Category: Jane Austen Circle

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Adventures with Jane! Day IV: Goodnestone, Godmersham, and Canterbury

BookLady Deb4 Comments

What an extraordinary day this was!

First, we traveled on our bus today to Goodnestone [did I mention yet our very-talented bus driver on this trip, Paul? A master of small lanes, hedgerows, and city maneuvers, Paul brought his expertise, patience (with all the Jane talk!), and humor to each day. The bus was smaller than the average bus, but with NO SIDE MIRROS, which proved his abilities beyond possibility…[I have a picture thanks to Joy!..]

– but I bring this up because today, traveling down a country lane on the way to Goodnestone, this big red behemoth attracted a herd of sheep like none of us have ever seen – unlike a Gary Larson cartoon, where the cows keep eating and ignoring the passing-by humans, these sheep raced to the fence to visit the huge bus – did they think it was their Mother?? Many of us got out to greet them, all running toward us – whatever they expected or what was on their minds we were unable to determine – but it gave us all a good laugh and we felt more welcomed than ever to the Kent countryside [I did have a Thomas Hardy moment of all the sheep racing to and jumping over the cliff edge in Far From the Madding Crowd, one of the most distressing moments in 19th century literature…but no such sad outcome for us – the fence stopped any such disaster and we just bid them all adieu and continued our journey smiling all the way…]


Goodnestone was the family home of Elizabeth Bridges, wife to Edward Knight. Brook Bridges purchased the home in 1704 [more on him in a bit…]  – it remains in the family and now you can visit the house and gardens and it serves as a wedding venue. I was looking forward to seeing this house and having tea there, but alas! our plans were sent all askew by a film crew taking over the house for a “Marriage at First Sight” filming… the UK series has been on TV since 2015 – I did watch ½ an episode on TV while there and was quite stupefied by its stupidity…but if it helps support the Goodnestone estate, then that is a mere quibble of taste…

So, only distant shots, and a visit to the Church of the Holy Cross, where we were introduced to one of the family who gave us the low-down on the family history, and a tour around the church. This is the church where Edward and Elizabeth were married – it was actually a double wedding [Elizabeth’s sister Sophia and William Deedes], perhaps giving Austen the idea for her Pride and Prejudice double wedding of the Bennet sisters, Elizabeth and Jane.

Of interest to Janeites is the plaque to J. David Grey, one of the founders of JASNA, and installed here in his memory with JASNA’s support.

Then off to Chilham, the village that served as the location for Highbury in the 2009 Emma series. We were able to walk around the village and had lunch at the Woolpack Inn, established in 1480 [so delicious, I forgot to take a single picture!], and an appropriate spot considering our sheep welcome…

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Then to Godmersham Park, my most anticipated spot on the tour. First to the Church, surprisingly not a St Nicholas, but a St. Lawrence: here we had a history lesson about its connections to the Austens.

Godmersham Park was Edward Austen’s home, inherited from his adoptive parents that required him to change his name to Knight. Here he and Elizabeth raised their 11 children [Elizabeth died after the birth of the 11th at the age of 35 in 1808] and where his extensive gentleman’s library was housed, the source of Professor Peter Sabor’s project Reading with Austen – the website offers an interactive plan of the library showing what books were on the shelves and their location as Jane Austen would have experienced. The goal of the project has also been to return as many of the books that were originally in Edward’s library if at all possible – we call ourselves The Godmersham Lost Sheep Society – you can read all about it at these links – we actively fundraise to help in the purchase of any books that might show up at auction or in booksellers’ catalogues.

Godmersham Park

We were honored to be present for the unveiling at the Church of the Susannah Sackree memorial, here with Katie and Kim from Chawton House:

Susannah Sackree was the nursemaid to the Knight children, and memorialized by them in the church and now with this grand memorial on the exterior. It was a very moving moment to see a servant, often forgotten by their employers and history, so lovingly remembered by the Knight family.

Susannah Sackree, Edward Knight, and Thomas Knight Memorials

You can read more about her in this Persuasions On-Line essay by Jennie Batchelor (2023) .

