This Jane Austen blog brings Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency Period alive through food, dress, social customs, and other 19th C. historical details related to this topic.
Jane Austen fans are flocking to theaters to watch the 2005 Pride and Prejudicefilm in theaters to celebrate its 20th anniversary. And what perfect timing with Jane’s own 250th celebration!
The film’s re-release in theaters was originally set for April 18-24, 2025, but it was extended to April 25-30, 2025 due to its success. It’s a limited engagement, primarily in the U.S., so Jane Austen friend groups, book clubs, and JASNA regional groups are taking advantage of this special event and gathering at movie theaters nationwide to watch it together.
Some, in Regency garb!
Pop Culture Craze
While the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice isn’t a favorite with some Jane Austen fans, who argue that it’s a very loose interpretation of the novel (and rife with historical inaccuracies), it’s been a huge sensation with a whole new wave of Austen fans since it first released 20 years ago. P&P 2005 fans discuss it non-stop online and have created fan groups and an endless library of memes, edits, reels dedicated to it. An entire fandom has formed itself around the film and its actors.
Hand Flex
And its popularity shows no sign of stopping. From Macfadyen’s emotionally complex portrayal of Mr. Darcy, the electricity between Knightley and Macfadyen, and the famous “hand-flex” scene, this highly romanticized adaptation of Austen’s novel is a cultural phenomenon in its own right.
Musical Score
The musical score alone is beloved by fans everywhere. Composed by Dario Marianelli and performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano) and the English Chamber Orchestra), the music is one of the reasons people love the film so much. The title track “Dawn” is just about as dreamy as it can get:
Awards and Nominations
After its release, the film won or was nominated for endless awards from the film industry, including Oscar nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Keira Knightley), Best Achievement in Art Direction (Sarah Greenwood, art director and Katie Spencer, set decorator), Best Achievement in Costume Design (Jacqueline Durran), and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score, Dario Marianelli).
Joe Wright, the film’s director and the 2006 Winner Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer, joined a Q&A several days ago at a special screening of the re-release. Of his directorial debut, he said, “I’m actually prouder of the film tonight than I think I’ve ever been.” (@focusfeatures)
The 2005 Pride and Prejudice is often compared to the 1995 sweeping BCC version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, but it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. They are both so vastly different in every way. Nonetheless, fans have been debating this topic for 20 years now and will probably continue for another 20 years at least.
People outside the Jane Austen fandom probably won’t ever understand why we all feel so passionate about the different film versions of Austen’s novels, but in the words of Mr. Bennet, “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?”
Re-Watching
Jane Austen fans LOVE to re-watch the films over and over. Have you been to the theater to watch the 2005 P&P re-release? Are you planning to go? (Did you / Will you dress up?) Which version do you prefer? Please comment below!
If you’d like to check showtimes in your local village theater, you can search AMC’s listings HERE. I’m hoping to see it before it’s gone. I can’t pass up the chance to watch a movie with other die-hard Janeites at the theater!
We’ve arrived at December in Jane Austen’s World, dear readers! We’ve traversed Austen’s life, letters, and novels for a full year now, and it’s been a wonderful adventure.
To start, December is Jane Austen’s birthday month, and today, December 16th, is her birthday! Let’s stop for a moment and wish a very Happy Birthday to Jane!!
Can you imagine raising a child like Jane? I’m sure her parents had no idea that their little bundle of joy held such an incredible gift within her – a gift that would bless people around the world for generations to come. Almost 250 years after her birth, people still study and celebrate her writing every day!
December in Hampshire
As we do each month, let us now turn our attention to the lovely Hampshire countryside, the place where Jane spent most of her life, and see what it looks like this time of year. Here are the Chawton Great House gardens in December:
As one might assume, the weather turns cold and brisk this time of year. However, the weather in December did not keep Regency people at home as much as January-March, so many of Austen’s letters and novels feature parties, balls, and gatherings in December. Austen makes mention of December weather in her letters here:
Steventon (26 December 1798):
“The snow came to nothing yesterday, so I did go to Deane, and returned home at nine o’clock at night in the little carriage, and without being very cold.”
