Victorian England Week Four: Wed Oct 24, 2018 Institute for the Study of Western Civilization Jane Austen 1775-1817 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY POLITICS

Prince Regent King George III (Geo IV 1762-1830) Sir Robert Walpole 1738-1820 1676-1745

Charles Grey 1764-1845 Edmund Burke William Pitt the Younger Charles James Fox 1729-1797 1759-1806 1749-1805 The Whigs 1714-1819

LEADERS Robert Walpole, William Pitt the Elder, George Grenville, Charles James Fox, Charles Grey, William Lamb, John Russell, Henry J. Temple Sir Robert Walpole 1676-1745 King George III 1738-1820 reign: 1760-1820 60 year reign, longest to date Jane Austen 1775-1817

Jane Austen 1775-1817 (41) Father: Rev. George Austen, 1731-1805 Mother: Cassandra Leigh Austen, 1739-1827 Brother: Rev. James 1765-1819 (3 children) Brother: George 1766-1838 (Deaf) Brother: Edward 1767-1852 (Knight, 11 children) Brother: Rev. Henry (married Eliza) 1771-1850 Sister: Cassandra 1773-1845 Brother: Adm. Francis (Frank) 1774-1865(11 chil) Jane: 1775-1817 Brother: Adm. Charles (1779-1852) (4 children) Her best friend, sister Cassandra Elizabeth Austen 1773-1845 (72)

Cassandra’s tragic engagement to her poor clergyman Tom Fowle 1796

Edward Austen Knight (1768 – 1852), born Edward Austen, was the third eldest brother of Jane Austen, was adopted by the rich relative Thomas Knight and the wealthy Edward was able to provid Jane with the use of a cottage in Chawton where she lived for the last years of her life (now Jane Austen's House Museum). He was also High Sherif of Kent in 1801. Godmersham Park owned by brother Edward (1798)

Built 1732, flanking wings for offices and library. Edward Austen Knight (1768 – 1852), born Edward Austen, was the third eldest brother of Jane Austen, was adopted by the rich relative Thomas Knight and the wealthy Edward was able to provid Jane with the use of a cottage in Chawton where she lived for the last years of her life (now Jane Austen's House Museum). He was also High Sherif of Kent in 1801.

Sir Francis William Austen (Frank) Born 23 April 1774 Died 10 August 1865 (aged 91) Widley, Hampshire, England Buried St Peter and St Paul, Wymering, Portsmouth Allegiance United Kingdom Service/branch Royal Navy Years of service 1786-1865 Rank Admiral of the Fleet North America and West Indies Station Battles/wars French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Relationsary Wars. GLAMOROUS Eliza (daughter of Phila, ELIZA George Austen’s sister), Comtesse de Feuillide (née Hancock) 1761 – 1813 was the cousin, and later sister- in-law, of novelist Jane Austen. She is believed to have been inspirational for a number of Austen's works, such as Love and Friendship, Henry and Eliza, and Mansfield Park. She may have also been the model from whom the character of (Warren Hastings) Mary Crawford is derived. Thomas Langlois Lefroy (1776 –1869) was an Irish-Huguenot politician and judge. He served as an MP for the constituency of Dublin University in 1830–1841, Privy Councillor of Ireland in 1835–1869 and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1852–1866. Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy (1796) Jane Austen: The Places of Her Life

STEVENTON, HAMPSHIRE

South coast.

St. Nicholas Church, Steventon, Hampshire George Austen was born in 1731. His mother died in childbirth and his father died a year after marrying a new wife, who did not want the responsibility of taking care of the young lad. George then lived with an aunt in Tonbridge and earned a Fellowship to study at St. John’s. Smart, ambitious, and self-made (with the support of his uncle Francis), he received a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, and a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Oxford. Considered good looking all his life, he was called “the handsome proctor” as he worked as an assistant chaplain, dean of arts, and Greek lecturer while going to school. St. Nicholas Church, Steventon, Hampshire

The Steventon Rectory

The Steventon Rectory THE AUSTENS: “Psuedo-Gentry” live like gentry with little money no land.

1000 pounds a year THE AUSTENS: “Psuedo-Gentry” live like gentry with little money no land.

Father and daughter, 1775-1800

father well educated (library 500 vols.) library included NOVELS (reading women) music, books, balls, social (theatricals) understands her writing (everyone in family wrote) helps get her first book to a publisher

Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy (1796) Thomas Langlois Lefroy (1776 – 1869) was an Irish-Huguenot politician and judge. He served as an MP for the constituency of Dublin University in 1830–1841, Privy Councillor of Ireland in 1835–1869 and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1852–1866.

Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy

He named his first daughter Jane.

1800 Rev. George Austen decides to retire to Bath

Jane, age 25. 1800 Rev. George Austen decides to retire and move the family to Bath.

