Autograph letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra Austen, [14-15 Jan 1796]

Item

MS. 21838, fols.1-2

Held at the Weston Library

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Digital surrogate of autograph letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra Austen, [14-15 Jan 1796]
Link to digital surrogate

Two leaves quarto, red wafer seal. Addressed to Cassandra at 'The Rev. Mr. Fowle's, Kintbury, Newbury', the letter was written from Steventon and signed 'J: Austen'.

In the letter, Jane refers to their family and acquaintances, including Tom Lefroy and Jane's other 'Admirers', and the upcoming ball.

Note on dating: the letter has the postmark JA 16 96.

Dates

Creation: [14-15 Jan 1796]

Extent

2 Leaves

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

To ensure its availability to future readers, access to this item is restricted, and readers are asked to work from reproductions and published descriptions as far as possible. To apply to see the original, please send a message to specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk, outlining the subject of your research, the importance of this item to that research, and the resources you have already consulted. Please also tell us about the timeframe for your project, if any, and when you hope to visit.

Shelfmark

MS. 21838, fols.1-2

Jane Austen's House reference:

This item has the accession number CHWJA:JAHLTR.49 at Jane Austen's House.

Additional Description

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital surrogate available in Digital Bodleian.

Bibliography

First published [misdated 16 Jan] in Edward, Lord Brabourne, Letters of Jane Austen (London, 1884), volume 1, p.130.
Deirdre Le Faye (ed.), Jane Austen's Letters (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, 4th edition), letter no.2.

Physical Facet

Laid post writing paper made on a single faced mould made by John Portal and William Bridges, Laverstoke, Hampshire. Extent: 2 leaves, two half sheets. Sold as: half sheet quarto letter paper with all edges commercially cut, leaf size 228 x 186-189 mm. Probable sheet size: 476 x 388 mm, 94 gsm, post. Watermark: ‘PORTAL & CO’ (15 x 107 mm). Reads from the felt side of the paper, centred on the half sheet. Chain line spacing recorded at the widest part of the watermark, with the watermark in square brackets: 24 | 24 | 11 [14 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 19] 5 | 24 | 24 | 8 mm.