Jane Austen's World

Jane Austen’s Family Churches: St. Michael and All Angels at Hamstall Ridware, and Austen’s First Cousin, Edward Cooper

October 23, 2023 by Brenda S Cox

By Brenda S. Cox

“Yesterday came a letter to my mother from Edward Cooper to announce, not the birth of a child, but of a living; for Mrs. Leigh has begged his acceptance of the Rectory of Hamstall-Ridware in Staffordshire, vacant by Mr. Johnson’s death. We collect from his letter that he means to reside there, in which he shows his wisdom. Staffordshire is a good way off . . .”—Jane Austen to Cassandra, Jan. 21, 1799

In 1806, Jane Austen and her family made a trip to visit their relatives in the north. They spent five weeks with her first cousin Edward Cooper, rector of Hamstall Ridware (whom I wrote about earlier). They stayed in his rectory, and must have attended the adjacent Church of St. Michael and All Angels and heard Edward Cooper preach there. The church is still much as Austen knew it, inside and out.

The Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Hamstall Ridware, where Jane Austen visited for several weeks in 1806. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Hamstall Ridware History

Hamstall Ridware means “homestead,” or “place of the house,” by the “river ford.” It is on the River Blithe. The first word is Anglo-Saxon, the second is Celtic, indicating that the two people groups may have both been living in the area at the time it was named. Three other towns with the name Ridware (Pipe Ridware, Hill Ridware, and Mavesyn Ridware) are nearby.

The de Ridware family were the medieval “lords of the manor” for the area. The church was built, in the Norman style, around 1120 A.D, and expanded in the 14^th and 15^th centuries.

In the 1370s, the de Ridwares had no male heir, so the land passed to the Cotton family. A Cotton family tomb, from the time of King Henry VIII, still stands in the church. Each shield on the sides commemorates one of the children of John and Joanna Cotton. Half of each shield is their family crest, an eagle on a blue background. For the sons, the other half represents their profession. For the daughters, the other half shows the shield of their husband’s family.

This tomb from the time of King Henry VIII represents all the children of the Cotton family, the lords of the manor at the time. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

In the 1500s, the Cottons had no male heir, so the manor, Hamstall Hall, and the lands, passed to Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, the husband of the eldest daughter.

In 1601 the estate went to Sir Thomas Leigh of Stoneleigh, one of Jane Austen’s forebears. This early stained glass window, incorporating 14^th century glass, commemorates all these patrons of the Hamstall Ridware church. Each family would have owned the advowson for the Hamstall Ridware church, the right to choose the rector of the church when the previous one died.

Stained glass window in Hamstall Ridware church. This window shows coats of arms of the families who have owned the manor and land of Hamstall Ridware: the de Ridwares of Hamstall on the upper right, the Cotton de Ridwares on the upper left, the Fitzherberts on the lower left, and the Leighs on the lower right. Alice Cotton, wife of Richard Cotton, appears near the top of the middle panel. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

The Leighs’ main home was at Stoneleigh Abbey (which we’ll “visit” later). The Hon. Mary Leigh of Stoneleigh Abbey was patroness of Hamstall Ridware in 1799. When the previous rector, Mr. Johnson, died, she gave the living to her relative Edward Cooper. Before that he had been a curate, an assistant or substitute clergyman, probably with a low salary, at Harpsden. Jane and her family had visited the Coopers at Harpsden in August and September of 1799, before the Coopers moved to Hamstall Ridware in October. Edward invited them to visit Hamstall Ridware in 1801, but Jane said in a letter that they preferred to go to the seaside that summer. However, five years later, the Austens did make a long trip to visit their Leigh relations at Adlestrop, then accompanied their cousin, Rev. Thomas Leigh, who had just inherited Stoneleigh Abbey, to the abbey. From Stoneleigh they went to Hamstall Ridware, 38 miles away.

During this time, it’s possible that Jane may have seen the play Lover’s Vows, an important part of Mansfield Park. It was advertised in a village called Cheadle about an hour’s carriage ride away (Gaye King, “Visiting”).

Unfortunately, during Jane’s visit, Edward’s eight children came down with whooping cough, and Jane got it a few weeks later, after she got home (Letters, Jan. 7, 1807).

Displays in the church commemorate Jane Austen, her visit to Hamstall Ridware, the history of the church, and the Leigh family’s connections to the area. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

The church history board gives fascinating tidbits. For example, the parish register for 1715 lists the death of rector Thomas Allestree, M.A., and the induction of a new rector, Gorstelowe Monck, A.M. (same as M.A., Master of Arts); 7 baptisms (presumably of babies); 5 marriages including two to widows, and two others by license, both with one spouse from another parish; 7 burials, including Rev. Allestree (age 77) in July, his widow in December, and two babies buried shortly after their baptisms. An adjacent news article about Rev. Allestree says he wrote and memorized 500 sermons, and preached them a total of 5,000 times! Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

The Rectory

The rectory (or parsonage, the house provided for the rector of the parish) where the Austens stayed is now a private home. It is now difficult to see even from the outside, but this photo shows the building before a gate was built.

The Hamstall Ridware rectory, before gates were installed. Jane Austen and her family stayed here for five weeks in 1806 with Jane’s cousin Edward Cooper. Photo © Jack Barber, 2017, used by permission.

It has been speculated that this rectory was the pattern for the Delaford rectory, where Edward and Elinor Ferrars settle in Sense and Sensibility. The layout of the Delaford estate, with “stew-ponds” (fish ponds), “a very pretty canal” (perhaps suggested by the nearby river), and “great garden walls,” also corresponds to some features of the Leighs’ estate at Hamstall Ridware.

Gaye King wrote,

“Edward had found the rectory quite large enough to accommodate his growing family. Like the fictional parsonage at Delaford it had ‘five sitting-rooms on the ground floor, and … could make up fifteen beds’ (292). So the young rector could look forward to maintaining the tradition of liberal hospitality such as that he had enjoyed at the Steventon parsonage. When Jane Austen, together with her mother and sister, did eventually spend those five weeks at Hamstall Ridware in 1806 Edward and Caroline had eight children. There were also, living in at the rectory, two maids and a governess, yet there was still ample accommodation for the guests.”

(I have since noticed that the five sitting rooms and fifteen beds were characteristics of the manor house where Col. Brandon lived, not of the parsonage! And I doubt a country parsonage would have so many sitting rooms.)

However, relatives who visited wrote that it was “a beautifully situated parsonage house on a considerable eminence, back’d with fine woods, seen at a distance from the road to this happy village,” and that the church “was a very neat old Spire Building of stone, having two side Ailes [sic] Chancel &c. and makes a magnificent appearance as a Village Church” (quoted in Deirdre Le Faye, Jane Austen: A Family Record, 157).

The Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Hamstall Ridware

The church is large, seating 200 people, almost three times the size of Jane’s church at Steventon (which seats about 75). It has a long central aisle leading to the chancel, where the altar sits, and two side aisles. Lining both sides is a clerestory, high walls with a series of windows which let in natural light.

Central aisle of the Hamstall Ridware church. Photo courtesy of Hamstall Ridware PCC, used by permission.

Unusually, the upper section of the church has clerestory windows down the whole length of the church, lighting up the whole interior. The aisle roofs are “moulded ridge pieces and tie beams.” Photo courtesy of Hamstall Ridware PCC, used by permission.

Late 15^th century chapel screen on a side aisle. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Like many churches in England before the Reformation, this church once had a rood screen separating the chancel from the nave. This was a barrier between the chancel, where the clergy celebrated mass at the altar, and the lay people worshiping in the nave. It was usually topped by a cross; the Anglo-Saxon word for cross is rood. Some churches also had a rood loft, above the screen, from which a choir would sing parts of the service. Many rood screens and lofts were destroyed during or after the Reformation, to symbolize people’s more direct access to God.

A few steps, which once led to the rood loft, still remain in one wall. Two paintings from the rood screen are now behind the main altar in a reredos (reer-ih-dahss is one pronunciation). This means a decorative panel behind the altar. These paintings are from the late 15^th century, by an unknown accomplished artist, probably local.

The reredos behind the altar includes two 15th century paintings from the rood screen of the church, which was destroyed during the Reformation. The one on the left is apparently unique in England. It shows times when Christ’s blood was shed: “the circumcision, the agony in the garden, the scourging, the crown of thorns and the crucifixion,” according to the church booklet. “The right-hand panel shows the procession of the cross with St. Mary Magdalene kneeling in front of it. Both panels have been heavily scratched and scored. This was probably done at the time of the Civil War [1642-1651], when everything that had Roman Catholic associations was defaced.” Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Memorials to the Cooper Family

Edward Cooper and his family left their mark on the church. The memorial to Edward Cooper says:

In a vault near this spot, are deposited the remains of the Rev. EDWARD COOPER, who, for upwards of 30 years was rector of this parish, and for many years of the adjoining parish of Yoxall also: in both which places, (as a faithful minister of Christ, and endeared to all his parishioners,) he discharged, with unremitting zeal, the duties of his sacred office.

He was the only son of the Rev. Edward Cooper, L.L.D. vicar of Sonning Berks, &c. and prebendary of Bath and Wells; and of Jane his wife, grandaughter of Theophilus Leigh, Esq., of Addlestrop, in the county of Gloucester,

He was formerly fellow of All-Souls’ College, Oxford, as was his father also.

He departed this life, the 26^th day of February, 1833, in the 63^rd year of his age.

“He being dead yet speaketh”

Within the same vault also repose the remains of CAROLINE ISABELLA, his widow, only daughter of Philip Lybbe Powys, Esq. of Hardwick House in the county of Oxford,

She died on the 28^th day of August, 1838, in the 63^rd year of her age.

This tablet is erected by their eight surviving children, as a tribute of grateful affection, and respect, to the memory of their deeply lamented, and much beloved parents.

Memorial in Hamstall Ridware church to Edward Cooper, rector. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

As the memorial notes, Edward was also rector of a neighboring parish, Yoxall (from 1809). Like George Austen, he needed the income from two small parishes and was able to serve them both since they were close. Rev. Thomas Gisborne, another Evangelical minister, was from Yoxall. He wrote a book that Cassandra and Jane both liked, An Enquiry into the Duties of the Female Sex (letter of Aug. 30, 1805). Perhaps Edward had recommended it to them. Though we have no record of it, it’s possible Jane could have met Gisborne during her visit. He was a friend of Edward’s, and he and Henry Austen were the godfathers of one of Edward’s sons. Gisborne was also involved with Wilberforce in fighting the slave trade. (Gaye King, “Cousin” article)

On another wall is a memorial to Edward’s son and grandson. His youngest son Warren died in 1844, age 39, and Warren’s son, Edward-Warren, died as an infant in 1840.

Hamstall Ridware memorial to Edward Cooper’s son and grandson. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Outside, under a large cross, are the graves of Edward’s third son, Rev. H. C. Cooper, vicar of Barton-under-Needwood (5.6 miles away), who died in 1876, “in the 76^th year of his age.” Also Edward’s second daughter, Cassandra Louisa, who died in 1880, “in the 84^th year of her age.” The final inscription reads, “Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude, v. 21”

Another side memorializes Frederic Leigh Cooper, born 1801, died 1885. This was Edward’s fifth child.

This cross identifies the burial site of several of Edward Cooper’s children in the Hamstall Ridware church burial ground. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Side view of cross with inscription to another son. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Glebe

Green fields surround the church. Most churches in England had glebe land, farmland that provided income for the clergyman. In 1978, all glebe land was transferred to the dioceses, who administer it now. (A diocese is a group of church parishes overseen by a bishop.) Some modern locations in England still retain the name glebe. Hamstall Ridware is part of the Diocese of Lichfield, and I was told the diocese still receives income from grazing on glebe lands nearby. Glebe income today is used to pay clergy salaries and other expenses.

The Hamstall Ridware church is in the midst of green fields, some of which still provide income to the Church of England today. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

The Church Today

The Hamstall Ridware church is now part of a benefice including four parishes with one rector. In 1831, the population of the parish was 443. In 2011 it was 313.

Hamstall Hall, previous home of the Leigh family, is now mostly in ruins. But, according to the church booklet, the current Lord Leigh is still “a patron of the United Benefice of King’s Bromley, the Ridwares, and Yoxall jointly with the Bishop of Lichfield and the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral.” (In other words, they jointly choose/approve the clergymen for the churches of the benefice.)

Like Chawton and Steventon, Sunday services are held at the Hamstall Ridware church weekly, usually with only ten or so faithful parishioners attending. The church is large, seating 200 people, but it has little heating, and only a chemical toilet outside. However, they do get big crowds for Harvest, Christmas, and other special services, as well as lectures and concerts. And many visitors come to the church, which is open in the daytime, though apparently the door can be tricky to open.

The Church of St. Michael and All Angels is well worth a visit for Jane Austen enthusiasts. It is just over an hour’s drive, by car, from Stoneleigh Abbey. The Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum in Lichfield is on the way.

The people of the church created a tapestry depicting Hamstall Ridware through 900 years of history. Jane Austen’s face is prominent on the right side. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Note: In 1805, Edward Cooper wrote a hymn that is still sung today, “Father of Heaven, Whose Love Profound.”

For Further Exploration

This post from the Ridware Historic Society includes diary entries from Edward’s mother-in-law, during her visits to the family at Hamstall Ridware, as well as more information about the town and its people.

The church website gives some history and a schedule of services.

The historic listing tells more details of the church’s architecture.

A video showing many aspects of the church

Booklet on the church (a slightly older version than the one I used for this article)

Photos on Flickr of Hamstall Hall, Hamstall Ridware church and Yoxall church

Gaye King “Jane Austen’s Staffordshire Cousin: Edward Cooper and His Circle,” Persuasions 1993

Gaye King, “Visiting Edward Cooper,” Persuasions 1987

Donald Greene article, “Hamstall Ridware: A Neglected Austen Setting,” Persuasions 1985

Posts on other Jane Austen Family Churches

Steventon

Chawton

Adlestrop and the Leigh Family

Stoneleigh Abbey Chapel

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

Ashe and Jane’s Friend Mrs. Lefroy

Deane

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

Posted in Anglican Church, Architecture, Churches of the Austen family, Clergy, Jane Austen's family, Jane Austen's World | Tagged Edward Cooper, Jane Austen's cousins, Jane Austen's churches, Jane Austen's travels | 6 Comments »

Letterlocking a Jane Austen Letter

October 17, 2023 by Vic

Letterlocking was a method used by European societies between the 15th – 18th centuries to keep messages private. Ancient human societies found other techniques to protect their messages through the use of seals, or, as in the case of Ancient Mesopotamia, cylinder seals that were unique to each owner. These were eventually replaced with stamp seals, some of which are still used today in the form of signet rings.

Cylinder seal, Walters Art Museum, public domain image

Stamp seal, Met Museum, public domain image.

Today I seek other ways to keep my public affairs private. Passwords for my online correspondence and purchases are changed frequently, and I make sure to have a secure two-step process for accessing the information along with a back up plan.

During Jane Austen’s lifetime, envelopes were not yet used. The extra weight made the expense of sending or receiving letters more expensive. Therefore, the paper was carefully folded. Often the lines were crossed, as shown in an article from this blog. Images of Austen’s surviving letters demonstrate the method by which she folded them, as described by Jane Austen’s House .

The letter was written across the first three pages and the top and bottom thirds of the fourth page, leaving its middle third blank. With the first page uppermost, the bottom third of the letter was then folded upwards and the top third folded down so that the edges met in the middle. Then, holding the letter lengthways, the left-hand and right-hand sides were tucked inside each other. The packet was sealed with wax and the address written on the blank reverse. – Room 5: How to Write and Fold a Letter, Jane Austen’s House

One method of letterlocking is shown in the YouTube video below.

Letterlocking is the art of using specific folds and cuts in flexible paper to seal it shut for document security. Because paper was not always as common as it is today, it was much more expensive, which led to minimizing the use of paper as much as possible. At this point in history, envelopes would have been seen as excess cost, an issue that was quickly solved with letterlocking.” — Securing Ancient Secrets: The Fascinating History of Letterlocking, Ancient Origins

In a BBC article (see link below), Richard Fisher described the historic research that uncovered the secrets to letterlocking in the early 2000’s. Conservator Jana Dambrogio was the first woman allowed to work in the Vatican Secret Archives when she found a cache of documents and noticed cuts, creases and folds in the paper. Thinking they were evidence of letterlocking, she scientifically described what she observed.

