Anna Austen's recollections of her aunt Jane
When writing his memoir of his aunt, James Edward Austen Leigh asked his half sister Anna Lefroy to write down her recollections of her aunt. Although she was close to Jane, her recollections are written in old age in December 1864 and are therefore fragmented, but do provide a great sense of her beloved aunt.
My dear Edward
You have asked me to put on paper my recollections of Aunt Jane, & to do so would be, both on your account & her's a labour of love if I had but a sufficiency of material.
I am sorry to say that my reminiscences are few; surprisingly so, considering how much I saw of her in childhood, & how much intercourse we had in later years. I look back to the first period but find little that I can grasp of any substance, or certainty: it seems now all so shadowy! I recollect the frequent visits of my two Aunts, & how they walked in wintry weather through the sloppy lane between Steventon & Dean in pattens, usually worn at that time even by Gentlewomen. I remember too their bonnets: because though precisely alike in colour, shape & material, I made it a pleasure to guess, & I believe always guessed right, which bonnet & which Aunt belonged to each other - Children do not think of Aunts, or perhaps of any grown up people as young; yet at the time to which I now refer my Aunts must have been very young women - even a little later, when I might be 9 or 10 yrs. old I thought it so very odd, to hear Grandpapa speak of them as 'the Girls'. 'Where are the Girls?' 'Are the Girls gone out?'
At the time of my birth Aunt Jane was not much over 17 - She was thus entered in the family Bible in her Father's hand writing. A very good clear hand he wrote, by the by. 'Jane Austen born 16 Decr. 1775. Privately baptised 17 Decr. 1775. Recd. into the Church 5 Apl. 1776 Sponsors Revd. Mr. Cooke, Rector of Bookham Surry, Mrs. Jane Austen of Sevenoaks Kent, Father's Uncle's Wife, Mrs. Musgrave of Chinnor, Oxon.'
Aunt Jane was the general favorite with children; her ways with them being so playful, & her long circumstantial stories so delightful! These were continued from time to time, & begged for of course at all possible or impossible occasions; woven, as she proceeded out of nothing, but her own happy talent for invention. Ah! if but one of them could be now recovered!
Other things have been even more completely obliterated -
I have been told that one of her earliest Novels (Pride & Prejudice) was read aloud (in M.S. of course) in the Parsonage at Dean, whilst I was in the room, & not expected to listen - Listen however I did, with so much interest, & with so much talk afterwards about 'Jane & Elizabeth' that it was resolved, for prudence sake, to read no more of the story aloud in my hearing. This was related to me years afterwards, when the Novel had been published; & it was supposed that the names might recall to my recollection that early impression. Such however did not prove to be the case. Something you may expect me to say of our Aunt's personal appearance, though in the latter years of her life it must be as well remembered by you as by me. The Figure tall & slight, but not drooping; well balanced, as was proved by her quick firm step. Her complexion of that rather rare sort which seems the peculiar property of light brunettes. A mottled skin, not fair, but perfectly clear & healthy in hue; the fine naturally curling hair, neither light nor dark; the bright hazel eyes to match, & the rather small but well shaped nose. One hardly understands how with all these advantages she could yet fail of being a decidedly handsome woman.
I have intimated that of the two Sisters Aunt Jane was generally the favorite with children, but with the young people of Godmersham it was not so. They liked her indeed as a playfellow, & as a teller of stories, but they were not really fond of her. I believe that their Mother was not; at least that she very much preferred the elder Sister. A little talent went a long way with the Goodneston Bridgeses of that period; & much must have gone a long way too far. This preference lasted for a good while, nor do I think that there ever was any abatement in the love of that family for Aunt Cassandra. Time however brought, as it always does bring, new impressions or modifications of the old ones. Owing to particular circumstances there grew up during the latter years of Aunt Jane's life a great & affectionate intimacy between herself & the eldest of her nieces; & I suppose there a few now living who can more fully appreciate the talent or revere the memory of Aunt Jane than Lady Knatchbull. This has brought me to the period of my own greatest share of intimacy; the two years before my marriage, & the two or three years after, when we lived, as you know almost close to Chawton when the original 17 years between us seemed to shrink to 7 - or to nothing. It comes back to me now how strangely I missed her; it had become so much a habit with me to put by things in my mind with a reference to her and to say to myself, 'I shall keep this for Aunt Jane.' It was my great amusement during one summer visit at Chawton to procure Novels from a circulating Library at Alton, & after running them over to relate the stories to Aunt Jane. I may say it was her amusement also, as she sat busily stitching away at a work of charity, in which I fear that I took myself no more useful part. Greatly we both enjoyed it, one piece of absurdity leading to another, till Aunt Cassana fatigued with her own share of laughter wd. exclaim 'How can you both be so foolish?' & beg us to leave off - One of these Novels, written by a Mrs. Hunter of Norwich, was an exceedingly lengthy affair; there was no harm in the book, except that in a most unaccountable manner the same story about the same people, most of whom I think had died before the real story began was repeated 3 or 4 times over. A copy of the note written a few weeks afterwards, in reply to one from 'Mrs. Hunter' will give you some idea of the state of the case.
'Miss Jane Austen begs her best thanks may be conveyed to Mrs. Hunter of Norwich for the Threadpapers which she has been so kind as to send her by Mr. Austen, & which will be always very valuable on account of the spirited sketches (made it is suppposed by Nicholson or Glover) of the most interesting spots, Tarefield Hall, the Mill, & above all the Tomb of Howard's wife, of the faithful representation of which Miss Jane Austen is undoubtedly a good judge having spent so many summers at Tarefield Abbey the delighted guest of the worthy Mrs. Wilson. Miss Jane Austen's tears have flowed over each sweet sketch in such a way as would do Mrs. Hunter's heart good to see; if Mrs. Hunter could understand all Miss Austen's interest in the subject she would certainly have the kindness to publish at least 4 vols more about the Flint family, & especially would give many fresh particulars on that part of it which Mrs. H. has hitherto handled too briefly; viz, the history of Mary Flint's marriage with Howard.
Miss Austen cannot close this small epitome of the miniature abridgement of her thanks & admiration without expressing her sincere hope that Mrs. Hunter is provided at Norwich with a more safe conveyance to London than Alton can now boast, as the Car of Falkenstein which was the pride of that Town was overturned within the last 10 days.'
The Car of Falkenstein, Collier's, but at that time called Falkner's Coach, relates to some earlier nonsense.
Her unusually quick sense of the ridiculous inclined her to play with the trifling commonplaces of every day life, whether as regarded people or things; but she never played with it's serious duties or responsibilities - when grave she was very grave; I am not sure but that Aunt Cassandra's disposition was the most equally cheerful of the two. Their affection for each other was extreme; it passed the common love of sisters; and it had been so from childhood. My Grandmother talking to me once of by gone times, & of that particular time when my Aunts were placed at the Reading Abbey School, said that Jane was too young to make her going to school at all necessary, but it was her own doing; she would go with Cassandra; 'if Cassandra's head had been going to be cut off Jane would have her's cut off too' -
They must however have been separated some times as Cassandra in her childhood was a good deal with Dr. & Mrs. Cooper at Bath - She once described to me her return to Steventon one fine summer evening. The Coopers had sent or conveyed her a good part of the journey, but my Grandfather had to go, I think as far as Andover to meet her - He might have conveyed himself by Coach, but he brought his Daughter home in a Hack chaise; & almost home they were when they met Jane & Charles, the two little ones of the family, who had got as far as New down to meet the chaise, & have the pleasure of riding home in it; but who first spied the chaise tradition does not say, whether such happiness were the lawful property of Jane or Charles will never be exactly understood.
I have come to the end of my traditional lore, as well as of my personal recollections, & I am sorry that both should be so meagre & unsatisfactory; but if this attempt should incline others to do the same, even if no more, the contributions when put together may furnish a memorial of some value. You must have it in your own power to write something; & Caroline, though her recollections cannot go so far back even as your's, is, I know acquainted with some particulars of interest in the life of our Aunt; they relate to circumstances of which I never had any knowledge, but were communicated to her by the best of then living Authorities, Aunt Cassandra - There may be other sources of information, if we could get at them - Letters may have been preserved, & this is the more probable as Aunt Jane's talent for letter writing was so much valued & thought so delightful amongst her own family circle.
Such gleanings however are not likely to fall to our share, & we must content ourselves, I fear, with our own reminiscences.
Believe me dr. Edwd yr. affect: Sister J. A. E. Lefroy