Castle Square (27 December 1808):
“We have had snow on the ground here almost a week; it is now going, but Southampton must boast no longer.”
And here is a photo of Jane Austen’s House Museum all decked out for Christmas:
We have letters posted from Steventon on December 1st, 18th, 24th, and 28th in 1798; from Castle Square on December 9th and 27th in 1808; and a small mention in January 1809 of an important letter from Charles from posted from Bermuda in December 1808.
But first, perhaps one of the most important letters we have from December – Jane’s father’s letter to his sister announcing his second daughter’s entry into the world!
You have doubtless been for some time in expectation of hearing from Hampshire, and perhaps wondered a little we were in our old age grown such bad reckoners but so it was, for Cassy certainly expected to have been brought to bed a month ago: however last night the time came, and without a great deal of warning, everything was soon happily over. We have now another girl, a present plaything for her sister Cassy and a future companion. She is to be Jenny.
Tree-lined lane to St. Nicholas Church, Steventon. Photo @ Rachel Dodge.
Other odds and ends from Austen’s December letters are below, but I encourage you to read them in their entirety. Her letters are always so newsy and amusing. Several in this batch include information about her brothers away at sea. Relaying letters and news about their whereabouts and safety was of utmost importance to the entire family, as is true of every family with members serving in the military.
Steventon (1 December 1798):
News of Frank: “I am so good as to write to you again thus speedily, to let you know that I have just heard from Frank (Francis). He was at Cadiz, alive and well, on October 19, and had then very lately received a letter from you, written as long ago as when the ‘London’ was at St. Helen’s… Frank writes in good spirits, but says that our correspondence cannot be so easily carried on in future as it has been, as the communication between Cadiz and Lisbon is less frequent than formerly. You and my mother, therefore, must not alarm yourselves at the long intervals that may divide his letters. I address this advice to you two as being the most tender-hearted of the family.“
A splendid dinner: “Mr. Lyford…came while we were at dinner, and partook of our elegant entertainment. I was not ashamed at asking him to sit down to table, for we had some pease-soup, a sparerib, and a pudding. He wants my mother to look yellow and to throw out a rash, but she will do neither.”
New baby and Jane’s opinions on ‘laying in’: “Mary does not manage matters in such a way as to make me want to lay in myself. She is not tidy enough in her appearance; she has no dressing-gown to sit up in; her curtains are all too thin, and things are not in that comfort and style about her which are necessary to make such a situation an enviable one. Elizabeth was really a pretty object with her nice clean cap put on so tidily and her dress so uniformly white and orderly.”
Regency-style meal (reproduction). Jane Austen’s House, Photo: @JaneAustensHouse.
Steventon (18 December 1798):
A birthday message received: “I am very much obliged to my dear little George for his message,—for his love at least; his duty, I suppose, was only in consequence of some hint of my favorable intentions towards him from his father or mother. I am sincerely rejoiced, however, that I ever was born, since it has been the means of procuring him a dish of tea. Give my best love to him…”
Steventon (24 December 1798):
News of both brothers in the Navy: “Admiral Gambier, in reply to my father’s application, writes as follows: As it is usual to keep young officers in small vessels, it being most proper on account of their inexperience, and it being also a situation where they are more in the way of learning their duty, your son (Charles) has been continued in the ‘Scorpion;’ but I have mentioned to the Board of Admiralty his wish to be in a frigate, and when a proper opportunity offers and it is judged that he has taken his turn in a small ship, I hope he will be removed. With regard to your son now in the ‘London’ (Francis) I am glad I can give you the assurance that his promotion is likely to take place very soon, as Lord Spencer has been so good as to say he would include him in an arrangement that he proposes making in a short time relative to some promotions in that quarter.”