Screen Shot 2023-10-17 at 1.06.18 PM

She and a colleague, Starza Smith, searched for more letterlocking samples, which they often found in old archives and museum collections. Recently they discovered a trunk containing 2,600 letters from 17th-Century Europe, of which 577 were unopened. This trove provided details of European life during the 1600s.

As a final act before her execution, Mary Queen of Scots sealed a letter she wrote to her brother-in-law with a spiral lock. He would have known her message had been intercepted if that seal arrived broken. The irony would not have been lost on a juvenile Austen, whose “History of England” included a memorable passage about the doomed queen.

The Clever Folds That Kept Letters Secret, Richard Fisher, 2021, BBC
The Postal Service in 18th Century Britain, Jane Austen’s World

Posted in Jane Austen's letters, Jane Austen's World | Tagged Letterlocking | 22 Comments »

Jane Austen and Rom Coms: Sense and Sensibility (“Love Triangles”)

October 10, 2023 by Rachel Dodge

Over the last few months, we’ve explored timeless romantic themes in Jane Austen’s novels that are still frequently used in today’s popular books, movies, and television shows. Thus far, we’ve covered the following themes in this series: “Enemies to Lovers” in Pride and Prejudice, the “Slow Burn” Romance in Emma, “Best Friends to Lovers” in Mansfield Park, “Second-Chance” Love in Persuasion, and “The Meet-Cute” in Northanger Abbey.

Last but certainly not least, this brings us to Sense and Sensibility and one of Austen’s most mature and intricate plots. Sense and Sensibility is unique in that it contains two main love stories with its sister-heroines, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Though Elinor is the main protagonist of the novel, Marianne’s romantic life is often front-and-center with its high drama and plot impact.

Love Triangles

In the world of storytelling, love triangles provide a potent plot device. There’s the age-old King Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot story that’s been told again and again; the love triangle/identity mix-up in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; and the explosive Heathcliff-Cathy-Edgar triangle in Wuthering Heights. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. We could add dozens of other famous triangular love stories to this list.

In Sense and Sensibility, Austen provides her readers with not one, but two separate love triangles to untangle between Elinor-Edward-Lucy Steele and Marianne-Willoughby-Colonel Brandon.

In each of these triangles, there is one “wrong” person standing in the way of true love with Mr./Ms. Right. For Colonel Brandon, Willoughby takes the spotlight and all of Marianne’s attention. For Elinor, Lucy stands in the way of her happiness with Edward, due to an unfortunate youthful promise made by Edward.

Falling for Mr./Ms. Wrong, Finding Mr./Ms. Right

In both of these love triangles, a character falls for Mr./Ms. Wrong first and later finds Mr./Ms. Right. Elinor and Colonel Brandon both wait in the wings and watch to see if Edward and Marianne will break free from their previous attachments. They both must wait and wonder; they both feel the pain and angst of separation; and they both know that they may never find their personal happy ending.

The only difference is, Edward and Elinor have a mutual attachment to one another, while Marianne does not develop romantic feelings toward Colonel Brandon until far later in the novel. She thinks he’s far too old for romance and “thirty-five has nothing to do with matrimony”:

Colonel Brandon is certainly younger than Mrs. Jennings, but he is old enough to be my father; and if he were ever animated enough to be in love, must have long outlived every sensation of the kind. It is too ridiculous! When is a man to be safe from such wit, if age and infirmity will not protect him?
Sense and Sensibility

Thus, Colonel Brandon must wait in the wings, ever true and ever patient, caring deeply for Marianne and wanting the best for her, even if it means watching her break her heart and health over Willoughby.

Mr. Wrong: The Problem with Willoughby

As in life, Jane Austen’s characters often have to fall for Mr./Ms. Wrong before they can appreciate Mr./Ms. Right. In some of her novels, she even uses a “red herring” to keep her readers distracted (Frank Churchill is one such example). In Sense and Sensibility, Marianne Dashwood falls for a young, dashing, handsome, attractive man who appears to be everything she’s ever hoped for in a man.

To make matters even more exciting, their “meet-cute” involves an intoxicating rescue scene where Willoughby lifts Marianne and carries her home after she falls down and is hurt. How could a young lady, especially a young romantic woman like Marianne, not fall for a strong, handsome man who literally sweeps her off her feet and carries her through the rain to safety.

The problem is, no matter how dashing, friendly, attractive, romantic, or exciting Willoughby might appear, he is not who he seems. As we later find out from Colonel Brandon, Willoughby has a checkered past and has impregnated (at least) one young woman out of wedlock, without taking any responsibility for her care, sufficiently ruining her reputation and her chances (in that time/culture) of a happy future.

But, you might ask, how could anyone have known, since the fate of Colonel Brandon’s ward was unknown to any of the Dashwoods until much later? Though no one could believe just how bad he is, Austen does provide clues about Willoughby’s character through her descriptions of his conduct. He frequently crosses lines of propriety (usually a red flag in Austen’s novels) and makes himself far too cozy and familiar with Marianne without making any firm promises.

Today, dozens of movies and books follow a similar script. We often see characters like Mr. Willoughby, Mr. Wickham, and Mr. Crawford who are just a little bit too handsome, too dashing, and too perfect to actually be Mr. Right.

Ms. Wrong: The Problem with Lucy Steele

The problem with Lucy Steele is more a matter of youthful ignorance and inexperience. Edward Ferrars is captivated by Lucy’s beauty and, due in part to forced proximity, experiences young love and makes a commitment to someone who does not match his personality, intelligence, values, or interests in life. Austen describes her as “illiterate, artful, and selfish” – certainly no match for a thoughtful, principled man like Edward.