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The Heritage Centre tells the story of the house and grounds – it now serves as home to the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and so you cannot tour the house, BUT, we were allowed into [under a code of silence] the entrance foyer, nearly the same as it was in Austen’s time – but no library to visit or any of the other rooms Jane would have stayed in – it is all classrooms now…

The grounds however we could walk around, and as we know that Jane, being an avid walker, would have strolled around these very spots – one could almost feel her there hovering about…

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Refreshments were gratefully received, and then we were off to Canterbury. Some of us went to the evensong at the Cathedral [one of my favorite things to do when in England], this after walking around the city for a while – we had two goals in mind: to see the portrait of the scandalous father of Elizabeth Bridges, Sir Brook Bridges (1733-91), whose portrait hangs in the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge – here he is in all his glory:

[Bridges married Fanny Fowler, who was heiress to the title Baron Fitzwalter, and still the prominent name here at Goodnestone]:

Another draw here was the statue of Aphra Behn, lately unveiled by Queen Camilla – such a tribute to Behn, right here on the main street of Canterbury, she finally getting her just due. See here for an explanation of all the features of the statue – and more here at Fine Books & Collections – I especially liked her foot revealed from under the back of her dress…

And Joy and I giving tribute to this early woman writer par excellence:

Our walk around Canterbury found us in delightful conversation with a gentleman who asked where we were from: Joy says California – “You must be a hippie” he says. I in South Carolina but from Vermont, and he goes into rhapsodies about Bernie Sanders! [Bernie’s brother has long lived in England and has served in the Labour Party, and this fellow apparently knows him…it was good to have a conversation about the troubles in the US right now – everyone sympathetic to us but also not appreciative of the tariff situation and concerns about ally relationships…] – it was an enlightening conversation, but we were off to Evensong – which was beautiful, as always, – reserved seats just for JASNA, and though we were unable to take photos during the service, I captured a few on the way out…and the exterior [much restoration work going on covering up the main entrance]:

So, until tomorrow, when we leave our gorgeous Chilston Park Hotel and head to Winchester for four nights, by way of Worthing…

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Feeling a bit like a “Canterbury Traveller”… [from the Beaney Museum]

and I loved this:

Austen Literary History & Criticism · Georgian Period · Great Britain - History · Jane Austen · Jane Austen Circle · Jane Austen Genealogy · Jane Austen Societies · JASNA · Literature · Museum Exhibitions · Regency England · Social Life & Customs

Adventures with Jane! ~ Day III: Sevenoaks, Knole, and Tonbridge

BookLady Deb1 Comment

Another day begins with a full English breakfast in this lovely morning room at Chilston Park, the piano serving as a buffet table!:

[One of the hardest things about returning from travel in England is the loss of that daily English Breakfast – if one had a maid, it could be sorted, but alas! I do not…I am the maid and chief swabby…and cereal works just as well to start the day, or so it has to…]

We are off today to Sevenoaks to learn more about the John Austen family. Several members of the Kent Branch joined us again – we walked down the High Street to see the Red House, where George Austen’s uncle Francis lived, Sevenoaks School where George’s father William had been a pupil, and to learn more about John Austen’s wife Elizabeth Weller, Jane’s great grandmother. Weller had to take a housekeeping job at Sevenoaks School in 1708 to keep her family together –

Here is the plaque to her on the Sevenoaks School building, a fitting tribute to a very strong woman in Austen’s ancestry.

You can read more about Weller in this recent Persuasions On-Line essay by Azar Hussain with an extensive bibliography for further sources on this side of the family.

Then off to visit yet another St Nicholas Church, where a number of Austen family are buried, and where the Kent JAS members offered us some fine refreshments before we wandered around the churchyard [you can see it is now freezing!].

[You can just make out the “Austen”]

And another “Twinned Toilet”!

And another wisteria fix:

[NOTE: Sheila Johnson Kindred wrote a fine blog post about this whole area of Kent – you can read that here.]