One of Jane’s now-famous quotes: “Miss Blackford is agreeable enough.I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.“
A Christmas-time ball: “Our ball was very thin, but by no means unpleasant. There were thirty-one people, and only eleven ladies out of the number, and but five single women in the room. Of the gentlemen present you may have some idea from the list of my partners,—Mr. Wood, G. Lefroy, Rice, a Mr. Butcher (belonging to the Temples, a sailor and not of the 11th Light Dragoons), Mr. Temple (not the horrid one of all), Mr. Wm. Orde (cousin to the Kingsclere man), Mr. John Harwood, and Mr. Calland, who appeared as usual with his hat in his hand, and stood every now and then behind Catherine and me to be talked to and abused for not dancing. We teased him, however, into it at last. I was very glad to see him again after so long a separation, and he was altogether rather the genius and flirt of the evening. He inquired after you.”
There were twenty dances, and I danced them all, and without any fatigue. “I was glad to find myself capable of dancing so much, and with so much satisfaction as I did; from my slender enjoyment of the Ashford balls (as assemblies for dancing) I had not thought myself equal to it, but in cold weather and with few couples I fancy I could just as well dance for a week together as for half an hour. My black cap was openly admired by Mrs. Lefroy, and secretly I imagine by everybody else in the room…”
Regency Dancing, Pride and Prejudice (1995).
Steventon (28 December 1798):
More Navy news: “Frank is made. He was yesterday raised to the rank of Commander, and appointed to the ‘Petterel’ sloop, now at Gibraltar. A letter from Daysh has just announced this, and as it is confirmed by a very friendly one from Mr. Mathew to the same effect, transcribing one from Admiral Gambier to the General, we have no reason to suspect the truth of it. As soon as you have cried a little for joy, you may go on, and learn further that the India House have taken Captain Austen’s petition into consideration,—this comes from Daysh,—and likewise that Lieutenant Charles John Austen is removed to the ‘Tamar’ frigate,—this comes from the Admiral. We cannot find out where the ‘Tamar’ is, but I hope we shall now see Charles here at all events.”
Castle Square (8 December 1808):
A December ball: “Our ball was rather more amusing than I expected. Martha liked it very much, and I did not gape till the last quarter of an hour. It was past nine before we were sent for, and not twelve when we returned. The room was tolerably full, and there were, perhaps, thirty couple of dancers. The melancholy part was to see so many dozen young women standing by without partners, and each of them with two ugly naked shoulders. It was the same room in which we danced fifteen years ago. I thought it all over, and in spite of the shame of being so much older, felt with thankfulness that I was quite as happy now as then. We paid an additional shilling for our tea, which we took as we chose in an adjoining and very comfortable room.”
Castle Square (27 December 1808):
A new pianoforte: “Yes, yes, we will have a pianoforte, as good a one as can be got for thirty guineas, and I will practise country dances, that we may have some amusement for our nephews and nieces, when we have the pleasure of their company.”
Regency ladies at a pianoforte.
December in Jane Austen’s Novels
There are several mentions in Austen’s novels about Christmas, but as next week’s post from Brenda will focus on Christmas scenes from the novels, we shall mostly stick to the month of December in this article with a few helpful quotes about the Christmas season:
Sense and Sensibility
Insight on Mr. Willoughby: “He is as good a sort of fellow, I believe, as ever lived,” repeated Sir John. “I remember last Christmas at a little hop at the park, he danced from eight o’clock till four, without once sitting down.”
Pride and Prejudice
A family holiday: “On the following Monday, Mrs. Bennet had the pleasure of receiving her brother and his wife, who came, as usual, to spend the Christmas at Longbourn.”
Mansfield Park
A special visit from William: “William determining, soon after her removal, to be a sailor, was invited to spend a week with his sister in Northamptonshire before he went to sea. Their eager affection in meeting, their exquisite delight in being together, their hours of happy mirth, and moments of serious conference, may be imagined; as well as the sanguine views and spirits of the boy even to the last, and the misery of the girl when he left her. Luckily the visit happened in the Christmas holidays, when she could directly look for comfort to her cousin Edmund; and he told her such charming things of what William was to do, and be hereafter, in consequence of his profession, as made her gradually admit that the separation might have some use.”