Not surprisingly, he soon regrets committing himself to a woman like Lucy:

The youthful infatuation of nineteen would naturally blind him to every thing but her beauty and good nature; but the four succeeding years—years, which if rationally spent, give such improvement to the understanding, must have opened his eyes to her defects of education, while the same period of time, spent on her side in inferior society and more frivolous pursuits, had perhaps robbed her of that simplicity which might once have given an interesting character to her beauty.
Sense and Sensibility

And while Lucy at first only appears to be an ignorant, vapid girl without much sense, we quickly realize she is far less sweet and far more dangerous than meets the eye. She’s not in love with Edward; she merely sees him as a “way up.” We later find out that she’s a conniving “gold digger” (to use today’s terms) who is looking for any way to climb the social ladder and make the best match she can, regardless of who she hurts or what anyone thinks.

This type of female red herring shows up in many popular romantic movies and books today as well. However, in many of today’s plot lines, this type of female character tends to be some kind of shark in the business world who cares more about appearances and getting ahead than building a loving relationship and happy life with the handsome main character.

Finding Mr. (Colonel) Right

Marianne must go through heartache before she can appreciate or fall in love with Colonel Brandon. He watches and waits, hoping against hope, until she begins to blossom and heal from her broken heart. His steadiness, thoughtfulness, and gentlemanlike manner is a welcome change from the high drama and passion of her first attachment, and soon an attachment forms:

Instead of falling a sacrifice to an irresistible passion, as once she had fondly flattered herself with expecting,—instead of remaining even for ever with her mother, and finding her only pleasures in retirement and study, as afterwards in her more calm and sober judgment she had determined on,—she found herself at nineteen, submitting to new attachments, entering on new duties, placed in a new home, a wife, the mistress of a family, and the patroness of a village.

Colonel Brandon was now as happy, as all those who best loved him, believed he deserved to be;—in Marianne he was consoled for every past affliction;—her regard and her society restored his mind to animation, and his spirits to cheerfulness; and that Marianne found her own happiness in forming his, was equally the persuasion and delight of each observing friend. Marianne could never love by halves; and her whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to her husband, as it had once been to Willoughby.
Sense and Sensibility

In today’s popular movies and books, a character like Colonel Brandon is sometimes the childhood best friend or the nerdy next door neighbor that suddenly turns handsome. It’s usually a matter of the main character being blinded at first by a passionate but unhealthy relationship and then “coming to their senses” and noticing the quality person that’s been there all along.

As far as the age-gap between Brandon and Marianne (which was quite common during Austen’s day and culture), many of today’s romantic storylines, such as As Good as It Gets, Crazy Heart, and Autumn in New York, feature a May-December romance.

Finding Ms. Right

From the moment they meet, it’s clear that Elinor and Edward are perfect for one another in every way. For Edward, once he meets a woman of Elinor’s caliber, there is no question that she is far superior to Lucy Steele.

However, Edward is a man of his word and refuses to do wrong by Lucy Steele. This honorable choice only serves to make Edward more attractive, even though Elinor is pained deeply by the knowledge that he must marry an ignorant woman he does not love. Like Brandon, Elinor waits patiently, enduring much pain, until Edward is finally set free.

Dozens of movies and televisions shows use this type of plot line where the main character must come to the realization that their current relationship is all wrong and someone else is a much better fit. Sweet Home Alabama is one mainstream movie example of this type of love affair.

Love Triangles in Popular Media

More romantic comedies feature a love triangle of some kind in today’s world of romantic writing.

The following are some popular movies (and/or books) with this theme: Pretty in Pink, While You Were Sleeping, The Notebook, Beauty and the Beast, Spider-Man, The Hunger Games, Titanic, Twilight (Team Edward v. Team Jacob), My Best Friend’s Wedding, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Sabrina, Reality Bites, Gone with the Wind, Something Borrowed, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Princess Bride.

Some well-known television love triangles include: Dawson’s Creek, Friends, Gilmore Girls, The Office, Beverly Hills 90210, Sex & The City, How I Met Your Mother, Felicity, Outlander, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Never Have I Ever, Friday Night Lights, Lost, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Though none of these shows or movies holds a candle to Austen’s writing, it’s clear that love triangles and plot twists about finding and/or waiting for Mr./Ms. Right continue to keep audiences coming back for more.

Happily Ever After

In the end, everyone lives happily ever after. (Except, of course, those characters whom Austen deems foolish or undeserving of true happiness.) As always, Austen provides her reader’s with a satisfying ending: “Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody not greatly in fault themselves to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest.”

As we close this pop culture series on Jane Austen and Rom Coms, I’d love to know which couples and romantic themes are your favorite(s) in her novels!

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.

Posted in Inspired by Jane Austen, Jane Austen Fan Fiction, Jane Austen Films, Jane Austen's World, Popular culture, Themes in Jane Austen's Novels | 8 Comments »

Jane Austen’s Relationship to Music

October 2, 2023 by Vic

Jane Austen’s relationship with music, especially her private morning sessions on the piano forte before her family arose, was as creatively important to her as her writing. Digitized versions of the Jane Austen Music Books are stored on the Southampton UK website, where scholars, musicians, and Austen fans can peruse the music that the family liked and deemed important.

“The Austen Family Music Books is a collection of 18 albums of music containing around 600 pieces that belonged to the 19th century writer and her relations.”

Yet even with these troves of treasures, modern audiences are left to wonder:

This musical score, in Jane Austen’s handwriting, is one of nearly 600 Austen family musical treasures available in an online archive. Jane Austen Museum/Public Domain

“So what kind of music did Jane Austen like to play?

