-chestnuts, brought from Steventon on purpose; and Edward equally intent over the ‘Lake of Killarney,’ twisting himself about in one of our great chairs.”
A game of “Spillikins,” image courtesy of the Jane Austen Centre. Read their article for the rules of the game!

25 October (Castle Square) – contained in the same post:

  • Updates on Edward: “All that you say of Edward is truly comfortable; I began to fear that when the bustle of the first week was over, his spirits might for a time be more depressed; and perhaps one must still expect something of the kind.”
  • Adventures to Northam and Hopeful Plans for Netley: “We had a little water-party yesterday; I and my two nephews went from the Itchen Ferry up to Northam, where we landed, looked into the 74, and walked home, and it was so much enjoyed that I had intended to take them to Netley to-day; the tide is just right for our going immediately after moonshine, but I am afraid there will be rain; if we cannot get so far, however, we may perhaps go round from the ferry to the quay. I had not proposed doing more than cross the Itchen yesterday, but it proved so pleasant, and so much to the satisfaction of all, that when we reached the middle of the stream we agreed to be rowed up the river; both the boys rowed great part of the way, and their questions and remarks, as well as their enjoyment, were very amusing; George’s inquiries were endless, and his eagerness in everything reminds me often of his uncle Henry.”
  • Evening Entertainment: “Our evening was equally agreeable in its way: I introduced speculation, and it was so much approved that we hardly knew how to leave off.”
Site of the Itchen ferry in the 18th C.

October in Jane Austen’s Novels

Sense and Sensibility

  • Private Balls and Parties: “When Marianne was recovered, the schemes of amusement at home and abroad, which Sir John had been previously forming, were put into execution. The private balls at the park then began; and parties on the water were made and accomplished as often as a showery October would allow.”
  • Colonel Brandon’s Fateful Letter: “The first news that reached me of her [little Eliza] came in a letter from herself, last October. It was forwarded to me from Delaford, and I received it on the very morning of our intended party to Whitwell; and this was the reason of my leaving Barton so suddenly, which I am sure must at the time have appeared strange to every body, and which I believe gave offence to some. Little did Mr. Willoughby imagine, I suppose, when his looks censured me for incivility in breaking up the party, that I was called away to the relief of one whom he had made poor and miserable; but had he known it, what would it have availed? Would he have been less gay or less happy in the smiles of your sister? No, he had already done that, which no man who can feel for another would do. He had left the girl whose youth and innocence he had seduced, in a situation of the utmost distress, with no creditable home, no help, no friends, ignorant of his address! He had left her, promising to return; he neither returned, nor wrote, nor relieved her.”
Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon, Sense and Sensibility (1995).

Pride and Prejudice

  • Mr. Collins Writes to Mr. Bennet: Excerpts from letter, from “Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent, 15th October,” read as follows:

    “The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness; and, since I have had the misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach: but, for some time, I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance… As a clergyman, moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all families within the reach of my influence…

    “If you should have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose myself the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o’clock, and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday se’nnight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.”
David Bamber as Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice 1995.

Mansfield Park

  • Tom Bertram on Hunting: “We have just been trying, by way of doing something, and amusing my mother, just within the last week, to get up a few scenes, a mere trifle. We have had such incessant rains almost since October began, that we have been nearly confined to the house for days together. I have hardly taken out a gun since the 3rd. Tolerable sport the first three days, but there has been no attempting anything since.”
  • Mr. Crawford on Fanny: “You see her every day, and therefore do not notice it; but I assure you she is quite a different creature from what she was in the autumn. She was then merely a quiet, modest, not plain-looking girl, but she is now absolutely pretty. I used to think she had neither complexion nor countenance; but in that soft skin of hers, so frequently tinged with a blush as it was yesterday, there is decided beauty; and from what I observed of her eyes and mouth, I do not despair of their being capable of expression enough when she has anything to express. And then, her air, her manner, her tout ensemble, is so indescribably improved! She must be grown two inches, at least, since October.”
  • Miss Crawford’s Response: “Phoo! phoo! This is only because there were no tall women to compare her with, and because she has got a new gown, and you never saw her so well dressed before. She is just what she was in October, believe me. The truth is, that she was the only girl in company for you to notice, and you must have a somebody.”
Fanny Price refusing Henry Crawford.

Emma

  • Emma Longs for Isabella’s Christmas Visit: “[Emma’s] sister, though comparatively but little removed by matrimony, being settled in London, only sixteen miles off, was much beyond her daily reach; and many a long October and November evening must be struggled through at Hartfield, before Christmas brought the next visit from Isabella and her husband, and their little children, to fill the house, and give her pleasant society again.”
  • Mrs. Weston on Mr. Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax: “‘You may well be amazed,’ returned Mrs. Weston, still averting her eyes, and talking on with eagerness, that Emma might have time to recover— ‘You may well be amazed. But it is even so. There has been a solemn engagement between them ever since October—formed at Weymouth, and kept a secret from every body. Not a creature knowing it but themselves—neither the Campbells, nor her family, nor his.—It is so wonderful, that though perfectly convinced of the fact, it is yet almost incredible to myself. I can hardly believe it.—I thought I knew him.'”
  • Mr. and Mrs. Weston’s Pain: “Engaged since October,—secretly engaged.—It has hurt me, Emma, very much. It has hurt his father equally. Some part of his conduct we cannot excuse.”
  • Emma and Mr. Knightley get married in October:
    • “Before the end of September, Emma attended Harriet to church, and saw her hand bestowed on Robert Martin…”
    • “The Mr. Churchills were also in town; and they were only waiting for November. The intermediate month was the one fixed on, as far as they dared, by Emma and Mr. Knightley. They had determined that their marriage ought to be concluded while John and Isabella were still at Hartfield, to allow them the fortnight’s absence in a tour to the seaside, which was the plan.”
    • “But Mr. John Knightley must be in London again by the end of the first week in November.”
    • “[Emma] was able to fix her wedding-day—and Mr. Elton was called on, within a month from the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin, to join the hands of Mr. Knightley and Miss Woodhouse.”
Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse, Emma 2009.