Emma
Tolerable weather: “Though now the middle of December, there had yet been no weather to prevent the young ladies from tolerably regular exercise; and on the morrow, Emma had a charitable visit to pay to a poor sick family, who lived a little way out of Highbury.”
The fogs of December: “The next thing wanted was to get the picture framed; and here were a few difficulties. It must be done directly; it must be done in London; the order must go through the hands of some intelligent person whose taste could be depended on; and Isabella, the usual doer of all commissions, must not be applied to, because it was December, and Mr. Woodhouse could not bear the idea of her stirring out of her house in the fogs of December.”
Dinner party at Randalls: “The evening before this great event (for it was a very great event that Mr. Woodhouse should dine out, on the 24th of December) had been spent by Harriet at Hartfield, and she had gone home so much indisposed with a cold, that, but for her own earnest wish of being nursed by Mrs. Goddard, Emma could not have allowed her to leave the house.”
Regency dinner party, Emma (2020).
Persuasion
Charles and Mary Musgrove married 16 December, Jane’s birthday: “Sir Walter had improved it by adding, for the information of himself and his family, these words, after the date of Mary’s birth—’Married, December 16, 1810, Charles, son and heir of Charles Musgrove, Esq. of Uppercross, in the county of Somerset…'”
Mary Musgrove bemoans the lack of December parties: “We have had a very dull Christmas; Mr and Mrs Musgrove have not had one dinner party all the holidays. I do not reckon the Hayters as anybody. The holidays, however, are over at last: I believe no children ever had such long ones. I am sure I had not.”
Northanger Abbey
A December visit: “Mrs. Thorpe and her daughters had scarcely begun the history of their acquaintance with Mr. James Morland, before she remembered that her eldest brother had lately formed an intimacy with a young man of his own college, of the name of Thorpe; and that he had spent the last week of the Christmas vacation with his family, near London.”
A long lecture on dress: “Dress is at all times a frivolous distinction, and excessive solicitude about it often destroys its own aim. Catherine knew all this very well; her great aunt had read her a lecture on the subject only the Christmas before…”
December Dates of Importance
And now for our monthly round-up of December dates of importance relating to Jane and her family. This time, there is plenty of family news, plus important publishing news and one very difficult sorrow:
Family News:
16 December 1775: Jane Austen born at home in Steventon.
December 1786: Jane and Cassandra Austen leave Abbey School.
23 December 1788: After finishing at the Royal Naval Academy, Francis Austen sails to the East Indies.
27 December 1791: Edward Austen marries Elizabeth Bridges.
31 December 1797: Henry Austen marries Eliza de Feuillide.
December 1800: Rev. Austen announces his retirement and intention to move to Bath.
2 and 3 December 1802: Harris Bigg-Wither proposes to Austen and she accepts. The next day, she rejects his proposal.
Historic Dates:
16 December 1773: An event occurs in the American colonies now known as the Boston Tea Party.
2 December 1804: Napoleon crowns himself emperor of France.
Writing:
December 1815:Emma is published and dedicated to the Prince Regent.
December 1817:Northanger Abbey and Persuasion published together, posthumously.
Sorrows:
16 December 1804: Austen’s close friend, Mrs. Anne Lefroy, is killed in a riding accident.
Boston Tea Party, engraving in W. D. Cooper’s The History of North America, London: E. Newberry, 1789.
Looking Forward to Next Year
Writing this series for the past twelve months has been a great joy. I’ve learned a lot, and I feel as though I know and understand Jane Austen and her life and time period better than before. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as well! In the new year, I look forward to a year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and all the events and books coming our way. Have a very happy Christmas!
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.
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:
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:
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. Somepart 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!
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:
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:
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.”
“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 BlueSewing 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!
Today marks the start of a new month-by-month series, “A Year in Jane Austen’s World,” in which I highlight several important events and details that happened in Jane Austen’s novels, letters, and lifetime during each month of the year.