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A Beatles aside: a quick return to the 20th century with this advert in a window in the former antique shop at 44a High Street – you can read about it on this sign and how John Lennon made a song from it all…on their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album:

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Ok, now we head back to the 15th century – we are off to Knole, one of the largest country houses in Britain, and in the hands of the Sackville family since 1605 [and now part of the National Trust]. The history here is startling and a guidebook essential to understand the intricate maze of rooms – I could not get out of my mind the joys of playing hide-and-seek in such a place, participants never found and now likely molding skeletons around every corner. The history covers every century since its inception, the walls filled with portraits of all manner of famous people, rooms you know Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf [writing her Orlando] knew well. I loved it here, and was so engrossed I forgot to use my camera! – but here are a few of things that spoke to me – none of this does justice to the place – you must add it to your next trip itinerary:

The exterior:

The leopard stone statues:

The Great Stair with its stunning artwork [leopards here too]:

Guess who?! [he is everywhere…]

The Orangery, awaiting the upcoming Beatrix Potter exhibition:

The winding staircase to Eddy Sackville-West’s gatehouse tower [do not attempt after a glass of wine…]:


I was captivated by the story of Lady Betty, Lady Elizabeth Germaine (1680-1769), who lived at Knole in the 18th century – her bedroom and dressing room are presented as historically accurate to her times. She had a passion for porcelain, and here on display are some of her blue and white collection [my own passion…]

We were on our own for lunch and the tea room here was most accommodating…

It is a worthwhile endeavor to give Knole and its history a bit of your time: at the National Trust site, and Wikipedia does not disappoint.

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More Austen family history as we drove to Tonbridge, to see where George Austen was born in 1731 and went to school; as well as another church visit to St Peter and St Paul’s. You can follow our walk with this guide “In Austen Family Footsteps: A Circular Walk in Tonbridge” – again with the Kent Branch members.

Tonbridge-In_Austen_Family_Footsteps_Sep2017Download

The School:

The Church of St Peter and St Paul, where Jane Austen’s grandfather William is buried with his first wife Rebecca Hampson and his second wife Susanna – the grave is now protected with glass so you can read the inscriptions and no more trodding on them:

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And the day ended at the Woodbury Park Cemetery in Tonbridge Wells, where Henry Austen (1771-1850) is buried, along with several other notables. It is a lovely spot, all maintained by volunteers, with new walkways recently installed. I felt a sadness here, thinking of Henry here all alone, with Eliza buried in the cemetery of St John-at-Hampstead in North London, and his second wife Eleanor Jackson, who died in 1864, who knows where? [does anyone know?] So here lies Henry, the liveliest of Austen’s brothers, the likely model for her various Henrys [Oh! What a Henry!], as well as her publishing champion, all alone in Tonbridge Wells – I was quite overcome really…

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Dinner again at our hotel, joined by several of the Kent Branch members who had so graciously guided us at the various spots to give us a deeper understanding of George Austen’s family in Kent. I hate to repeat “a day well-spent” but it was, as each proceeding and succeeding day proved – the “Beautifull Cassandra” would be quite jealous with her only one such day…

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The hot-air balloon shower in the Montgolfier room:

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Adventures with Jane! JASNA Tour Day II ~ Off to Kent…

BookLady DebLeave a comment

One of the reasons I wanted to do the JASNA tour this year [other than the doable May option] was in it following the life and times of Jane for her 250th and therefore Kent was on the itinerary. I have been only to Canterbury a million years ago as well as to Dover [for one of the worst crossings in English Channel history – only two people on the ship did not get sick: me and my not-yet husband – perhaps destiny stepped in right then and there…]. But Kent was an important place in Jane Austen’s life, and so I was most curious to visit all the known spots with Austen family connections.

We left Windsor and headed east by way of Surrey to stop in Great Bookham, home to Samuel Cooke as well as another Frances Burney spot on my side-view Burney trek – she lived here from 1793, shortly after her marriage to D’Arblay, until 1802 when they left for France [bad timing – they remained in France for over 10 years due to the Napoleonic Wars]. The home they lived in there is now called The Hermitage:

[it is lovely – they need a gardener…]

this is where Burney wrote Camilla (1796), the book where Austen’s name first appears in print as a subscriber:

Apparently Burney’s husband General D’Arblay attempted to manage the extensive gardens with military zeal – “he demolished an established asparagus bed and pruned the fruit trees with his sword.” 1

The Rev. Samuel Cooke (1741-1820) was the vicar of this first of our St Nicolas Churches for 52 years…

[notice that some have an “h” and some do not: Nicholas vs. Nicolas– no explanation for this to be found, other than this from the never-wrong AI:

“The variation in spelling (St. Nicholas vs. St. Nicolas) for churches dedicated to Saint Nicholas is due to historical and linguistic shifts. The “ch” in “Nicholas” was adopted in the 12th century in English, based on the Greek pronunciation of the “chi” letter in the name’s original Greek form. While “Nicholas” is the more common English spelling, “Nicolas” is occasionally used and reflects a more direct pronunciation of the Greek origin.”]