October Dates of Importance

This brings us now to several important October dates relating to Jane and her family:

Family News:

7 October 1767: Edward Austen born at Deane.

25 October 1804: Austen family returns to Bath and lives at 3 Green Park Buildings East.

October 1806: Austen women move to Southampton to live with Francis Austen and wife Mary.

14 October 1812: Edward Austen officially adopts “Knight” as surname.

4 October 1815: Austen travels to London and stays two months to nurse Henry during his illness.

Historic Dates:

19 October 1781: Major British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown, marking the end of the fighting during the American Revolutionary War.

16 October 1793: Marie Antoinette executed in France.

1 October 1801: Truce between Britain and France.

21 October 1805: Nelson defeats French-Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Writing:

October 1796: Austen begins writing “First Impressions” (later revised as Pride and Prejudice).

30 October 1811: Sense and Sensibility published “By a Lady.”

Sorrows:

10 October 1808: Elizabeth Austen (Edward’s wife) dies after eleventh childbirth.

Battle of Trafalgar.

October

As we round the corner into the last few months of the year, it’s fascinating to find so many interesting tidbits each month in Jane Austen’s letters, novels, and life. Next month, we’ll take a look at November 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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Michaelmas

Posted in Anglican Church, Jane Austen's World, Religion in Austen's England, tagged , , , on September 29, 2024| 5 Comments »

By Brenda S. Cox

“Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England . . . he is to take possession before Michaelmas.” –Pride and Prejudice, chapter 1

“People did say you [Mr. Bingley] meant to quit the place entirely at Michaelmas . . .” –Pride and Prejudice, chapter 53

Today, September 29, is Michaelmas (pronounced MICK-ul-muss). In the church calendar, for Catholics and for Anglicans like Austen, this is a “holy day” (from which we get our word holiday). It commemorates St. Michael, the archangel.

Sculpture of the Archangel Michael defeating the devil, from St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague.
Photo by Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sometimes other angels are also commemorated on this day: “St. Michael and All Angels,” or specifically Michael, Gabriel and Rafael, the three angels mentioned by name in the Bible. The word “saint,” from Latin “sanctus,” means “holy one,” so the holy angels of heaven can be considered saints.

“Michaelmas” means the mass of Michael, as “Christmas” means the mass of Christ. Mass is the Catholic version of what Anglicans call the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion, the ceremony where Christians eat unleavened bread and drink wine together to remember Christ’s suffering and death on the cross.

On the Calendar

In earlier times, the church and community were closely intertwined. Church holidays gave the year rhythm and consistency. Judicial, financial, and academic schedules came to revolve around four “quarter days” of the year. For England, these were Lady Day, Midsummer Day, Michaelmas, and Christmas.

March 25, Lady Day: Austen mentions this in her letters as the day when an allowance of money was to begin for her brother James, and as a day when someone was moving houses. In the church, it was the Feast of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary (the “Lady”) that she would have a child, Jesus.

June 24, Midsummer Day: In Emma, Jane Fairfax is supposed to leave at Midsummer, though she gets delayed. The Box Hill picnic takes place at “almost Midsummer.” Midsummer is capitalized, so it means a specific date. On this date, the church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus’s coming.

Sept. 29, Michaelmas Day is mentioned in all of Austen’s novels except Northanger Abbey as a date when things happen. Mrs. Jennings thinks Colonel Brandon will be married by Michaelmas. Mr. Bingley is to take possession of Netherfield at Michaelmas, and rumor has it he will leave by the next Michaelmas. In Mansfield Park, Mrs. Norris has been doctoring the coachman for rheumatism from Michaelmas through the winter, and Henry Crawford expects to have a small home nearby at Michaelmas, obviously hoping he and Fanny will be married by then. In Emma, Harriet Smith is amazed that Mr. Elton could be in love with her, since she hardly knew him at Michaelmas. It is probably November when she says this. The Crofts take possession of Kellynch Hall at Michaelmas, and Anne tells her father that Mary has been in “good looks” since Michaelmas. In Sanditon, Lady Denham brings Clara Brereton from London at Michaelmas.

Dec. 25, Christmas Day. In Austen’s novels and shorter works, she mentions Christmas 41 times and Easter 18 times by my count. They often serve to mark dates and times of year.

(For some purposes, Epiphany (Jan. 6) was a quarter day instead of Christmas, and Easter instead of Lady Day. But Midsummer and Michaelmas were still the other quarter days.)

Around these four quarterly dates, rents and payments came due, leases of lands and houses (like Netherfield) began and ended, servants were hired, and local courts held “quarter sessions.”

The academic year also revolved around church dates. The fall term at both Oxford and Cambridge is called Michaelmas term. I was surprised when I was at Cambridge two weeks ago, in mid-September, that the colleges were not yet in session. Then I realized it was not  yet Michaelmas. This year’s fall term starts just after Michaelmas, on Oct. 8. 

In the Church

The Book of Common Prayer (BCP), which gives daily worship services for the Church of England, includes a calendar of saints’ days. By Austen’s time, special services for most of those days were not commonly held in country parishes unless they fell on a Sunday. Christmas Day, though, was celebrated with a church service. In Emma, the weather keeps Emma from going to church on Christmas.