“The line between classical and popular music was very soft in that period,” [Austen scholar Professor Joan] Ray noted. “She lived 1775 to 1817. So she has a lot of popular music but, for example, she had a popular song called ‘William.’ But when music scholars really looked at the 20th and 21st centuries, they discovered it was actually based on Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 1.”

For as much as Austen loved and collected music, and created characters in her novels who also loved music, she was light on specifics in her novels.” – Discover The Music Jane Austen Loved | Colorado Public Radio

The Colorado Public Radio site provides sample music from movie soundtracks based on Austen’s novels. Interestingly, today’s film composers have only a vague idea of the music Austen specifically liked because of the very few references she made in writing: they had to imagine which music best represented the stories in the time they were written. The 1995 film of Pride and Prejudice used music from Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert: it is still celebrated as one of the best musical scores in an Austen film.

Three Emma film musical scores

The music scorers of following three Emma film adaptations use different approaches to music to tell Austen’s tales of the young, self-important heroine. If you have access to the streaming videos or own the DVDs, you may want to listen to the music and compare how their composers move these plots forward. The scores of each film are suited to the settings and vision of the film director.

Emma 1996 with Gwynneth Paltrow: Rachel Portman, the female composer for the musical score, won an academy award.

“One of Rachel’s [Portman’s} most well-known film scores was for Emma (1996). Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, this film is an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel of the same name. A light and playful romantic comedy, the film needed the right music to go with it. As FF2 Contributor Sophia Jin says of Rachel’s score for Emma, “Portman’s music feels joyful and lighthearted. It is warming and brings a sense of calm and peace to the picture.” Rachel won an Academy Award for Best Musical or Comedy Score for Emma, making her the first female composer to win an Academy Award in that category.” – Composer Rachel Portman is a Mastermind of Movie Music, International Swans

YouTube video of 3 musical themes from Emma 1996

Emma 2009, with Romola Garai took an earthier musical approach. In this film adaptation, Highbury was depicted as a relatively unsophisticated country town outside of London. Emma danced to rustic music that could easily be played by local musicians. The costumes also had a more earthy, homemade feel.

Emma 2009: 4 musical themes from the film – YouTube video

Emma 2020 mixes folksongs that were popular during Austen’s era, with classical, and modern compositions.

The score fits the beautiful, elegant vision of director Autumn de Wilde, who had only directed music videos before tackling a full length feature film.

As with today’s musical tastes, in Austen’s day the line between classical and popular music was ever shifting. She copied the music of “La Marseillaise”, the French National Anthem, and contemporary tunes and folk music that were popular in her day. The Family Music Books show the family’s preferences, but few references were made in Austen’s letters to the music she practiced daily. In her writings, she mentioned only one classical composer – Johann Baptise Cramer. The following YouTube video features his Piano Concerto No 5 in C Minor, Opus 48.

Cramer was credited with renaming Beethoven’s final piano concerto the “Emperor”. Beethoven began composing this Concerto in 1809, while Vienna was under invasion from Napoleon’s forces for the second time.

No documentation exists that Austen heard this concerto in person. After moving to Chawton, Austen visited her brother Henry frequently in London to work on the publication of her novels. Before this period she lived in Bath after her father retired from his living in Steventon. In both cities she regularly attended recitals and concerts, and likely had a more sophisticated exposure to contemporary music, especially to the works that arrived in major cities from the European composers.

Screen shot of Joan Ray’s talk with Carla Walker, host of the Music Room, CPR Classical, Public Radio

Listen to the full discussion at this CPR https://fb.watch/no42mQ7gfS/ Video

The clue to Austen’s love for music was in her daily practice at the piano forte. Her novels also provided clues. Any young lady in her novels who lived in the upper strata of society learned to play the piano forte and/or harp and could give concerts at home events. As for Austen, her morning practices were private. She did not provide entertainment for others in a public situation as some films have suggested. Instead, Austen took quiet comfort and inspiration from her morning musicals. They added as much to her creativity as her writings.

More background information and suggested readings:

The Literary Hub: Just what you never knew you always wanted: a playlist of Jane Austen’s favorite songs.

Discover The Music Jane Austen Loved | Colorado Public Radio

Jane Austen’s family music books digitised and online

Music and Class in Jane Austen » JASNA: This is an excellent article with far ranging analysis of Austen and her characters in her novels re: their class status. Highly recommended.

Posted in Emma, Jane Austen's music, Jane Austen's World, Music popular in Jane Austen's lifetime | Tagged Joan Ray, Rachel Portman | 9 Comments »

Jane Austen’s Family Churches: St. Nicholas’, Steventon

September 25, 2023 by Brenda S Cox

“My father’s old Ministers are already deserting him to pay their court to his Son; the brown Mare, which, as well as the black was to devolve on James at our removal, has not had patience to wait for that, & has settled herself even now at Deane.”—Jane Austen to Cassandra, Jan. 8, 1801, when her brother James was about to take over their father’s place as clergyman at Steventon church (as his father’s curate), and James was taking over much of their property as Jane, Cassandra, and their parents moved to Bath.

Church was an important part of Jane Austen’s life and her family’s lives. Last time we explored the church at Chawton, which Austen attended during the later years of her life. Today we’ll visit Steventon, the church in which she grew up. Both churches are named after St. Nicholas, both are small country churches of the national Church of England, and both are named after St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, children, and others. (He is also called, in a more modern incarnation, Santa Claus.)

St. Nicholas’ Church at Steventon, where Jane Austen grew up. Her father was the rector. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

The Rectory

Jane grew up in the rectory at Steventon, which no longer exists. Her father was the rector, the clergyman of St. Nicholas’. The rectory, or parsonage, was the house provided for the rector to live in. George Austen made repairs and additions to the rectory as his family grew, and as he began to teach boarding students to supplement his church income.

When Jane’s father died in 1805, her brother James became rector of Steventon. After he died, her brother Henry served temporarily for three years (as Charles Hayter gets a temporary living at the end of Persuasion). Both lived in the rectory while serving the church.

However, that rectory was damp and tended to flood. The Knight family were the patrons of the parish, choosing the rectors for the church (as Colonel Brandon was the patron of his parish, giving a church living to Edward Ferrars). In 1823, Edward Knight’s son William Knight (Jane’s nephew) became rector of Steventon. Edward built a new rectory for his son, opposite the church on higher ground. That building still stands, now a private home called Steventon House (put up for sale in 2023).

Jane Austen’s family home, the old rectory, was demolished in the 1820s. In 2011, excavators found bits and pieces at the site: fragments of pottery and crockery, nails, etc. An old pump sat on the site for a long time; now you can see part of it inside the church.

Behind a grate in the Steventon church lie various treasures: pieces of the original rectory pump, medieval tiles, and metal pattens worn by ladies like Austen to lift their feet out of the mud. The teacup is from the Steventon Methodist Church, built after Austen’s time. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023 (Screen partially funded by JASNA, Ohio North Coast region)

The church itself is still standing and, in form at least, is mostly as Jane Austen knew it. She and her family worshiped there most Sundays for the first twenty-five years of her life. They likely attended church on Sunday afternoons or evenings as well as mornings. Services were several hours long, so Jane spent quite a bit of time at that church.

History of St. Nicholas’ Church, Steventon

Steventon was apparently a place of Christian worship from a very early date. Part of the shaft of a Saxon Cross, from about the ninth century, was discovered built into the wall of a nearby Tudor manor (now demolished). The cross shaft is displayed in the church. The cross was likely set up outdoors. Visiting priests would hold services there, before the church was built. Villagers may also have buried their dead near the cross. Steventon was possibly a stop on the Salisbury to Canterbury pilgrimage route.

Part of an ancient Saxon Cross, around which traveling priests would lead the villagers of Steventon in Christian worship. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

The church building is medieval, built around 1200 A.D. The most obvious change since Jane Austen’s time is the addition of a Victorian steeple (around 1850-1860), a blue and brown structure that looks quite different from the rest.

Jane would have seen the four ancient “scratch dials” or “Mass clocks” on the outside walls of the church. These were sundials with a scratch marking the time when people were to come to worship. She would have also seen the medieval carvings of faces, a man and a woman, on either side of the main door.

Sundial scratched on the church wall (there would need to be a stick in the hole in the middle) to show medieval villagers when to come to church. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

Ancient faces adorn the front of the Steventon church. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

Next to the church is a gigantic yew tree, an estimated 900 years old. It measures at least 25 feet around. Yews were considered sacred in ancient times and also by Christians. They represented regeneration and new life. The church key, 15 inches long and weighing 5 lb., was kept in a hole in this tree during Austen’s time. After the key disappeared, a replacement was made which is kept elsewhere. The church is now always left unlocked for visitors.

Ancient yew tree next to the church, where the key was hidden in earlier times. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

Revd. Canon Michael Kenning, former rector of Steventon, holds the huge key to the church door (a replacement of the ancient key, which disappeared). Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

The tower holds three church bells. The oldest was cast in 1470. These bells were restored, through the support of JASNA, in 1995. I got to hear them ringing when the JASNA Summer Tour group visited in July. The bells are rung for church services, weddings, and funerals.

The Church Interior

The layout of the church is still much the same as it was in Jane Austen’s time. Three arches separate the nave of the church (where the congregation sits) from the chancel (where the altar is).

Interior of the church at Steventon. The arches were there in Austen’s time. The stained glass windows, orange and green tilework on the arches, Transfiguration painting above the arches, and pews all date from Victorian times (later in the 19th century). Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

A large box pew, made of oak, was built in the seventeenth century for the lords of the manor. The Digweed family, who rented the manor house from the Knights, used this pew during Austen’s time. It was at the front of the nave, near the pulpit. The box pew is still in the church but has been moved to the back. It is now used as the vestry, the clergyman’s office.

So the Digweed family sat in state, protected from drafts and from curious eyes, at the front. Others, including the Austen family, likely sat on benches. If there weren’t enough benches, servants and the poor would have stood in the aisles and at the back. There was no gallery (balcony) in this church.

Box pew used by the Digweed family, squires of the manor in Austen’s time. It has been moved to the back of the church and is now used as a vestry, office for the clergyman. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

View from inside the box pew. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2015

Some ancient wall paintings were found during one restoration of the church. These have been left uncovered. They were most likely covered by whitewash during Jane Austen’s time, however.

Medieval wall painting in Steventon church. Probably of a bishop. It would have been covered over during Austen’s time. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Other lovely decorations in the church are from Victorian times. The stained glass windows, pews, pulpit, baptismal font, choir stalls, and altar are all from the late 1800s, with the organ from the early 1900s.

Victorian baptismal font in St. Nicholas’ Church, Steventon. The modern cover represents a shepherd praying at the old Saxon cross, before the church was built. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023 (Font cover partially funded by JASNA Ohio North Coast region)

Austen Documents

The church has reproductions of several church documents relating to Jane. (The originals are held at the Hampshire County Archives, which unfortunately I did not get a chance to visit.) The parish priest—in this case, Jane’s father, George Austen—kept the parish register for officially recording births, marriages, and deaths. The register included a sample page for marriages, and Jane playfully filled this out with imaginary names for her own future marriage.

In the sample marriage form for the parish register, Jane imagined herself marrying several possible men. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Another page of the parish register records Jane’s baptism at home on Dec. 17, 1775, shortly after her birth. She was born in the middle of a very cold winter, so her father christened her at home. She was officially received into the church on April 5, 1776, probably her first excursion.

Parish register record of Jane Austen’s baptism and reception into the church. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

We can also see Jane and Cassandra’s signatures as witnesses to a wedding. Their first cousin Jane Cooper married Thomas Williams. Jane, Cassandra, and Edward Cooper (Jane Cooper’s brother and Jane Austen’s cousin), were the official witnesses.

Signatures of Jane and Cassandra Austen who witnessed the marriage of their cousin Jane Cooper. Photo © Brenda S. Cox 2023

Austen Memorials at Steventon Church

Inside the Steventon church, you can find memorial plaques to Jane’s brother James, James’s first wife Anne, and his second wife Mary. When Anne died in 1795, James was not yet rector of Steventon, so he is listed as vicar of Sherborne St. John.

Memorial in Steventon church to James Austen’s first wife, Anne, 1795. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

When James died in 1819, the memorial says he “succeeded his father George Austen as rector of this parish.” George, of course, died in Bath and is buried at St. Swithin’s.

Memorial to Jane’s brother James Austen, who followed his father as rector of Steventon. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Mary’s memorial says that she died in 1843 at Speens, Berkshire, but was buried in Steventon (about 16 miles away) with her husband. Mary, of course, had left the rectory when her husband died and his brother Henry took over as rector.

Memorial to James Austen’s second wife, Mary, who died in 1843. She was Martha Lloyd’s sister. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

James and Mary Austen’s grave is in the churchyard.

Grave of James and Mary Austen in Steventon churchyard. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Knight and Digweed Memorials at Steventon

The Knight family owned the manor at Steventon from the early 1700s. They rented it to the Digweed family in 1758, and Digweeds lived there until 1877, though the Knights sold the property in 1855. (This was similar to Charles Bingley renting Netherfield and becoming the de facto squire of the parish.) Austen mentions some of the Digweeds in her letters.

Memorials in the church commemorate Rev. William Knight, “50 years rector of Steventon.” He was Jane’s nephew who became rector after Henry. A sad memorial below his own records the deaths of William’s three daughters, ages 3, 4, and 5 years, who were all “cut off by scarlet fever” in one June week of 1848.

Memorials in St. Nicholas’, Steventon, to Jane’s nephew William Knight, rector of the church for 50 years, and to his three little girls who died tragically of scarlet fever. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

A ledgerstone on the church floor covers the grave of Hugh and Ruth Digweed, who died while Jane was at living at Steventon, and their daughter who died at age 2 in 1770. Other memorials enshrine later members of the Digweed family.

Some Digweeds, like these, are buried in the church, the most honored place to be buried, presumably since they were the squires of the manor house. Others are buried outside in the churchyard.

This stone on the floor of the Steventon church covers the graves of Hugh and Ruth Digweed, who Jane Austen must have known. Photo © Brenda S. Cox, 2023

Steventon Church Today

Like most small country churches in England, Steventon is now part of a benefice including several churches, served jointly by a few clergy. Steventon belongs to the Overton Benefice, seven parishes all served by one rector, one vicar, and one curate.

The Steventon parish is still small, rural, and agricultural, as it was in Austen’s time. About 250 people live in the parish. Sunday services are still held at the church twice a month, usually with a dozen or so people in the congregation. One is a Communion service and the other may be matins, evensong, a holiday service, or a Saturday breakfast and talk for the wider community. Much larger crowds, up to 100 or even 200 people, come to events like holiday services, weddings, baptisms, and funerals. The church seats about 75-80 comfortably, so it can be quite crowded!

In Austen’s time, the church would get bitterly cold in the winter. A modern improvement is the addition of heaters under the pews. People in each pew can turn on their own heater, making the church much more comfortable without wasting energy by heating the whole church.

Marilyn Wright, the churchwarden, told me that she loves the peace of the church, and goes in there when she wants to pray and think. She said if her father, who has dementia, ever got lost, they would find him at the church. As I heard over and over in the Austen country churches, the church is still central to community life.

The Revd. Canon Michael Kenning, former rector of Steventon, gave our JASNA tour group a lovely introduction to the church. At the end, he pointed out that there are about 10,000 Church of England churches in the UK, and most do not get any funding from the National Trust, the British government, or the Church of England. Therefore they need outside funding. The Steventon church is currently in need of some major work. Damp has gotten into the walls, causing cracks and other damage. New drainage and other work is needed. After that, interior features of the church will be renovated.

If you wish to donate to the Steventon church, you can use this link.

JASNA provides support for such special projects at Austen family churches, including this one. If you are a JASNA member, donations to the churches fund for such projects are appreciated. (You can donate when renewing your membership, or sign in to your account and go under the drop-down menu to “Donate to JASNA or English Institutions.”)

For Further Exploration

During Austen’s time, Steventon had a Norman baptismal font. For an idea of what that might have looked like, as well as stories of St. Nicholas, see, The Winchester Type Fonts.

A Guide to St. Nicholas Church Steventon gives more details and pictures of all parts of the church and churchyard (follow links to further pages).

A Drive through Steventon to St Nicholas Church

More images of the church

A guide to the Steventon church, Jane Austen’s Steventon by Deirdre LeFaye, and guides to other Austen-related churches are available from Jane Austen Books.

Steventon’s Rectory Garden

Steventon Parsonage

Rectors and Vicars in Jane Austen

Yews in English Churchyards

Posts on Other Austen Family Churches