Samuel Cooke married a Cassandra Leigh, first cousin to Austen’s mother, also named Cassandra Leigh; he was Jane’s godfather [one way to lose your mind on any given day is to try to absorb the genealogies of the Austen, Cooke, and Leigh families…] and the families were close.

Tony Grant wrote a blog post about this several years ago, so you can visit here for more info.

Jane Austen and Great Bookham ~ Guest Post by Tony Grant

And here some pictures of the Church:

For VE Day

Lucky us! we had both Liz and Claire on our trip!

Found these signs in a few toilets in our travels… you can read all about “Toilet Twinning” here – who knew??]

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We next headed to the Box Hill area and had lunch at the Burford Bridge Hotel [I had been by there on my day with Tony and Marilyn when we trekked Box Hill] – an interesting old Inn with a number of notable guests as Wikipedia tells me:

“After leaving London, John Keats took a room overlooking the gardens, and completed his epic poem “Endymion” there in 1817. (Keats is said to have been recommended the hotel by the essayist and literary critic William Hazlitt  [I am not a fan of Hazlitt – he said terrible things about the Bluestockings..].) Robert Louis Stevenson was a guest in March 1878, during which time he wrote two short stories: “Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts” and “Story of the Physician and the Saratoga Trunk.” Other prominent visitors included Queen Victoria, Jane Austen, William Wordsworth and Sheridan. It was here too that Lord Nelson spent secret hours with his love Emma Hamilton, before going to vanquish Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.”

Notable indeed! Lady Hamilton’s room is now a boring conference room but nicely labelled thus:

Rooms reflect the hotel’s history:

And Box Hill was just above us:

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After a fine lunch we headed off to Horsmonden to visit the Church of St. Margaret – this was delightful as we met some of the JAS Kent Branch members who graciously told us about the church and its ties to the Austen family. The John Austen family [John Austen was Jane’s great-grandfather but the family goes back to the first John Austen (1560-1620) – more on them tomorrow] lived here and there are various memorials in the church and churchyard – here one of the tombs: notice the “A” on the gate, signifying “Austen”:

Note: And Ron Dunning joined us here as well – you can read a post of his about Horsmonden from the vantage of a hot-air balloon!]

Travels with Ron Dunning ~ Jane Austen’s Horsmonden from on High

Liz and Ron

The stained glass windows in this church are stunning. A WWII bombing blew out all the windows on the north and east sides with little of the glass surviving – many of the now existing windows have been designed by notable artists. And a very recent discovery in an old chest at the church of an intact piece of window gives us this lovely example of what the whole window must have looked like:

The organ pipes are also a work of art:

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We then headed to our hotel in Lenham where we stayed for three days to allow for further exploring of Kent…and more of the John Austen family …

The Chilston Park Hotel was pure pleasure – the cold days and nights had set in [after unseasonably hot days in London], so walking the property was limited, but the hotel was grand, with each room named and decorated according to various themes such as Art Deco, Carousel, Montgolfier (Hot Air Ballooning!) – not sure whether the knowledge gods were at work but my room was the “Bibliotheque” – here is our door, and the tub, along with a bookcase full of books, and this “wise” fellow on the wall:

And another day well-spent! Stay tuned for tomorrow…

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1. Elizabeth Matts, et al. 1800: Great Bookham at the Time of Jane Austen, Fanny Burney and R B Sheridan. Parochial Church Council of St. Nicolas, [circa 2008], p. 26. [Published with the support of the JASNA Churches fund.]

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Adventures with Jane! Day I of the JASNA Tour!

BookLady DebLeave a comment

So now begins Day I of the JASNA tour! – I am off to Windsor where it is all to begin – we are to stay for one night at the MacDonald Windsor Hotel right in the heart of town [do I dare mention a TK Maxx next door? – notice it is TK not TJ – same beast, different country, apparently to avoid confusion with another UK retailer TJ Hughes – this explained via google…]

Well, enough of shopping – how to be in Windsor and spend time in a TK Maxx?? [though I did find a terrific dress!]