For each saint’s day, the BCP gives relevant Bible readings and a collect (pronounced KAH-lect) prayer for that day. Austen was likely very familiar with these, hearing them every year. For Michaelmas, the clergyman could choose from these readings about angels:

Revelation 12:7-12. “War in heaven”; “Michael and his angels fought against the dragons” [the demons]. Satan is cast out of heaven, but those who believe in Christ “overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Many depictions of Michael show him defeating Satan, sometimes in the form of a dragon.

Matthew 18:1-10. Jesus says not to despise children, for “their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

Genesis 32. Jacob wrestles with an angel. This is the same Jacob who earlier saw a vision of a ladder to heaven, with angels going up and down it. The front of Bath Abbey, which Jane Austen must have seen many times, pictures that ladder.

Angels going up and down the ladder to heaven, on the front of Bath Abbey. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2024.

Daniel 10:4-14. An angel sent to Daniel was delayed by the prince of Persia, apparently a demon, until the archangel Michael, “one of the chief princes,” came to help him. The angel looked like a man “clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: his body also was like the beryl [a gem, possibly an emerald], and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude” (Daniel 10:5-6). This angel doesn’t sound much like today’s usual pictures of angels!

Acts 12:5-18 An angel rescues the apostle Peter from prison.

Revelation 14:14-20 Angels pour out God’s wrath and judgment on the earth.

The Collect prayer read on Michaelmas requests the help of angels for those on earth:

“O everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Nowadays most Anglican churches use the more modern Book of Common Worship, but a traditional BCP service might still use this prayer and some of these Bible passages.

Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Hamstall Ridware, where Austen’s first cousin, Edward Cooper, served. Many English parish churches are named for St. Michael.
Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

The church of Austen’s first cousin, Edward Cooper, in Hamstall Ridware, is named after St. Michael and All Angels. Their service this Sunday will be a celebration of Harvest (the British equivalent of America’s Thanksgiving) as well as a “patronal festival,” since it is the day of St. Michael, patron saint of the church. The clergyman, Revd. Jeremy Brading, told me, “The aim of these occasions [patronal festivals] is to celebrate the life of the local church on the occasion of its saint’s day. The celebration is for all that has gone previously, thanking God for his work through the local church. [Just] as important, is praying to God for his leadership and guidance for the future, that the local church might serve him faithfully.”

In Popular Culture

While Michaelmas is not much celebrated in today’s Anglican church, it was a great religious feast day in the Middle Ages, and traditions grew up around it. Michaelmas comes at the end of the harvest and the change of the season. A few old English traditions:

Eating goose and doing good: If you ate goose on Michaelmas, it was supposed to protect you from financial need for the next year. One writer says, “On Michaelmas, families spend the day doing good, dancing, singing, and at the end of the day, sharing a feast of freshly baked bread, roast goose stuffed with potatoes, veggies, and herbs.”

Picking blackberries: According to legend, when the Archangel Michael, with his flaming sword, cast the devil out of heaven, the devil landed in a thorny patch of blackberries. He was so angry that he spat on the blackberries and even urinated on them to make them unfit to eat. Thus blackberries picked after Michaelmas are considered inedible. Since Michaelmas originally fell in what is now mid-October, until the calendar changed (from Julian to Gregorian), that was pretty much the end of blackberry season.

A European Michaelmas daisy, aster amellus.
Photo by Björn S…, CC BY-SA 2.0

Michaelmas daisies: An old rhyme says,

‘The Michaelmas daisy, among dead weeds,

Blooms for St Michael’s valorous deeds.

And seems the last of flowers that stood,

Till the feast of St Simon and St Jude.’

Michaelmas daisies are asters, star-shaped flowers in lilac, blue, pink, or white. The peak of their bloom is around Michaelmas, though many are still blooming at the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude on Oct. 28.

Lawless Hour: An odd custom from Worcestershire: “In Kidderminster the Monday after Michaelmas had Lawless Hour between 12 pm and 1 pm, in between the old constable stepping down and the new one taking office. This led to an hour when people couldn’t be arrested, so groups would fight by throwing cabbage stalks and other fruit and vegetables at each other. The authorities mostly turned a blind eye, but by the mid 19th century this practice ended as it was considerate inappropriate.” Other local areas have their own Michaelmas traditions. 

We don’t know what Michaelmas traditions Jane Austen kept. But she did mention Michaelmas 15 times in her fiction, and now you know what it meant. Happy Michaelmas to you all!

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September in Jane Austen’s World

Posted in A Year in Jane Austen's World, English Garden, Georgian Life, Jane Austen's letters, Jane Austen's life, Jane Austen's World, Regency, Regency Life, Regency World on September 9, 2024| 1 Comment »

As we explore September in Jane Austen’s World, we’re nearing the end of summer and the start of fall. Let’s take a look at Jane Austen’s life, letters, and novels and all they can tell us about Regency life in the month of September!

If you’re just jumping on the bus, you can find previous articles in this “A Year in Jane Austen’s World” series here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and August.

First off, we always love to see what each month brings to the English countryside in Jane Austen’s Hampshire. You can already see a hint of fall colors here and there, but the gardens are still lush and green. Here is a look at Chawton House this time of year:

Chawton House in September: Photo @ChawtonHouse.

September in Hampshire

In September, Jane Austen’s Hampshire still feels like summer, but there is a hint of autumn in the air that deepens as the month draws on. Of the weather, we have two comments from Austen in September 1796:

1 September (Rowling): “Our men had but indifferent weather for their visit to Godmersham, for it rained great part of the way there and all the way back.”

