Is this a portrait of the Austen family in 1781?

The ‘Conversation Piece’. Is this a portrait of the Austen Family? Is this a portrait of the Austen Family in 1781? Whilst conducting research into the ‘Rice’ portrait, Mr. Robin Roberts discovered a very interesting picture, which seems to have gone unnoticed in a Christie’s catalogue. The sale of the property of Mrs. Robert Tritton [...]

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Cassandra Austen, Thomas Fowle, and Kintbury

Sometimes life hands out a little happiness and surprise from most unexpected and unsuspected sources. Yesterday I went to a particularly pretty part of Berkshire with my husband to meet a client of his for lunch. I hadn’t really asked where we were going, I was very happy to be going out into the countryside [...]

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Jane Austen, the most wonderful writer that ever lived!

(16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) Thinking of Jane Austen especially today on the anniversary of her death. She could not have imagined how much her books would be treasured and loved by so many people over the next two hundred years! Here is the letter Jane’s sister Cassandra wrote to her niece Fanny [...]

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Chilly Winds, Snow and a Warm Review from ExLibris Blogspot

The weather here in the UK has been getting colder with freezing winds blowing down from the north. Last night was most unusual for this time of year as autumn was quickly ousted by winter. Last night we had lightning, a thunderstorm, followed by snow – huge, fat flakes of twirling ice hurtling to the [...]

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Sisters and Birthdays!

I’m thinking about my sister today, it’s her birthday. Happy Birthday Gaynor! Although we now live far apart, it’s easy for us to keep in touch by phone and e-mail. When you consider that people in Jane Austen’s day had only the post to maintain communication when they were apart, it’s difficult to appreciate how [...]

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Sisters and Birthdays!

I’m thinking about my sister today, it’s her birthday. Happy Birthday Gaynor! Although we now live far apart, it’s easy for us to keep in touch by phone and e-mail. When you consider that people in Jane Austen’s day had only the post to maintain communication when they were apart, it’s difficult to appreciate how [...]

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Cassandra Austen

Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra was Jane’s lifelong companion. I think the following letter gives us an idea of the strength of the affection and love that the sisters shared and of Cassandra’s grief when Jane tragically died at the very early age of 41. Cassandra wrote to her niece Fanny Knight from Winchester where the [...]

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Cassandra Austen

Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra was Jane’s lifelong companion. I think the following letter gives us an idea of the strength of the affection and love that the sisters shared and of Cassandra’s grief when Jane tragically died at the very early age of 41. Cassandra wrote to her niece Fanny Knight from Winchester where the [...]

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