I have been to The Castle before, so other than a few shots I decided to just wander around the town, which feels like a small village – and alas, the first shop I see is Seasalt Cornwall [back to shopping sorry to say] – a friend of mine in England loves these clothes, and so I now added a new blouse to my suitcase [the end of trip found me in need of a new, larger carry-on – mostly books and pamphlets, some gifts, and a few clothes…it is all so irresistible…].

The main street was busy, a beautiful day beginning to be clouded over, as you can see here with Queen Victoria overlooking it all:

And here the famous Shambles, now a café, bar and bottle shop [formerly a teahouse] – known as “the Crooked House of Windsor,” it dates from 1687, and is, as you can see, Crooked…

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I did visit the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist [one of many churches on the trip, and uniquely not named after St. Nicholas (which many of those we saw are – stay tuned to start counting)] – the present church is from 1822, when it replaced an ancient Saxon / Norman building. Some pictures from here, highlighted by the two thrones, a gift of Princess Augusta, daughter of George III, who regularly worshipped here:

The Last Supper, that hangs on the wall above the west door, was painted by Franz de Cleyn (1588-1658), court painter to James I, and previously hung in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. It is considered a national treasure:

Felt quite regal meandering back to the hotel by way of the EII Walkway, to check in and meet up with my roommate [yay!], and then onto our first group dinner, where we all introduced ourselves and gave a bit of our history with JASNA. I felt right at home as a good number of the people were already known to me – a very companionable group, with many days ahead of us to get to know each other as we retreated into the early 19th century with Jane.

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Adventures with Jane! ~ All About the Duke of Wellington and a Little Bit of Henry Austen…

BookLady Deb6 Comments

I am ashamed to say I have never been to Apsley House, home of the Duke of Wellington, so that was my goal this day – Ron had never been either, so we met there [right at the Hyde Park Gate, address is One London as you exit from Hyde Park] – and if you had a doubt as to whose home this was [and is], the number of portraits, sculptures, and paraphernalia of the Duke would certainly give you a hint… not to mention the statue of said Duke in the park across the street…

And the Wellington Arch: it is crowned by the largest bronze sculpture in Europe: the Angel of Peace descending on the Chariot of War. You can read about its history [and controversy] here.

One of the many portraits of the Duke

Your basic dining room…

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I loved it here – and art collection beyond compare – I could have spent many more hours. But for a man who by all accounts liked the simple life of being on a campaign, the extent of elaborate decorative arts and sumptuous décor seems to belie that – the color RED everywhere, and YELLOW…

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One of two great surprises at Apsley is the extensive Spanish art collection in the Waterloo Gallery, “one of the great palatial interiors of Britain” [the Apsley House Guidebook by English Heritage] – a gift of King Ferdinand of Spain in 1816, the 165 paintings were found in an abandoned baggage carriage of Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte, then King of Spain. I give one fine example: “The Gambler,” by “a follower of Caravaggio”:

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The other grand surprise was to find on entering the house a large nude statue of all people Napoleon! Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker by Canova. It had been commissioned by Napoleon but had been covered up at the Louvre – after Waterloo Britain bought it for 66,000 francs and the Prince Regent [George IV] gifted it to Wellington. The entry stairwell was the only possible location and the floor had to be reinforced to support the great weight. Wellington admired Napoleon and there are several paintings of him in the art collection here. You can see the stairwell and the size in my more modest photo (!) here – this better picture of the whole statue is from the guidebook [it actually looks much larger than this image conveys – I did burst out laughing when I saw it was Napoleon…]

A friend of mine went several years ago to Apsley House for one of their occasional Regency balls – I can only imagine the swoosh of the dresses and music all around … you can see such a one in this youtube: https://www.facebook.com/ApsleyHouse/videos/2444115022311548

Alas! I had to content myself with an audio guide and a vivid imagination…

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Next up was Henry Austen! Ron and I were off to Sloane Square, where I served as a grateful listener for one of Ron’s walking tours of Austen sites. I had done this part of Henry Austen’s life before but Ron’s history of it all added much to my knowledge, not to mention another glorious weather day… all followed by lunch in a crowded outside eatery right in the middle of the weekend Sloane Square market – made one feel like a real Londoner!