18 September (Rowling): “What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance.”

Here is a glimpse of Jane Austen’s House Museum and its gardens in September:

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

September in Jane Austen’s Letters

Of Austen’s surviving letters, there are four from the month of September. All are dated from September 1796, at Rowling House. Austen spent several weeks there visiting her brother Edward and his wife, Elizabeth, at their first home, Rowling, a large farmhouse in Kent. Here are a few interesting highlights from her letters during her time there:

1 September:

  • Jane and Cassandra’s friendship: “The letter which I have this moment received from you has diverted me beyond moderation. I could die of laughter at it, as they used to say at school. You are indeed the finest comic writer of the present age.”
  • New gowns: “I have had my new gown made up, and it really makes a very superb surplice. I am sorry to say that my new coloured gown is very much washed out, though I charged everybody to take great care of it. I hope yours is so too.”
  • Jane’s skill with a needle and thread: “We are very busy making Edward’s shirts, and I am proud to say that I am the neatest worker of the party.”

Jane Austen quite prided herself on her needlework. In her article “I Am the Neatest Worker of the Party”: Making and Mending the Family’s Wardrobe,” Ann Buermann Wass (Persuasions On-Line) shares this:

“Before the invention of the sewing machine, all sewing had to be done by hand. While some tasks were left to professionals, the sewing of mothers, sisters, and daughters was a significant contribution to the household. Both letters and diaries suggest that women’s hands were seldom idle as they “sat at work,” that is, sewed garments for themselves and their families and mended them as they showed signs of wear. This work, stowed in work (or sewing) bags, was portable and could be carried around the house or even taken out visiting, allowing women to be productive while they chatted.” (Bauermann Wass)

Lady with a Red and Blue Sewing Bag (1815). National Gallery of Art.

5 September:

  • Cassandra attends a ball: “I shall be extremely anxious to hear the event of your ball, and shall hope to receive so long and minute an account of every particular that I shall be tired of reading it. Let me know how many, besides their fourteen selves and Mr. and Mrs. Wright, Michael will contrive to place about their coach, and how many of the gentlemen, musicians, and waiters, he will have persuaded to come in their shooting-jackets. I hope John Lovett’s accident will not prevent his attending the ball, as you will otherwise be obliged to dance with Mr. Tincton the whole evening. Let me know how J. Harwood deports himself without the Miss Biggs, and which of the Marys will carry the day with my brother James.”
  • Jane attends a ball: “We were at a ball on Saturday, I assure you. We dined at Goodnestone, and in the evening danced two country-dances and the Boulangeries. I opened the ball with Edward Bridges; the other couples were Lewis Cage and Harriet, Frank and Louisa, Fanny and George. Elizabeth played one country-dance, Lady Bridges the other, which she made Henry dance with her, and Miss Finch played the Boulangeries. (In reading over the last three or four lines, I am aware of my having expressed myself in so doubtful a manner that, if I did not tell you to the contrary, you might imagine it was Lady Bridges who made Henry dance with her at the same time that she was playing, which, if not impossible, must appear a very improbable event to you. But it was Elizabeth who danced.) We supped there, and walked home at night under the shade of two umbrellas.”

15 September:

  • Living in style: “We have been very gay since I wrote last; dining at Nackington, returning by moonlight, and everything quite in style, not to mention Mr. Claringbould’s funeral which we saw go by on Sunday.”
  • Jane’s commentary: “Miss Fletcher and I were very thick, but I am the thinnest of the two. She wore her purple muslin, which is pretty enough, though it does not become her complexion. There are two traits in her character which are pleasing — namely, she admires Camilla, and drinks no cream in her tea.”
  • A gentleman Jane admired: “We went by Bifrons, and I contemplated with a melancholy pleasure the abode of him on whom I once fondly doated.”
  • Jane’s travel plans: “As to the mode of our travelling to town, I want to go in a stage-coach, but Frank will not let me. As you are likely to have the Williams and Lloyds with you next week, you would hardly find room for us then. If anyone wants anything in town, they must send their commissions to Frank, as I shall merely pass through it. The tallow-chandler is Penlington, at the Crown and Beehive, Charles Street, Covent Garden.

What an intriguing line: “the abode of him on whome I once fondly doated.” Like me, you’re probably thinking, Who was this man? While some might wonder if she was referencing Tom Lefroy, it seems that Austen was actually writing about a different man.

Syrie James explains this reference in the following excerpt from her article, “Edward Taylor of Bifrons: Jane Austen’s First Love,” English Historical Fiction Authors (December 3, 2014):

When Jane wrote that letter in 1796, her flirtation with Lefroy had ended some seven months prior. She was reminiscing with wistful longing about a young man she’d met many years earlier. Scholars have long since identified the “Him” as Edward Taylor, and the “abode,” Bifrons Park, as the estate in Kent which he would one day inherit. Little else, however, was known about him. Biographer Deirdre Le Faye, in Jane Austen: A Family Record (1989) simply states, “Jane met and briefly cherished a girlish passion for young Mr. Edward Taylor of Bifrons.” John Halperin, in The Life of Jane Austen (1984), refers to Edward Taylor as “her old beau” and “the most shadowy of her possible early ‘suitors.’

You can read more of James’s fascinating article about Edward Taylor of Bifrons HERE. Her book Jane Austen’s First Love is based on her research about the young man Jane Austen apparently “doated” on in her youth. I have not read it, but I like the concept!

18 September:

  • News of Frank’s new appointment: “Frank has received his appointment on board the “Captain John Gore,” commanded by the “Triton,” and will therefore be obliged to be in town on Wednesday.” (The “Triton” is a new 32 frigate just launch at Deptford. Frank is much pleased with the prospect of having Captain Gore under his command.)

