top of page

See they come, post haste from Thanet

​See they come, post haste from Thanet,
Lovely couple, side by side;
They've left behind them Richard Kennet
With the Parents of the Bride! 
Canterbury they have passed through;
Next succeeded Stamford-bridge;
Chilham village they came fast through;
Now they've mounted yonder ridge. 

Down the hill they're swift proceeding,
Now they skirt the Park around;
Lo! The Cattle sweetly feeding
Scamper, startled at the sound! 

Run, my Brothers, to the Pier gate!
Throw it open, very wide!
Let it not be said that we're late
In welcoming my Uncle's Bride! 

To the house the chaise advances;
Now it stops--They're here, they're here!
How d'ye do, my Uncle Francis?
How does do your Lady dear? 

This poem was written by Jane to celebrate her brother Francis' marriage to Mary Gibson in 1806 at Ramsgate. Whilst it may seem odd that she refers to him as "Uncle Francis", the poem was written for her niece Fanny Knight, the daughter of Jane's brother Edward. Francis and his new wife spent their honeymoon at Edward's residence Godmersham, where Fanny also lived. The poem is written as if from Fanny's perspective. 

bottom of page