We’ll kick off Jane Austen January (aka “Jane-uary”) by examining passages and situations in each of her novels that occur in January. While some of the novels have no mention of January, others do—with interesting results! Next, we’ll note where Austen was and what she was doing in January by checking her letters for January dates and details. Finally, we’ll highlight events and anniversaries that occurred in January that directed affected Jane Austen or her family.
All of this can help us better understand Austen’s life and times as we look at specific dates, events, and details in the context of months and seasons.
Snowdrops at Chawton House in January, courtesy of Chawton House.
January in Regency Times
One of the highlights of January for Jane Austen’s family was surely Twelfth Night (also known as Epiphany), which falls on January 5th.
Maria Grace, in her article “Celebrating Twelfth Night–Jane in January and You,” explains its religious importance: “Epiphany or Twelfth Night … was the exciting climax of the Christmastide season… It was a feast day to mark the coming of the Magi bearing gifts to the Christ child, and as such was the traditional day to exchange gifts.”
She also explains the social side of Twelfth Night: “In Jane Austen’s day, the party of the year would generally be held on Twelfth Night.” (Austen Variations)
During the Regency Era, people hosted parties and balls to celebrate Christmas and especially the last day of the Christmas season. The entertainment often involved guests playing assigned parts for the evening, dressing up in costumes, eating “Twelfth Cake,” and eating and drinking.
Rowlandson, “Twelfth Night Characters,” Creative Commons, 1811.
In a letter to Cassandra on December 27, 1808, Austen writes about an upcoming ball between Christmas and “Twelfth-day” at Manydown:
I was happy to hear, chiefly for Anna’s sake, that a ball at Manydown was once more in agitation; it is called a child’s ball, and given by Mrs. Heathcote to Wm. Such was its beginning at least, but it will probably swell into something more. Edward was invited during his stay at Manydown, and it is to take place between this and Twelfth-day. Mrs. Hulbert has taken Anna a pair of white shoes on the occasion.
Austen’s Letters (December 27, 1808)
Later, on January 10, 1809, she writes, “The Manydown ball was a smaller thing than I expected, but it seems to have made Anna very happy. At her age it would not have done for me.”
Manydown Great House, Wikipedia Commons, 1833.
January Travel in Jane Austen’s Novels
In Austen’s novels, January is primarily mentioned in the context of parties and travel. Anne Elliot goes to Bath for January and February, Miss Crawford is invited for “a long visit” to see her friend in London in January, Mrs. Jennings goes to her own house in London in January, and Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and Bingley’s sisters all go to London (when Bingley leaves Netherfield) and stay for the winter.
In Sense and Sensibility, Lucy Steele and her sister, Anne, go to “town” (London) in January to stay with relatives (and subsequently move from house to house throughout the season as socially advantageous opportunities become available):
I had quite depended upon meeting you there. Anne and me are to go the latter end of January to some relations who have been wanting us to visit them these several years! But I only go for the sake of seeing Edward. He will be there in February, otherwise London would have no charms for me; I have not spirits for it.
Sense and Sensibility
Mrs. Jennings, who “resided every winter in a house in one of the streets near Portman Square,” invites Elinor and Marianne to come with her to London in January when her thoughts begin to turn toward home after Christmas.
Portman Square, London, Wikipedia Commons, 1813.
The London Season
So why do so many of Austen’s characters travel to London in January? Wouldn’t the weather make travel difficult? Wouldn’t they prefer to stay home (and inside) where it’s cozy?
These are fair questions, but after Christmas, a large portion of the genteel class moved “to town” during the winter months for the London Season, which coincided with England’s political schedule, for entertainment and socializing. The Season had previously started in the fall, meaning most people went to London before the bad weather set in, but with the improvement of roads and travel during Austen’s day, the season slowly shifted later.