Henry’s house in Hans Place…

What Henry’s house would have looked like then…

And the requisite Blue Plaque so we know it’s true…

adding this sketch from Constance Hill’s book JA: Her Homes and Her Friends (1902):

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Another great day with Ron…we bid adieu ’til a next visit [we have already lined up an itinerary…] – and I had a fine dinner later at my hotel [that is water not vodka!]:


Next up: the beginning of the JASNA Tour starting in Windsor!

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Adventures with Jane! ~ Twickenham with Ron Dunning

BookLady Deb2 Comments

This day I had the pleasure of spending time with Ron Dunning – we have in the past visited estates and famous houses, and this time the plan was to go to Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill

– alas! it was CLOSED [who closes a tourist site on a Friday??!] – but a few outside photos give you a sense of its grandeur – inside for another trip I am sorry to say – but you can visit it virtually here:

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But Marble Hill was a lovely surprise – home to Henrietta Howard, mistress of George II [for which George’s wife Caroline was most grateful] – apparently George spoke no English and Henrietta was deaf, so a perfect relationship that lasted until he took on another mistress [you can read the ever-interesting George’s mistress stories here.

Howard was unhappily married, separated, but a well-loved and respected woman of education, wit, and grace. She also had a “home of her own” – she designed and lived in Marble Hill beginning in the 1720s, one of the many villas built along the Thames – it remains a rare example of a house built for and by a woman in Georgian England, thankfully saved by an Act of Parliament in 1902. Unlike many such estates, it feels like a very real and livable home, not a museum – you can read more about Henrietta and Marble Hill here.

Love this dining room wallpaper:

View from the Thames:

And now a view of the modern Thames, not likely what Henrietta saw!:

Lunch at the Couch House café was an added treat.

[You can read more about Marble Hill at this post by Tony Grant from 2013!]

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We did go to nearby Orleans House, now really just the Gallery standing – I only took a picture of the exquisite ceiling, but here is also an exterior shot courtesy of Wikipedia:

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And to finish off the day, we took in the country home Sandycombe Lodge of J. M. W. Turner, where there was an inspiring watercolor exhibit of “Turner’s Kingdom: Beauty, Birds, and Beasts,” and very unlike the large and dramatic landscapes we associate with him. Celebrating Turner’s 250th [just like Jane!], the house, designed by Turner, is a small retreat that Turner lived in with his father.

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And this just another window of interest – and wisteria EVERYWHERE! [just like in SC…]

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And another day “well-spent” – Thank you Ron for shepherding me around the sites of Twickenham!

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Adventures with Jane! London Day 2 with Tony Grant

BookLady Deb3 Comments

I had planned this day with my friend Tony Grant of “London Calling” fame – we met at Waterloo Station under the famous clock [where I promptly lost my sunglasses – bought a ridiculous looking magenta pair at Boots and wore them for the rest of the tour..]


Our itinerary was to take the train to Tony’s house [Tony graciously met me at Waterloo: did you know that anyone over 60 in the UK gets to ride all transportation for FREE?? – well, if you are UK citizen that is], where Marilyn offered me tea and goodies and then the three of us were off driving to Frances Burney sites: this was our plan:

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We drove to Streatham to see the area of the Hester Thrale’s [later Piozzi] home at Streatham Park where many literary greats were entertained – most especially Dr. Johnson and Frances Burney – the house sadly demolished in 1863 for “suburban development.”

Then onto the village of Chessington where we saw the spot where Chessington Hall existed, the country house of Samuel Crisp, the close friend of Frances Burney – she largely wrote Cecilia here while visiting. [the house was demolished in 1965 for a housing development…a sad pattern here, don’t you think?]

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A number of years ago Tony and I did a trek to Box Hill – but a rainy / foggy day allowed for NO VIEWS [see post here and the foggy pictures at the end] – so this time we made up for that by walking the trails and seeing exactly where Emma and crew had their debacle of a picnic – you could almost hear “Badly done!” echoing in the breeze…

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and some interesting after-Jane history at Box Hill:

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Had lunch at The Running Horses Inn & Pub  – well, they were past serving lunch, but a funeral lunch had just finished and the grieving family invited us to eat whatever we wanted from what was left of their father’s ‘celebration of life’ luncheon – a very kind and generous offer –

I did love their wallpaper in the ladies’ room:

