Jane Austen’s Forgotten Siblings
Family matters can become tricky, regardless of the century. I have learned sad things about Jane Austen’s family.
Family matters can become tricky, regardless of the century. While researching our guest of honor for the month of January, I have learned some things about Jane Austen’s family that (at least to me) were new.
Whenever Jane Austen’s family is mentioned, we tend to think of her sister, Cassandra. It’s not a surprise; the two Austen ladies were known to be close.
There was a time during which the Austens’ home was used as a boarding school for boys, because they were short on money. This meant that, in addition to five Austen brothers, the home became a crowded, masculine party.
Jane was sent off to a different boarding school during this time—perhaps to make space for more of the ‘pupils’ at her father’s house. She would remember those days at school bitterly.
It would be her longest absence from the Austen home.
It’s no surprise that, after that, she and Cassandra became inseparable. As a result, Cassandra is the sibling casual Janeites know about; shall we shed further light on the Austen household?
Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley is a fantastic book, presenting the author’s life story with a tone that is engaging and poetic. It does justice to the author; it gives Jane a coating of humanity which makes her more likable.
We can relate to the shy, witty spinster who spent much of her time bent over writing-paper or playing melodies at the piano. When we know more about her and the people surrounding her, she is not on such a high pedestal; she becomes more of a friend to us than ever.
Worsley’s book gives us detailed accounts of Jane’s siblings.
Jane’s brothers were, in order of age, James (1765-1819), George (1766-1838), Edward (1767-1852), Henry (1771-1850), and Francis (1774-1865).
Here are some quick notes about her siblings. Note: I have not listed them in order of age.
Cassandra (1773-1845)
More is known about Cassandra than the other Austen siblings.
She was not always set on the life of a spinster. In 1795, she became engaged to Reverend Thomas Fowle. Thomas was six years older than Cassandra, but age gaps were not so unusual at the time.
He had been one of her father’s pupils, a fact which must’ve pleased Mr. Austen enough to overlook the young man’s lack of finances.
When he proposed, Thomas Fowle did not have enough savings with which to start a new life. The engagement dragged on for months while he tried to gather the funds. She waited with eagerness as well as patience.
Tragically, Thomas did not live to marry Cassandra. In 1797, after following a cousin to the West Indies, Thomas succumbed to yellow fever.
His letters abruptly stopped, but the Austens did not imagine the worst could have happened. Cassandra did not find out about his death for several days. The heartbreak this news brought her must have discouraged her from loving again.
As for Jane, her life was not so devoid of romance as lore tends to claim; I will write about that next week.
An entire post can be dedicated to Cassandra; here, I want to talk a bit more about the Austen boys.
James (1765-1819)
Jane did not have close bonds with all of her brothers. Her relationships with two in particular struck me as chaotic. These brothers are George Austen, whom I’ll cover last, and the eldest brother, James.
Jane and James Austen clashed often because they were both literary. Society being the way it was, James was often lauded for his writing skills, while her work was waved off by many as a hobby.
To many, James was the writer of the family; after Jane became published, claims would circulate that she had James to thank for her love of writing.
Some even speculated that James was the true genius behind her work.
I must give James due sympathy: writing is not always easy, regardless of your gender. I have no doubt that he worked hard at his craft and loved it as much as she did. We cannot help but sympathize with him.
His little sister became a famous author, while he continued working with little reward for his efforts. As an Oxford student, he edited a newsletter, contributing stories and articles for two years.
However, he never achieved fame like Jane’s.
Henry (1771-1850)
Henry was said to be the most charismatic Austen brother.
He joined James at Oxford. At the time, Oxford existed to train young men for clerical life; both Austen boys would go on to become clergymen.
Henry is believed to have been Jane’s favorite. He was lively, possessing a keen sense of humor that must have been similar to hers. He had a sharp eye for style, always making sure to present himself in a way that was becoming of him. In other words, he ‘looked the part’ of an Oxford student.
Jane described Henry as being ‘most affectionate and kind. He cannot help being amusing.’
This sunny personality would have been the opposite of James’. The eldest Austen brother would go on in life to become morose and depressive. One can guess that Jane’s success played a part in his disappointment.
Edward (1767-1852)
Jane’s brother Edward had the fortune of being ‘adopted’ by one of Mr. Austen’s wealthy cousins, Thomas Knight. He would move with the Knights into their large home; he would also take their surname.
Thomas and his new wife, Catherine, visited the Austens in the summer of 1779 on their wedding journey (honeymoons were not a custom at the time).
The Knights were enamored by twelve-year-old Ned’s personality, which was presumably sunny as Henry’s.
They allowed Edward to tag along with them for the remainder of their journey. Edward found great favor with the Knights; he would have a comfortable life, compared with his siblings.
Edward’s fortune was bittersweet, because it would inevitably distance him from his family. I imagine that the other Austens struggled to relate to him, as he lived a separate life of luxury.
Francis (1774-1865)
Francis Austen was an energetic young man whose antics would earn him the nickname ‘Fly.’ Unlike James and Henry, he was sent—along with the other Austen brother, Charles—to the Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth.
