Austen’s letter 106: Fri, 2 Sept 1814, from Hans Place to Bath, to Martha Lloyd

From 1977-78, Poldark, Season 2 (Elizabeth Chynoweth Poldark Warleggan in the latest genteel style)

The broad-straps belonging to the Gown or Boddice, which cross the front of the Waist, over white, have a very pretty effect I think.

Dear friends and readers,

This is Austen’s fourth extant letter to her beloved friend, Martha Lloyd:

Letter 26, 12-13, November 1800;

letter 77, 29-30 November 1812;

Letter 82, 16 February 1813;

A fifth letter focuses with ecstatic delight on a visit Jane is permitted to Martha:

Letter 27, 20-21 November 1800

They lived together at Southampton and at Chawton; she traveled with Jane and Cassandra in summer excursions (among other places, to Worthing); and there are many remarks about Martha and meant for Martha in yet further letters.

I have suggested that Jane had a implicitly lesbian relationship with Martha around 1800 and a couple of years after that, including the time at Worthing: it was Martha she slept with on the floor in the parsonage when the company was too great; we have seen Jane’s scheme of life in 1808 specifically includes Martha.

We learn more about Martha as Jane writes to a specific person and her letters reflect her recipient. Catherine Hubback says as a stepmother Martha was strictly pious and anything but permissive, and here we see for the first time Austen endorsing religious language and pictures.

This letter shows another step in the distancing between Jane and Martha since their time together near Steventon. It is curiously flat. In Southampton Martha had persisted in saying she wanted to marry and inventing (as Austen saw it) crushes on men (including earlier on Frank); she had insisted on conforming and, partly out of a need of money, partly perhaps to get away from the Austens, to maintain an independence, taken a position as a companion.

Jane may also be careful what she says because the letter is going to Martha at her relatives in Bath and they will get to read it. It was a Dundas woman to whom Martha was a paid companion and who Martha watched die. In another it’s a Dundas relation whom Martha felt she could not leave to visit Austen. One way one became a paid companion was through familial and friend’s connections — we see this in Austen’s novels. In Austen’s last mention of Martha, she can’t come for a visit in summer to which Austen also invited Anne Sharp because Martha has not been paid as yet. Miniscule as the sums were she needs it to travel. That’s in the letter where she teases that she hopes Anne Sharp’s employer will marry her. Unlikely. We see so often how Austen plans to get her women friends together and the plan falls through. At the close Austen’s letter dwells on their shared single women friends.

The text.

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Martha is in Bath

Austen strikes a note of sombre longing which she has at last been able to fulfill: “The prospect of a long quiet morning determines me to write to you; I have been often thinking of it before, but without being quite able to do it”

The comment about richness I take as ironic. Last time Austen mentioned Martha it was to remark than neither she nor Anne Sharp could come for the brief period Jane longed for in summer; the obstacle in Martha’s case was she was not been paid as yet. Well now at long last Martha got her money.

So Martha has made the best of this situation and her relative freedom in Bath and went overboard about how rich she now felt Jane teases her ever so lightly. It is light, lightly done, because she cares for Martha. She goes on to say at least Martha will not be too hot. Again lightly ironic as the next sentence shows: it’s been so cold this year “I must be sure there must be fires in the country.” Martha is in Bath so it’s not as chilled. And Jane has Henry’s fires in London.

Then a reference to their long time in Bath together: much memories under these words: “How many alterations you must perceive in Bath! & How many People & Things gone by, must be recurring to you.” She hopes Martha will see Clifton. That’s a sort of semi-town near Bath for excursions.

I agree with Diana Birchall there is a more straight-forward tone, slightly more graver or plain, less rebarbative & guarded. But hard to say seeing as she’s opening ironically.