Here’s an explanation of the London Season from Jane Austen’s House Museum:
The London season coincided with the sitting of Parliament, beginning at some point after Christmas when fashionable families would move into their London houses. The men would attend Parliament, whilst the women shopped, visited, and found husbands for themselves or their daughters. It lasted until early summer, when the ‘beau monde’ would return to their country estates, escaping the city’s stifling heat and pungent smells.
The season was a whirlwind of court balls and concerts, private balls and dances, parties and sporting events. On a typical day, ladies would rise early to go riding in Hyde Park, before returning home to breakfast and spending the day shopping, dealing with correspondence and paying calls.
Most villages had assemblies and balls during the winter, but all of the most important social occasions happened “in town.” In Pride and Prejudice, we’re told that the Bennet sisters have little to do “beyond the walks to Meryton” in January and February, when conditions are “sometimes dirty and sometimes cold” (Ch. 27). It makes sense that many young women longed to go to town in the winter, at the height of the London Season and “marriage market,” when the majority of the parties, balls, and social events were held.
Rowlandson, Drawing Room at St. James’s Palace in London, Wikimedia Commons, 1810.
January in Jane Austen’s Letters
January often brings rain, cold weather, and even snow to the various locations where Austen lived and traveled. Austen kept her spirits up, but January in England, especially in homes without central heating or today’s insulation, could not have been entirely comfortable. Balls and assemblies, visits and travel, kept Austen busy and content during the winter months.
Austen’s entries follow below and give us a glimpse into the miserable weather conditions during one particularly snowy and wet January:
17 January 1809 (Castle Square): “Yes, we have got another fall of snow, and are very dreadful; everything seems to turn to snow this winter.”
24 January 1809 (Castle Square): “This day three weeks you are to be in London, and I wish you better weather; not but that you may have worse, for we have now nothing but ceaseless snow or rain and insufferable dirt to complain of; no tempestuous winds nor severity of cold. Since I wrote last we have had something of each, but it is not genteel to rip up old grievances.”
In the same letter, Austen describes her writing: “I am gratified by her having pleasure in what I write, but I wish the knowledge of my being exposed to her discerning criticism may not hurt my style, by inducing too great a solicitude. I begin already to weigh my words and sentences more than I did, and am looking about for a sentiment, an illustration, or a metaphor in every corner of the room. Could my ideas flow as fast as the rain in the store-closet, it would be charming.”
On the topic of the store-closet, she writes this: “We have been in two or three dreadful states within the last week, from the melting of the snow, etc., and the contest between us and the closet has now ended in our defeat. I have been obliged to move almost everything out of it, and leave it to splash itself as it likes.”
30 January 1809 (Castle Square): “Here is such a wet day as never was seen. I wish the poor little girls had better weather for their journey; they must amuse themselves with watching the raindrops down the windows. Sackree, I suppose, feels quite broken-hearted. I cannot have done with the weather without observing how delightfully mild it is; I am sure Fanny must enjoy it with us. Yesterday was a very blowing day; we got to church, however, which we had not been able to do for two Sundays before.”
And a final update on the flooded closet: “The store-closet, I hope, will never do so again, for much of the evil is proved to have proceeded from the gutter being choked up, and we have had it cleared. We had reason to rejoice in the child’s absence at the time of the thaw, for the nursery was not habitable. We hear of similar disasters from almost everybody.”
If you’ve ever dealt with water damage or burst pipes due to cold weather, you know how awful and destructive it can be. Austen makes light, but one can imagine it caused quite a bit of damage.
Snow at Jane Austen’s House Museum, January 2021.
January in Jane Austen’s Lifetime
And finally, let us turn our attention to some of the most important dates and events that happened (or were celebrated) during the first month of the year in Jane Austen’s lifetime. In December 1800, Reverend Austen decided to retire and remove his family to Bath. Austen’s letters in January 1801 prove an interesting read as she and the Austen family prepare to move later in the year:
3 January 1801 (Steventon): Austen writes that her mother wants to keep two maids and quips about their plans to have “a steady cook and a young giddy housemaid, with a sedate, middle-aged man, who is to undertake the double office of husband to the former and sweetheart to the latter.”