Frank’s sense of duty moved him to choose the Navy as his vocation. He went on to impress his superiors, climbing up in rank and earning the respect of fellow sailors. He would rise to the top of his profession.
He was fourteen years old on December 23, 1788, when he set sail for the first time. His destination was the East Indies, and he discovered that life at sea was indeed his calling.
Frank was so dedicated to his work that he was praised as an officer in the Royal Navy. Eventually, he became a loving father, delighting in simple tasks such as making wooden toys or fringes for the curtains.
Worsley suggests that Frank Austen might have been Jane’s inspiration for Captain Harville in Persuasion.
George (1766-1838)
And then there was George.
We do not think, when reading Jane’s humorous novels, that there was a family member whom the Austens went to lengths to hide.
George was prone to fits of what is now believed to have been epilepsy. As a child, he was mostly kept at home; his parents hoped the fits were something he would outgrow.
Having a child with such a condition was a black mark back then. It marred a family’s reputation. Though I am sure there was love for George, his presence in their universe was inconvenient—especially to Jane and Cassandra, who were expected to find good husbands (even if they both chose the lives of spinsters in the end).
As Lucy Worsley puts it, “While ‘sons can easily make their way in the world’, the girls’ only hope was to marry.”
When George’s parents realized he would not outgrow these spells, they sent him to live with a permanent foster-family.
George, the Forgotten Austen
Until recently, I was not aware that Jane had brothers, let alone a disabled one. It was, therefore, sobering to learn of George and the way he was written off—because he was, literally, written off.
Most of what we know about the Austens was curated by earlier generations. They were determined that posterity should not know of their imperfections (including George).
The early Austens made public what they wished to be known about themselves and the author.
As a modern fan of the Austen family, I’m sure that I am not the only person disappointed by how they erased George. It might have been an accepted practice in their time, but these days it is cruel.
When Jane’s nephew decided to write a profile of his aunt in 1871, he took liberties to rearrange her story, chopping George’s bough off of the family tree. Jane’s story remained that way comfortably until recently. Now that stigma against disabilities and mental health is beginning to shift away, we can see how those with such struggles were mistreated.
Jane’s nephew described Edward Austen as the ‘second’ brother, when that spot belonged to George; he was placing things in a different order, so George Austen would be forgotten.
The story of George Austen nearly soiled the romantic notions I had surrounding Jane and Cassandra. (Nearly—not quite).
The Austen family did not live in a fairy tale with novels, dancing and courtship. No, indeed; they were surviving during a sad time when mentally ill relatives caused shame.
Conclusion
When we take the time to examine history, we see sentences that were ‘crossed off,’ so to speak.
Today, George Austen seems to have been given the chance to exist again, as modern scholars take a closer look at Jane Austen’s world.
We cannot judge her for what took place. It was unlikely that Jane made the choice to send her brother away; besides, they knew of nothing else to do with a family member suffering from such a malady.
History always has a way of surprising us with facts both thrilling and humbling. Now, we can remember George Austen and replace his bough on the family tree.
He, and other people with disabilities, did and do matter.
Next week, I will be writing about Jane Austen and the romances she did enjoy, even if she did not take them very seriously.
Jane seems to have been a bit of a flirt, in spite of her choice to remain unmarried. She had the right to have fun, after all.
I hope the New Year is treating you well!
As usual, if I have gotten any of these facts wrong, or if you have some suggestions, feel free to comment; I love feedback!
You might enjoy the newsletter Caroline Jane Knight (a descendent of Edward Knight) writes here on Substack, Jane Austen's Niece. Caroline grew up at Chawton House, near the cottage that Edward Knight provided for his mother and sisters. She published most of her novels while living in that cottage, and it's now the Jane Austen House Museum.
I'm not sure what you mean by Jane's success contributing to Henry's depression. Alongside Cassandra, Henry ensured Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were printed after Jane's death, and he wrote the biographical (hagiographical!) note that finally credited Jane as the "Lady" who wrote her novels. Henry was proud of Jane, and it's thanks to him that we know who she is today. He wrote of her, "Faultless herself, as nearly as human nature can be, she always sought, in the faults of others, something to excuse, to forgive or forget....In short, her temper was as polished as her wit. Nor were her manners inferior to her temper. They were of the happiest kind. No one could be often in her company without a strong desire of obtaining her friendship, and cherishing a hope of having obtained it."
While I thoroughly agree that the way disabled people were discussed, treated, and erased in Austen's day is horrible, I think there's another way to view the Austen family's decision about George. The Austens could have locked George in the attic or sent him to a place like Bedlam, an institution for the mentally ill still remembered for its abuses. Instead, the Austens placed George in a stable home environment where he could spend his life in peace and security. For many years George was near to his family, and his care provided his foster family with an income. George did not have to live among his father's rowdy pupils that may have treated him inconsiderately. George's living situation might not be up to our modern standards, but the Austens chose the best option that their resources and society allowed. I like to think that he spent his life in relative peace, enjoying life in the countryside and comforts of a home, even if it was not his own.
Well done! I agree with Litcuzzwords.