Having brothers in the Navy meant that the two Austen sisters were well-versed on topics surrounding ships, men in leadership, and appointments. Here is a fascinating bit of information I discovered about the very unique HMS Triton:

“Triton was an experimental ship and the only one built to that design; she was constructed out of fir due to wartime supply shortages of more traditional materials and had some unusual features such as no tumblehome. Her namesake was the Greek god Triton, a god of the sea. She was commissioned in June 1796 under Captain John Gore, with whom she would spend the majority of her active service, to serve in the Channel in the squadron of Sir John Warren.” (Wikipedia)

HMS Triton, artist Nicholas Pocock (1797).

September in Jane Austen’s Novels

Sense and Sensibility

  • The Dashwood women arrive at Barton Cottage in September: “As a house, Barton Cottage, though small, was comfortable and compact; but as a cottage it was defective, for the building was regular, the roof was tiled, the window shutters were not painted green, nor were the walls covered with honeysuckles. A narrow passage led directly through the house into the garden behind. On each side of the entrance was a sitting room, about sixteen feet square; and beyond them were the offices and the stairs. Four bed-rooms and two garrets formed the rest of the house. It had not been built many years and was in good repair. In comparison of Norland, it was poor and small indeed!—but the tears which recollection called forth as they entered the house were soon dried away. They were cheered by the joy of the servants on their arrival, and each for the sake of the others resolved to appear happy. It was very early in September; the season was fine, and from first seeing the place under the advantage of good weather, they received an impression in its favour which was of material service in recommending it to their lasting approbation.”
Barton Cottage, Sense and Sensibility (1995), an 18th century stone cottage on Flete Estate in South Devon.

Pride and Prejudice

  • Lydia’s new husband goes hunting in September: “Lydia was exceedingly fond of him. He was her dear Wickham on every occasion; no one was to be put in competition with him. He did everything best in the world; and she was sure he would kill more birds on the first of September than anybody else in the country.”

September 1st is when hunting season opens for partridge, duck, and goose in the UK, as it did in Jane Austen’s day. Apparently, Lydia thinks her new husband will kill more birds than any other man in England on opening day!

Mansfield Park

  • Mr. Crawford goes to Norfolk in September: “The season and duties which brought Mr. Bertram back to Mansfield took Mr. Crawford into Norfolk. Everingham could not do without him in the beginning of September. He went for a fortnight—a fortnight of such dullness to the Miss Bertrams as ought to have put them both on their guard, and made even Julia admit, in her jealousy of her sister, the absolute necessity of distrusting his attentions, and wishing him not to return; and a fortnight of sufficient leisure, in the intervals of shooting and sleeping, to have convinced the gentleman that he ought to keep longer away, had he been more in the habit of examining his own motives, and of reflecting to what the indulgence of his idle vanity was tending; but, thoughtless and selfish from prosperity and bad example, he would not look beyond the present moment. The sisters, handsome, clever, and encouraging, were an amusement to his sated mind; and finding nothing in Norfolk to equal the social pleasures of Mansfield, he gladly returned to it at the time appointed, and was welcomed thither quite as gladly by those whom he came to trifle with further.”

Emma

  • Mr. Weston proclaimed a hero by Emma’s sister for his help one September night: “Me, my love,” cried his wife, hearing and understanding only in part.— “Are you talking about me?—I am sure nobody ought to be, or can be, a greater advocate for matrimony than I am; and if it had not been for the misery of her leaving Hartfield, I should never have thought of Miss Taylor but as the most fortunate woman in the world; and as to slighting Mr. Weston, that excellent Mr. Weston, I think there is nothing he does not deserve. I believe he is one of the very best-tempered men that ever existed. Excepting yourself and your brother, I do not know his equal for temper. I shall never forget his flying Henry’s kite for him that very windy day last Easter—and ever since his particular kindness last September twelvemonth in writing that note, at twelve o’clock at night, on purpose to assure me that there was no scarlet fever at Cobham, I have been convinced there could not be a more feeling heart nor a better man in existence.—If any body can deserve him, it must be Miss Taylor.”
  • Harriet’s visit to the Martin family and a fond September memory: “She had seen only Mrs. Martin and the two girls. They had received her doubtingly, if not coolly; and nothing beyond the merest commonplace had been talked almost all the time—till just at last, when Mrs. Martin’s saying, all of a sudden, that she thought Miss Smith was grown, had brought on a more interesting subject, and a warmer manner. In that very room she had been measured last September, with her two friends. There were the pencilled marks and memorandums on the wainscot by the window. He had done it. They all seemed to remember the day, the hour, the party, the occasion—to feel the same consciousness, the same regrets—to be ready to return to the same good understanding; and they were just growing again like themselves, (Harriet, as Emma must suspect, as ready as the best of them to be cordial and happy,) when the carriage reappeared, and all was over. The style of the visit, and the shortness of it, were then felt to be decisive. Fourteen minutes to be given to those with whom she had thankfully passed six weeks not six months ago!”
  • Harriet marries Mr. Martin in September: “Before the end of September, Emma attended Harriet to church, and saw her hand bestowed on Robert Martin with so complete a satisfaction, as no remembrances, even connected with Mr. Elton as he stood before them, could impair.—Perhaps, indeed, at that time she scarcely saw Mr. Elton, but as the clergyman whose blessing at the altar might next fall on herself.—Robert Martin and Harriet Smith, the latest couple engaged of the three, were the first to be married.”
  • Anne grieves living away from Kellynch Hall for Michaelmas (29th of September): “Michaelmas came; and now Anne’s heart must be in Kellynch again. A beloved home made over to others; all the precious rooms and furniture, groves, and prospects, beginning to own other eyes and other limbs! She could not think of much else on the 29th of September; and she had this sympathetic touch in the evening from Mary, who, on having occasion to note down the day of the month, exclaimed, “Dear me, is not this the day the Crofts were to come to Kellynch? I am glad I did not think of it before. How low it makes me!”
Harriet marries Mr. Martin (Emma 2009).