BATH

Glastonbury

Tintagel

Headlund Hotel

Rose in Vale Orestone Manor Pentillie Castle

25 miles 1801, Jane and her mother go ahead to set up house in Bath. Neither one wanted to move.

No. 4 Sydney Street Sydney Gardens No. 4 Sydney Street

One good reason for the move to Bath were the baths for Mrs. Austen.

40 Gay Street

Proposal of Marriage 1802 Harris Bigg-Wither 1781-1838 In December 1802 Austen received her only known proposal of marriage. She and her sister visited Alethea and Catherine Bigg, old friends who lived near Basingstoke. Their younger brother, Harris Bigg-Wither, had recently finished his education at Oxford and was also at home. Bigg-Wither proposed and Austen accepted. As described by Caroline Austen, Jane's niece, and Reginald Bigg-Wither, a descendant, Harris was not attractive – he was a large, plain-looking man who spoke little, stuttered when he did speak, was aggressive in conversation, and almost completely tactless. Proposal of Marriage 1802 Harris Bigg-Wither 1781-1838 However, Austen had known him since both were young and the marriage offered many practical advantages to Austen and her family. He was the heir to extensive family estates located in the area where the sisters had grown up. With these resources, Austen could provide her parents a comfortable old age, give Cassandra a permanent home and, perhaps, assist her brothers in their careers. She accepted the proposal. By the next morning, Austen realized she had made a mistake and withdrew her acceptance Proposal of Marriage 1802

Why did she turn him down? Death of Rev George Austen 1805

Jane’s father died on 21 January 1805 Her father's relatively sudden death left Jane, Cassandra, and their mother in a precarious financial situation. Edward, James, Henry, and pledged to make annual contributions to support their mother and sisters.[85] Death of Rev George Austen 1805

For the next four years, the family's living arrangements reflected their financial insecurity. They spent part of the time in rented quarters in Bath before leaving the city in June 1805 for a family visit to Steventon and Godmersham. They moved for the autumn months to the newly fashionable seaside resort of Worthing, on the Sussex coast, where they resided at Stanford Cottage. In 1806 the family moved to Southampton, where they shared a house with Frank Austen and his new wife. A large part of this time they spent visiting various branches of the family. Death of Rev George Austen 1805

1805-1809, years of wanderings. Around early 1809 Austen's brother Edward offered his mother and sisters a more settled life – the use of a large cottage in Chawton village that was part of Edward's nearby estate, . Jane, Cassandra and their mother moved into Chawton cottage on 7 July 1809. Life was quieter in Chawton than it had been since the family's move to Bath in 1800. Cottage in Chawton, where Jane Austen spent the last years of her life: 1809-1817. The Austens did not socialize with gentry and entertained only when family visited. Her niece Anna described the family's life in Chawton as "a very quiet life, according to our ideas, but they were great readers, and besides the housekeeping our aunts occupied themselves in working with the poor and in teaching some girl or boy to read or write.”

During her time at Chawton, Jane Austen published four generally well received novels. Through her brother Henry, the publisher Thomas Egerton agreed to publish , which appeared in October 1811. Reviews were favourable and the novel became fashionable among young aristocratic opinion- makers; the edition sold out by mid-1813. Austen's earnings from Sense and Sensibility provided her with some financial and psychological independence. Egerton then published , a revision of First Impressions, in January 1813. He advertised the book widely and it was an immediate success, garnering three favorable reviews and selling well.

FINAL ILLNESS (Addison’s Desease) Austen made light of her condition, describing it as "bile" and rheumatism. As her illness progressed, she experienced difficulty walking and lacked energy; by mid-April she was confined to bed. In May Cassandra and Henry brought her to Winchester for treatment, by which time she suffered agonizing pain and welcomed death. Austen died in Winchester on 18 July 1817, at the age of 41. Named after Thomas Addison, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh Medical School, who first discovered and described the illness in 1855, Addison’s disease is a rare illness that afects one out of every 100,000 individuals. The disease can afect both men and women of any age, but it is predominantly diagnosed in middle-aged women, and former president John F. Kennedy was known to sufer from the condition as well.Addison’s disease, alternatively known as primary adrenal insufciency and hypercortisolism, is a rare, long-term endocrine disorder that is the result of the adrenal glands not producing enough steroid hormones, specifically cortisol and aldosterone, throughout the body. The adrenal gland is located above each of the kidneys, and these glands produce essential hormones for a healthy life, and Addison’s disease develops when these glands do not produce enough of these hormones. Henry, through his clerical connections, arranged for his sister to be buried in the north aisle of the nave of Winchester Cathedral. The epitaph composed by her brother James praises Austen's personal qualities, expresses hope for her salvation and mentions the "extraordinary endowments of her mind." WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL

Jane Austen 1775- July 18, 1817

Victorian England Week Four: Jane Austen Wed Oct 24, 2018 Institute for the Study of Western Civilization