She is again hoping to be home at Chawton. I expect this is to get back to more writing. But maybe it’s that she does not like to be squired about as a companion, someone to be with to cross the doors as Henry meets his new ladies. Mrs Crutcheley is another woman he’s considering as a possible sweetheart and life-companion. In the previous letter the Crutchleys and Birches were mentioned in the same breath; they are families who live in close promixity and probably friends. So by way of pleasing the Crutchleys she and Henry would have gone to the Birches but the Birches are not keen. A disappointment, she says. It sounds to me like Mrs Crutchley may not be that eager to be courted by Henry.

No notice by LeFaye of who or why Henry is visiting the Crutchleys. The last letter (105, 23-24 August 1814) was more enigmatic about why Henry was going to the Crutchleys and Birches, but now Jane knows Henry is clearly about courting. Why LeFaye does not want to see it or us to see it I cannot say. As I wrote, Nokes does mention this is a courtship adumbrated at the time of Harriet Moore but he has nothing more than to call our attention to it to show an aspect of Henry.

Henry also not eager to be along so when he brings back James as it appears Cassandra is not coming after all (remember Austen’s dubious tone about that in the last letter). James has dentistry problems.

The twelve days were pleasant she says and we get a little summary. Tilsons. She did have to see Mr Hampson but notice now that Jane is not talking to a sister, she drops the sarcasm and doesn’t let on she didn’t want this association. Jane Austen writes letters by association and the Bridges come to mind as relatives she does want to have connection with, does want to see and she tells Martha that Henry met with Sir and Lady by chance and had they remained in town there would have been a dinner. But again no such thing.

Her amusement at extravagant styles of female dress. Another hit at Mrs Latouches. The lady in the last letter who was not getting visitors. Well at her house they pay attention to such stuff and having been there these are Jane’s observations — she likes the broad-band stripes. You can see this fashion in some of the costume dramas. Two wide swathes of cloth across the front of the chest over the waist. Poldark the second season (1977-78) has the upper class lady (Elizabeth Warleggan) dressed this way — and it is supposed to be early 19th century.

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Benjamin West, Christ Rejected

A highly unusual passage for Jane Austen: she has been talking about what tastes she likes and by association (how the letters proceed) she moves to discourse about solemn religious painting done in the grand historical style. I suggest Martha liked these or mentioned them in her letter. For Jane’s part, in this sort of picture what she likes best is Christ Rejected. Martha seems to have wanted to know if Christ Healing the Sick is considered superior — hinting perhaps that she, Martha, preferred it.

West, Healing the Sick

This is the first letter thus far where we get explicitly religious language by Jane Austen: “Our saviour.” She says Christ Rejected is the first painting of this type which gratified her. What she sees as different from the others is hard to say: the figures are smaller, more realistic perhaps? better drawn? Both are melodramatic and descend from the Baroque. See Austen Only on Benjamin West and Austen. Also Persuasions Online articles cited by Diana Birchall.

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The Pavilion at Hans Place: contemporary print

Back to Henry and his house. Jane likes Hans Place better than Henrietta Street — as we saw in the last letter: For a start she has a larger room, and there is the garden. Jane only wishes Henry would continue in as good health. His health was bad for quite a time after Eliza’s death (as it was put then) and Jane reports that Henry says he is better than he’s been for over a year. The way it’s put injects a slight note of doubt.

Henry is often presented as this gay and cheerful person. From what he writes in the Loiterers, to Hastings, and what we’ve seen in these letters there is not much proof of that. In the early weeks after Eliza’s death he did not want to go to parties but had to for business. He is not as cheerful as Jane as they go walking but only keeping up.

Now we hear his view of the American war is not as cheerful. LeFaye is puzzled and it is true that war had not been declared, but it was clearly in the offing. This is part of that “American situation” quotation from MP that also has not been specifically explained. If we can’t explain it fully that does not mean it’s mysterious. The American and Brits deeply resented one another by this point, and were revving up for trade and sea war. The US people first attacked Canada though – -that’s not much noticed — the expansive violent impulse showed very early. Jane is repeating Henry’s view: by going to war we win nothing only teach the US how to go to war at sea. I doubt they needed the British to teach them.

Well, says, Jane if we are to ruined it is not to be helped. And we get more religious talk which we’ve not heard before. It seems Jane Austen is of the opinion the British are more religious than the Americans and so Heaven will protect the Brits. Not exactly a great political thought, but people write to someone. This is written to Martha who had been talking of a religious picture she liked so this line of thought is one which may please Martha. We may say it’s unusual for Jane to try to please in this way. But then we have so few letters to people outside her family. Martha is a beloved friend; they have squabbled; Martha can rarely come to see Jane so Jane writes out of understood common ground.

However this may be — Jane is like someone who cares more about her cat than a coming war– what matters is Mr Barlowe comes to dine today. Barlowe an employee — so again Henry socializing to network. And now Jane has business too (the association too): she hopes to hav Egerton’s account to see how her MP is doing.

Again she and Henry will try to enjoy themselves despite what may happen or not happen at business.

We have not heard about Aunt Jane-Perrot in a while: it’s no surprise to be told the Aunt was not keen on Martha’s relatives taking a house in Bath. Jealous? Inexplicable resentments? Well, the Dunstans did not have Mrs Perrot i mind, did they? Jane put this unusually mildly put: “I was afraid she would not like it” so we don’t get a sense of the acid envy that we usually do. Again it is a letter Jane expects Martha’s relatives will see. So, at any rate Jane hopes Martha’s relatives will like Bath.

And then suddenly the letter is cut and censored. Who will Jane hear about that Martha wants to know about? could it be Frank? Martha married Frank many years later? or her sister, James’s wife? This is a letter which comes down from Frank’s family so my guess is it’s some sentimental feeling Martha hankers for Frank.

Then we are not to know who Austen will find herself with or what she said about that lady in the hovel always glad to come to tea (for food) Miss Benn.

Mrs Digweed’s amusing comments we are not to know either. They appear to be about London. How flat is London says Mrs Digweed. It needs her. (So she envied Jane or Jane was willing to humor her desire to cut London down.)

These two women bring to mind another genteel impoverished unmarried woman: Miss Irvine. Dear me says Jane. She is likely at this time of year to be more out of Bath than in. This feels like an answer to something Martha said. The two of them talking about another single woman. There is a strong feeling frmo the opening on that Martha does like Bath this time round — confirmed by the ironic response at Jane’s beginning to Martha’s probable assertions at how happy, rich, comfortable she was in Bath.

Now another lady friend of theirs, one no longer single: poor Catherine Bigg, as we saw from Jane’s ditties written just before Catherine married and other remarks since Jane did not envy Catherine’s marriage to the old man and endless children whose grandfather he really could be. Jane admits she is well, comfortable, but is dismayed to see the husband.

Catherine talked of the Awdrys. We can find in LeFaye’s notes that an Awdry married into the Biggs and one of males eventually inherited Manydown Park. Class level is barrister: above that of solicitor. So genuine gentry. The Awdrys have been to visit St Boniface and Ventnor said Catherine — these are hamlets near the water (I gather again from LeFaye’s note)

A post script: Jane now remembers again to give her regards to Martha’s friends. (The regard which no one carries Mr Knightley’s comment comes to mind.). She is grateful to them as an author. More likely than naval information I suggest they bought the novels. And then (as an afterthought) she recalls Charles’s wife had her baby early on board a fortnight early. Poor woman, not much fun that. And de-emphasized here.

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Ibthorpe, once the home of the Lloyd women

How have the two friends traveled since 1798-99 when Jane wrote so passionately and they walked and talked and poured their thoughts into one another for hours — just before the blow over Steventon happened, which visit I now surmise was allowed in order to give Jane the high ecstatic time before the Mr Austen’s decision to give his oldest son what he could was announced. Then Martha was in a large vicarage and Jane in one she thought at least securely her home.

Diana Birchall’s reading and paraphrase.

Ellen