September Dates of Importance

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

Family News:

15 September 1791: James Austen becomes vicar of Sherborne St John, Hampshire.

September 1794: Charles Austen graduates from the Royal Naval Academy and becomes a midshipman aboard HMS Daedalus.

Historic Dates:

3 September 1783: The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the American War of Independence.

29 September (yearly): Michaelmas celebrations, a day of feasting, which traditionally included a roast goose and blackberry pie.

Writing:

August/September 1815: Jane Austen possibly travels to London, regarding the publication of Emma, returning early in September.

Sorrows:

6 September 1814: Charles Austen’s wife Fanny dies after childbirth.

Chawton House Gardens in September: Photo @ChawtonHouse.

September

As you can see, September is a month when Jane Austen and her friends, family, and characters enjoyed travel, balls, and other outings. Next month, we’ll step into autumn in Hampshire and learn about October 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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The Garrison Chapel: Domus Dei, House of God

Posted in 19th Century England, Churches of the Austen family, Jane Austen's World, Mansfield Park, Religion in Austen's England, tagged , , on August 25, 2024| 4 Comments »

By Brenda S. Cox

“The Prices were just setting off for church the next day when Mr. Crawford appeared again. He came, not to stop, but to join them; he was asked to go with them to the Garrison chapel, which was exactly what he had intended, and they all walked thither together.”—Mansfield Park, chapter 42

The Garrison Chapel in Portsmouth, where the Price family and Henry Crawford worshiped.

Real Churches in Austen’s Novels

The Garrison Chapel (now called the Garrison Church) is one of a handful of specific, real churches Jane Austen mentions in her novels. 

  • In Northanger Abbey, John Thorpe passes “Walcot Church,” St. Swithin’s on the edge of Bath. We hear about the “church-yard” in Bath, adjacent to Bath Abbey, though the Abbey is not named. Catherine Morland looks for the “well-known spire” of Salisbury Cathedral on her way home. (See “Churches, Chapels, Abbeys, and Cathedrals in Northanger Abbey”.)
  • In Pride and Prejudice, Wickham and Lydia get married at St. Clement’s in London, possibly St. Clement Danes in London’s city of Westminster, or St. Clement Eastcheap, near London Bridge. By the way, it’s not clear which of those is the St. Clement’s of the old nursery rhyme about London church bells, which begins “Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s.” 
  • In Mansfield Park, Mary Crawford mentions St. George’s, Hanover Square (in Mayfair, London) as a place for weddings. Dr. Grant seeks a promotion to Westminster Abbey or St. Paul’s Cathedral (he gains a prebendal stall at Westminster). And the Prices attend church at the “Garrison Chapel” in Portsmouth.

All these churches can still be visited, though the Garrison Church is partly in ruins. (Have I missed any churches named in Austen’s novels? Let me know in the comments if you have noticed others!)

The Royal Garrison Church, now run by English Heritage, can be visited on certain days, April through October. Admission is free.

The Garrison Chapel in Portsmouth

What was the Garrison Chapel? It was called a chapel, not a church, at that time, since “church” meant the Church of England main church of a parish. There were several types of chapels. This one was an institutional chapel, connected to a certain place or group of people. It was the chapel for military troops serving in Portsmouth. Since Fanny Price’s father was a “lieutenant of marines,” this was the logical place for her family to worship.

Mansfield Park tells us, “In chapel they were obliged to divide, but Mr. Crawford took care not to be divided from the female branch.” Roger E. Moore, in Jane Austen and the Reformation, explains, “officers and sailors sit separately from civilians” (124). Presumably Fanny’s father joined his friends, his “brother loungers,” in one section, while his family, with Henry Crawford, sat in a different section.

Nave of the Garrison Church, originally a hospital, meaning a place of hospitality for the needy. Beds lined the sides. The roof was destroyed by bombing in World War II.

Origins

The Garrison Church building dates all the way back to 1212 A. D., over 800 years ago. The Bishop of Winchester founded it as a “hospital” called the “Domus Dei,” or “House of God.” It was not a place for medical care, but a place of hospitality. The poor, the ill, and people on pilgrimage could come there and find rest. Beds lined what later became the nave of the church.

Mass was said regularly in a chapel at the east end of the building. Residents would either attend services or listen from their beds if they could not stand. A priest was in charge, aided by twelve poor men or women. They helped look after visitors in exchange for bread, ale, and a place to stay.

According to Moore, the main hall was “surrounded by a complex of auxiliary buildings, including a master’s house and hall, kitchen, bakehouse, stable, and lodgings for the brothers and sisters who staffed it” (124-5). Income from nearby houses and land supported the work, just as medieval monasteries were supported by nearby properties.

Moore says that the mention of this place in Mansfield Park is significant. The “Domus Dei” (which later became the Garrison Chapel) gladly welcomed anyone who appeared there asking for entrance, regardless of social status. It is contrasted with Mansfield Park, where Mrs. Norris does not “gladly” welcome poor Fanny to the parsonage where she and her husband live. Even the Bertrams give Fanny only a small attic room, without even a fire for warmth. Moore also points out that when Fanny sees Henry in Portsmouth, she is impressed that he has been acting as a “friend to the poor and oppressed,” just as the brothers and sisters at the Domus Dei had done for many.

The author (Brenda Cox) at the entrance to the Garrison Church today. All visitors are welcome (at specified times), as in medieval times.

The hospital closed in 1540 when King Henry VIII suppressed the monasteries and other religious houses, including most such hospitals. Valuables were stripped from it, and the buildings were used to store munitions. Queen Elizabeth I expanded the fortifications at Portsmouth, made the large dormitory into a chapel for the garrison, and the rest of the buildings became the home of the garrison’s governor.

©Brenda S. Cox, 2024
Eagle lectern in the Garrison Church, from 1801, commemorates Queen Victoria. Eagles were often used for church lecterns, which held Bibles or the Book of Common Prayer. Eagles were believed to be able to look at the sun, just as Christians look directly into God’s Word. It is also the bird believed to fly closest to heaven, symbolizing carrying God’s Word around the world.
(Source: a guidebook in the church)

In 1826, the Governor’s house next to the chapel was demolished. Forty years later, restoration work began on the church (now called a church rather than a chapel), balancing “the original medieval appearance with Victorian needs and preferences,” according to a sign at the site. A new altar, pulpit, and stalls were added.

Garrison Church chancel today; furnishings are Victorian and later.

Garrison Church Today

The church was bombed in 1941, destroying much of the roof of the nave (the large hall that used to be the hospital). However, the smaller worship area, the chancel, survived and continued to be used. See this site for more about the church’s history. 

Stained glass windows with Bible themes above the altar of the Garrison Church, added in 1957.
Garrison Church stained glass windows, added in 1967, depicting its history. The founder is on the left. Bombing of the church is depicted in the center. The right panel shows St. Nicholas, patron saint of the church. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, and travelers, appropriate for this port city. Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s coat of arms and his ship HMS Victory are above and below St. Nicholas.
The choir stalls include memorials to soldiers killed in the Crimean War, and this one to Lord Nelson.

Apparently the church is still in use for occasional services for the military. It is open to the public on certain days and times, for free; check the website before going. 

In Portsmouth Harbor you can also visit HMS Victory, Lord Nelson’s ship, which is undergoing a thorough restoration. The cruise we took of the harbor was lovely. On the same day, my friends and I also visited Netley Abbey. Nearby Southampton has a few sites related to Austen. However, we were not allowed to enter the Dolphin Hotel, where she danced. You can only see it from the street.

There’s so much history and meaning in Jane Austen’s mildest references. I’m thankful for the many people who have preserved and kept alive the places that were important to Austen and to her characters, including the Garrison Chapel.

All photos ©Brenda S. Cox, 2024. Please ask permission before using.

Sources

Roger E. Moore, Jane Austen and the Reformation

Excellent signs and booklet at the church

Garrison Church website

Real Churches in Austen’s Novels and Letters

Garrison Chapel

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

St. George’s, Hanover Square

London Churches

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

Austen Family Churches

Steventon

Chawton

Deane

Hamstall Ridware and Austen’s First Cousin, Edward Cooper

Adlestrop and the Leigh Family

Stoneleigh Abbey Chapel and Mansfield Park

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

Ashe and the Lefroy Family

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August in Jane Austen’s World

Posted in A Year in Jane Austen's World, Chawton Cottage, Jane Austen Novels, Jane Austen's family, Jane Austen's letters, Jane Austen's life, Jane Austen's World, Regency Life on August 13, 2024| 2 Comments »

Our month-by-month exploration of Jane Austen’s life, letters, and novels continues now as we take a look at August 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, June, and July.

During the lovely summer months in the Hampshire countryside, we know Jane loved to walk and write and visit with friends and family. Sometimes the days are hot, but most of the time, it’s sunny and warm–usually with a chance of showers, which is what helps keep things so pretty and green. If you visit Chawton House Gardens or Jane Austen’s House this time of year, there is plenty to see!

Chawton House in August: Photo @ChawtonHouse.
Jane Austen’s House in August, Photo: @JaneAustensHouse.

Austen in Stitches

This summer, Chawton House Museum is hosting the “Chawton in Stitches” exhibit, which showcases “the work of award-winning graduate of the Royal School of Needlework Emily Barnett, whose degree project took inspiration from the gardens and collection at Chawton House. Her final showstopping piece comprises three beautifully embroidered panels, focusing on the Orchard and the Knight family cookbook, the Rose Garden and Elizabeth Blackwell’s Curious Herbal, and the Library Terrace and the women’s writing collection.”

You can read more about it HERE.

Austen Fountain Pens

The Jane Austen House Museum is proud to announce a beautiful new set of pens from Montblanc: “Historic luxury pen manufacturer Montblanc releases four exquisite limited edition writing instruments, celebrating Jane Austen and inspired by Jane Austen’s House.”

“The Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Jane Austen pays tribute to Jane Austen as one of Britain’s most celebrated novelists with four limited edition pens. Each writing instrument in the collection represents a passion in Jane Austen’s life, including the countryside, this very House, travel and the ball, illustrating the many facets of her life and works. Details in the craftsmanship of each pen seamlessly reflect aspects of Jane Austen’s life and writing.”

August in Jane Austen’s Letters

Jane tends to write about the weather at some point in her letters, and her August letters are no different:

Cork Street, August 1796
“We reached Staines yesterday, I do not (know) when, without suffering so much from the heat as I had hoped to do. We set off again this morning at seven o’clock, and had a very pleasant drive, as the morning was cloudy and perfectly cool. I came all the way in the chaise from Hertford Bridge.”

She also writes about Henry’s lovely new home in Hans Place, about her own room, the gardens, and the downstairs room that seems to be where she writes in the morning.

23 Hans Place, August 1814
“It is a delightful place,—more than answers my expectation. Having got rid of my unreasonable ideas, I find more space and comfort in the rooms than I had supposed, and the garden is quite a love. I am in the front attic, which is the bedchamber to be preferred.”