Austen discusses three parts of Bath where they might live: “Westgate Buildings, Charles Street, and some of the short streets leading from Laura Place or Pulteney Street.” She writes extensively about each neighborhood and several others, giving her opinion and hopes about each. She details which pictures, furniture, and beds they are choosing to keep or leave behind and asks Cassandra’s advice. And she shares plans for the family to travel to Bath a few weeks from then.
Austen shares own thoughts on their move to Bath: “I get more and more reconciled to the idea of our removal. We have lived long enough in this neighborhood: the Basingstoke balls are certainly on the decline, there is something interesting in the bustle of going away, and the prospect of spending future summers by the sea or in Wales is very delightful. For a time we shall now possess many of the advantages which I have often thought of with envy in the wives of sailors or soldiers. It must not be generally known, however, that I am not sacrificing a great deal in quitting the country, or I can expect to inspire no tenderness, no interest, in those we leave behind…”
The letter is full of useful information and well-worth a read. You can access it HERE.
14 January 1801 (Steventon): Austen speaks of the many visitors they’ve received in response to the news that Rev. Austen is retiring and the family is moving to Bath. She says, “Hardly a day passes in which we do not have some visitor or other: yesterday came Mrs. Bramstone, who is very sorry that she is to lose us, and afterwards Mr. Holder, who was shut up for an hour with my father and James in a most awful manner.”
4 Sydney Place, Bath.Plaque outside 4 Sydney Place, Bath.
January Dates of Importance
This brings us now to several dates that would have been quite important to Austen personally:
Celebrations/Birthdays:
9 January 1773: Jane Austen’s sister, Cassandra Elizabeth Austen, born.
23 January 1793: Edward Austen’s first child, Fanny, born.
Goodbyes/Sorrows:
January 1796: Tom Lefroy leaves Ashe for London (and never returns) and Tom Fowle (Cassandra’s fiancé) sets sail for the Indies, where he later dies.
21 January 1805: Rev. George Austen (Jane’s father) dies suddenly in Bath.
Writing:
28 January 1813: Pride and Prejudice was published, by Thomas Egerton (Whitehall, London).
21 January 1814: Austen begins writing Emma.
The Joys of Sleuthing
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first installment of our month-by-month exploration of Jane Austen’s world. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was so much more to research and explore about the month of January than I anticipated. I enjoyed sleuthing around, following my nose, and discovering what I could uncover–just with the word “January.” If you have ideas about what I might pursue for February in Jane Austen’s World, please share your ideas in the comments.
Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen's England is now available! By JAW contributor Brenda S. Cox. See Review. Available from Amazon and Jane Austen Books.
Available through December 31st, 2025. Click on image for details, and share this poster with other teachers and students!
The Obituary of Charlotte Collins by Andrew Capes
Click on image to read the story.
Comments
“My idea of good company…is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.” – Jane Austen, Persuasion
Gentle readers: Please feel free to post your comments and continue the conversation! Due to SPAM, we will no longer accept comments on posts after 30 days of publication. In some instances, links will be removed from comments as well.
Administrators and Contributors
Vic Sanborn, founder of this blog, is supported by a team of talented and knowledgeable writers about Jane Austen and the Regency era. They are:
Tony Grant, who now contributes his photos from London and England
Click on their names to enter their own blogs.
In addition, we thank the many experts and authors who frequently contribute their posts and opinions, and who continue to do so freely or at our request.
Click here to enter the page. Topics include Regency fashion, historic foods, Jane Austen societies, British sites, related topics. Click on image.
May we suggest?
Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Maryland, USA. I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me and my team. We do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we do accept and keep books and CDs to review.
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Project Gutenberg: eBook of Stage-coach and Mail in Days of Yore, Volume 2 (of 2), by Charles G. Harper
STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE: A PICTURESQUE HISTORY
OF THE COACHING AGE, VOL. II, By CHARLES G. HARPER. 1903. Click on this link.
Jane Austen's World 