So drinks and free food at the pub and then we were off to Mickleham and the house [Juniper Hall – now a part of the National Trust] where Germaine de Staël and the French émigrés lived – this is where Burney was first introduced to Alexandre D’Arblay – love at first sight apparently! You cannot go inside as it now is a field center for educational camps, but we did do a quick walk-through of the entrance area and the room where Burney likely met D’Arblay [sans vacuum]…

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And then off to the Norman church in Mickleham where Burney and D’Arblay were married on July 28, 1793, the St. Michael and All Angels Church:

[We did not do Great Bookham today as it was to be part of the JASNA tour, so stay tuned for that with its Burney connection…] 

Tony & Marilyn in front of the St. Mary the Virgin Church in Chessington – the church was not open – we would like to have seen the Burne-Jones designed window of “Faith, Hope, and Charity” and the Samuel Crisp Memorial penned by Frances Burney [here thanks to wikipedia]:

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It was all in all a day well-spent! With hearty thanks to Tony and Marilyn for driving me all over the suburbs and countryside…!

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JASNA-Vermont event ~ Austen Birthday Tea with Pianist Donna Chaff ~ Dec 8th!

BookLady DebLeave a comment


An Austen Birthday Tea with pianist

Donna Chaff
“Musical Jane”

Sunday, Dec 8, 1:00-3:00
Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Rd, Charlotte

 Join us for our Jane Austen Birthday Tea on Sunday, December 8, 1-3, with pianist Donna Chaff. The program “Musical Jane” will feature music from the life, novels, and films of Jane Austen with selections chosen from the Austen Family Music Collection.

Donna Chaff is an avid Jane Austen fan, a member of JASNA, and enjoys researching music of the Regency Era. Donna has been a music educator for over 35 years and has performed concerts in the US, Italy, Austria, and Greece. She was the 2011 Massachusetts recipient of the “Excellence in General Music” Award. On a recent visit, Donna was honored to play the 1813 Clementi piano at Chawton Cottage! 

~ Free & open to the public ~ Light refreshments ~

For more information:
Email: JASNAVTregion@gmail.com
Facebook: Jane Austen in Vermont
Blog: janeausteninvermont.blog

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Austen Literary History & Criticism · Books · Collecting Jane Austen · Georgian Period · Godmersham Park Library · Jane Austen · Jane Austen Circle · Jane Austen Societies · JASNA · Literature · Rare Books · Regency England

“Jane Austen, Book Owner”

BookLady Deb7 Comments

This was the title of my talk at the JASNA AGM in Cleveland last month. I covered a variety of topics, focusing mostly on female book ownership in Jane’s Austen’s time and how she fit into that world of being a “book owner.” David Gilson in his A Bibliography of Jane Austen lists 20 titles that are known to have been owned by Austen, the only way of knowing for sure because she inscribed them. There were others that she gifted to family members and I have included those as well.

The wealth of information on Jane Austen as a reader is quite overwhelming – I direct you to the recently published What Jane Austen’s Characters Read (and Why) by Susan Allen Ford (Bloomsbury, 2024), where there is an excellent summary of her reading in the introduction and chapter one. Also see my bibliography posted below. But my focus was just on the books Austen owned, fitting those into the various subject categories of a gentleman’s or elite lady’s private library, and thereby seeing the variety of works she felt strongly enough about to inscribe her name with that pride of ownership.


I will not be publishing this paper, though I might gradually publish it in sections on this blog – but I did have handouts at the talk and so I am putting both of those on here now: the list of books Austen owned and where they are now, and a very select bibliography of the many books and articles and websites I consulted during my research.

I will add that the Richardson Sir Charles Grandison that was in David Gilson’s private collection is indeed at King’s College Library, Cambridge, as Peter Sabor suggested at the end of my talk. So I have edited the handout to reflect that.

More to come on this very interesting topic, but wanted to get these handouts available to people, as we didn’t have enough during the breakout session.

Jane Austen’s Library:

JABookOwner-list-BarnumDownload

Jane Austen, Book Owner: Select Bibliography:

JaneAustenBookOwner-Bibliography-BarnumDownload

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Thank you to all of you who came to my session – very hard choices – I wanted to be at other talks myself! For those of you who have the virtual component of the meeting, my talk was recorded and is available at that virtual JASNA link you would have been sent via email.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

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