“I live in [Henry’s] room downstairs; it is particularly pleasant from opening upon the garden. I go and refresh myself every now and then, and then come back to solitary coolness.”

“Now I have breakfasted and have the room to myself again. It is likely to be a fine day. How do you all do?”

From Vic: “In 1814, Henry moved from his rooms above his bank to a house he purchased in Hans Place in Knightsbridge. The area was situated near his old quarters on Sloane Street.” You can read more about Hans Place in Vic’s detailed article, “Jane Austen’s Visits to London.”

Hans Place, The Pavillion, 1812. Image @British History Online

August in Jane Austen’s Novels

Pride and Prejudice

  • Mr. Gardiner writes to Mr. Bennet in August (Gracechurch Street, Monday, August 2). Elizabeth reads the letter:

    “My dear Brother, At last I am able to send you some tidings of my niece, and such as, upon the whole, I hope will give you satisfaction. Soon after you left me on Saturday, I was fortunate enough to find out in what part of London they were. The particulars I reserve till we meet. It is enough to know they are discovered: I have seen them both——”

    “Then it is as I always hoped,” cried Jane: “they are married!”

    Elizabeth reads on: “I have seen them both. They are not married, nor can I find there was any intention of being so; but if you are willing to perform the engagements which I have ventured to make on your side, I hope it will not be long before they are. All that is required of you is, to assure to your daughter, by settlement, her equal share of the five thousand pounds, secured among your children after the decease of yourself and my sister; and, moreover, to enter into an engagement of allowing her, during your life, one hundred pounds per annum…”

Mansfield Park

  • Tom Bertram arrives home: “Sir Thomas was to return in November, and his eldest son had duties to call him earlier home. The approach of September brought tidings of Mr. Bertram, first in a letter to the gamekeeper and then in a letter to Edmund; and by the end of August he arrived himself, to be gay, agreeable, and gallant again as occasion served, or Miss Crawford demanded; to tell of races and Weymouth, and parties and friends, to which she might have listened six weeks before with some interest, and altogether to give her the fullest conviction, by the power of actual comparison, of her preferring his younger brother.”
  • Sir Thomas arrives home earlier than expected: “Julia, appearing at it, with a face all aghast, exclaimed, ‘My father is come! He is in the hall at this moment.’ How is the consternation of the party to be described? To the greater number it was a moment of absolute horror. Sir Thomas in the house! All felt the instantaneous conviction. Not a hope of imposition or mistake was harboured anywhere. Julia’s looks were an evidence of the fact that made it indisputable; and after the first starts and exclamations, not a word was spoken for half a minute: each with an altered countenance was looking at some other, and almost each was feeling it a stroke the most unwelcome, most ill-timed, most appalling! Mr. Yates might consider it only as a vexatious interruption for the evening, and Mr. Rushworth might imagine it a blessing; but every other heart was sinking under some degree of self-condemnation or undefined alarm, every other heart was suggesting, ‘What will become of us? what is to be done now?’ It was a terrible pause; and terrible to every ear were the corroborating sounds of opening doors and passing footsteps.”

Emma

  • August is when Jane Fairfax will leave Highbury: “Jane Fairfax was still at her grandmother’s; and as the return of the Campbells from Ireland was again delayed, and August, instead of Midsummer, fixed for it, she was likely to remain there full two months longer, provided at least she were able to defeat Mrs. Elton’s activity in her service, and save herself from being hurried into a delightful situation against her will.”
  • Emma’s sisters Isabella plans to visit in August (and will keep Harriet with them until then): “Mr. and Mrs. John Knightley were to come down in August, and she was invited to remain till they could bring her back.”
Box Hill Picnic

Persuasion

  • Anne Elliot’s birthday: Anne, born August 9, 1787.
  • Captain Wentworth goes to stay with Captain Benwick in August in order to break the news of Fanny Harville’s (his fiancée’s) death: “Not till the first week of August, when he came home from the Cape, just made into the Grappler. I was at Plymouth dreading to hear of him; he sent in letters, but the Grappler was under orders for Portsmouth. There the news must follow him, but who was to tell it? not I. I would as soon have been run up to the yard-arm. Nobody could do it, but that good fellow (pointing to Captain Wentworth). The Laconia had come into Plymouth the week before; no danger of her being sent to sea again. He stood his chance for the rest; wrote up for leave of absence, but without waiting the return, travelled night and day till he got to Portsmouth, rowed off to the Grappler that instant, and never left the poor fellow for a week. That’s what he did, and nobody else could have saved poor James. You may think, Miss Elliot, whether he is dear to us!”
Ciarán Hinds as Captain Frederick Wentworth in Persuasion, 1995.

August Dates of Importance

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

Family News:
26 August 1766: George Austen (Jane’s brother) born at Deane.
July-August 1768: Austen family moves to Steventon, Hampshire.

Historic Dates:
1 August 1798: Horatio Nelson’s victory over Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of the Nile.

Writing:
August 1797: Austen finishes “First Impressions.”
8 August 1815: Austen begins Persuasion.
August 1816: Persuasion revised and finished.

Sorrows:
9 August 1798: Lady Williams (Jane Cooper, one of Austen’s lifelong friends), dies in a tragic carriage accident on the Isle of Wight at the age of 27.

The Destruction of ‘L’Orient’ at the Battle of the Nile, George Arnald.
1 August 1798. (Wikimedia Commons.)

Summer Wanes

As the summer heat slowly diminishes in Jane Austen’s England, we can look forward to the first breaths of autumn next month when we return to examine September in Jane Austen’s World. Until then, I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring August and all it has to offer!

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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