Two autograph letters written by Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra Austen
Two autograph letters written by the novelist Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra Austen, dated 14-15 Jan 1796 and 15-16 Sep 1813.
Dates
- Creation: 1796-1813
Extent
1 box
Language of Materials
- English
Conditions Governing Access
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Preferred Citation
Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. 21838, fols. 1-2].
Full range of shelfmarks:
MS. 21838
Collection ID (for staff)
CMD ID 21838
Abstract
Two autograph letters written by Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra Austen, 1796 and 1813.
Biographical / Historical
For a full biography of Jane Austen, see entry for Austen, Jane (1775-1817), novelist, in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Custodial History
The two letters were bequeathed by Cassandra Elizabeth Austen (1773-1845) to her niece Fanny Knight, Lady Knatchbull (1793-1882) and were inherited in turn by Fanny's son, Edward Hugessen Knatchbull-Hugessen, Lord Brabourne (1829–1893). The letters were probably sold in the Puttick & Simpson sale of 26–28 Jun 1893. By 1931, the letters were in the collection of Sir Alfred Joseph Law (1860-1939), nephew of William Law of Honresfield, Lancashire (1836-1901). Sir Alfred died (unmarried) in 1939 and his estate was bequeathed to his cousin Emma Dixon and her descendants. The two letters were included in the Sotheby's sale of the Honresfield Library which was announced in May 2021.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These letters are owned jointly by the Bodleian Libraries and Jane Austen's House. They were given from the Blavatnik Honresfield Library by the Friends of the National Libraries, 2022.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital surrogate available in Digital Bodleian.
Separated Materials
The Blavatnik Honresfield Library collection was donated by the Friends of the National Libraries to relevant English and Scottish institutions. Other manuscripts were donated to The Brotherton Library (University of Leeds), The British Library, The Brontë Parsonage Museum, Abbotsford: The Home of Walter Scott, The National Library of Scotland and The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum (National Trust for Scotland). Printed books from the collection were dispersed more widely to libraries across the UK.
Bibliography
- Deirdre Le Faye (ed.), Jane Austen's Letters (Oxford University Press, 4th edition, 2011).
Subject
- Title
- Catalogue of two autograph letters written by Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra Austen, 1796-1813
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Rachael Marsay and Andrew Honey
- Date
- 2022
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Catalogued with the generous support of the Roy Davids bequest
- Edition statement
- First edition
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk