Jane Austen (38 page)

Cassandra copied out communal prayers composed by Jane, which beg forgiveness for ‘every fault of temper and every evil habit in which we have indulged to the discomfort of our fellow creatures and the danger of our own souls’. She also prayed for grace to seek a ‘temper of forbearance and patience … to be severe only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow-creatures with kindness and to judge of all they say and do with that charity which we would desire from them ourselves.’ Jane’s Christianity was sincere. If she was not always charitable, she was convinced she should strive to be so. She liked Bishop Sherlock’s sermons, which emphasize self-knowledge. She owned a book probably given her at confirmation,
A Companion to the Altar: showing the Nature and Necessity of a Sacramental Preparation in Order to our worthy Receiving the Holy Communion, to which are added Prayers and Meditations
.

Cassandra wrote to Fanny Knight, thanking her for her tact and sensitivity in sending amusing letters when her feelings about Jane’s illness would have dictated something very different. She assured Fanny that Jane had indeed enjoyed them.
‘I have
lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed. She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow. I had not a thought concealed from her, and it is as if I had lost a part of myself.’

Cassandra cut off some locks of Jane’s hair, offering Fanny the choice of a brooch or a ring. Fanny had the hair set in an oval brooch, bearing simply Jane’s name and the date of her death. Cassandra had hers set in a ring with pearls and wore it ever after. She sent a lock to Miss Sharp with a pair of clasps Jane sometimes wore and a small bodkin Jane had used for more than twenty years. Other locks went to other members of the family. Cassandra gave Jane’s topaz cross, Charles’s gift, to Martha. Henry wrote obituaries for the newspapers, listing her four published novels. It took Anna a long while to forget the habit of keeping things to tell Aunt Jane.

Jane loved Winchester’s magnificent cathedral and had asked the Dean and Chapter if she could be buried inside it. She was buried there on 24 July, in the north aisle, near the black marble Norman font, and almost opposite the chantry of William of Wykeham (1323 [?]—1404), Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Winchester, founder of Winchester College. A chantry is an endowment for the celebration of masses for the soul of the founder, and the chapel or altar set aside for them.

The funeral had to take place early, for the cathedral service began at ten o’clock. Jane’s brothers Edward, Henry and Frank attended. Charles was away and James, unwell himself, was represented by James-Edward. Cassandra watched the mournful little procession down the length of the street until it turned from her sight and she had lost her only sister for ever. In some families women did not go to funerals. ‘Never was human being more sincerely mourned… than this dear creature,’ she wrote, hoping that the sorrow of those who loved her sister might be a measure of the joy with which she would be welcomed in Heaven. Cassandra always spoke of Jane with active love.

A plain black slab in the stone floor of the north aisle marks her grave. It reads:

By the 1850s, her grave was attracting pilgrims. Because it made no mention of her writings, a puzzled verger asked one visitor, 'Pray, sir, can you tell me whether there was anything particular about that lady; so many people want to know where she was buried?’

Early in the twentieth century a brass wall-plaque was added, funded by the profits from James-Edward’s
Memoir
, It says, JANE AUSTEN, known to many by her writings, endeared to her family by the varied charms of her characters and ennobled by Christian faith and piety, was born at Steventon …, giving dates and quoting Proverbs 31: 26: ‘She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness.’ Above is a memorial window featuring St Augustine, who used to be familiarly known as ‘Austin’, King David playing his harp, and St John (Tn the beginning was the word…’).

For the nephews and nieces who continued to visit Mrs Austen, Cassandra and Martha, in their own words, the chief light in the house was quenched and the loss of it cast a shade over the spirits of the survivors. In 1827 Mrs Austen died; the following year Martha Lloyd, aged sixty-four, married Frank. Cassandra lived on alone until 1845, dying at Frank’s house in Portsmouth. She bequeathed Jane’s gold watch and chain to their brother Henry.

Jane’s will was proved on 10 September. As it was unwitnessed, Harriet Palmer and her father had to swear to the signature. Jane’s funeral had cost £92. After this expense had been met and the legacies to Henry and Madame Bigeon deducted, Cassandra inherited the total wealth of England’s first great and justly celebrated woman writer. It amounted to £561 2s and was taxed at three per cent.

In 1832 the publisher Bentley reprinted Jane’s books in his ‘Standard novels’ series, buying the copyrights for a total of £250. They were reprinted occasionally, but during the nineteenth century Jane’s novels remained a minority taste. The family considered them a private possession, unlikely to appeal to outsiders. In 1843 the
Foreign and Colonial Quarterly Review
mentioned her favourably. Anna copied out the article and sent it to Cassandra, who found it highly gratifying to her feelings and proof that Jane’s novels possessed intrinsic merit.

In 1818 the Cambridge University Library, although a copyright library entitled to claim everything published in Britain, rejected as unimportant works by Ludwig van Beethoven and by Jane Austen. Between 1817 and 1870 there was only one complete edition of Jane’s works. Since then, there have been countless editions, film and television versions, and endless commentaries and critiques. Since her death, Jane’s work has made millions for other people. As early as 1930 one of her letters fetched £1,000 and by the mid-1980s a collector paid £900 for a mere scrap of her handwriting.

Sir Walter Scott wrote of Jane in his diary, ‘What a pity such a gifted creature died so early!’ In her lifetime the product of her hand and brain was poorly and grudgingly rewarded.

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______
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______revised by Deirdre Le Faye,
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_____
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______
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______
A Goodly Heritage: A History of Jane Austen’s Family
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