Jane Austen at 250: Celebrating the Austen Family Connections to Halifax, Nova Scotia

The 250th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth has prompted world wide recognition of her literary legacy, including a celebration in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Around four hundred people recently gathered beside the iconic Victorian bandstand in the Halifax Public Gardens to enjoy a sequence of readings from Austen’s six published novels, her poems and prayers. The summer sun shone, the wind blew, and by times a harpist played and sang music of the Regency period. It was a wonderful afternoon.[i]    

 The timing and place of this event was particularly appropriate. It occurred on Sunday, 17 August, 2025, 2011 years to the day when Jane was thinking about the art of writing. Having worked thorough a draft manuscript of her niece, Anna Austen, Jane wrote her a warm and supportive letter. She offered constructive suggestions about the development of her characters, the authenticity of her settings and her dialogue. (Letter to Anna Austen, No. 104, Jane Austen’s Letters, ed. LeFaye, 268-269.) Although Jane Austen would have no way of knowing about our Halifax event in 2025, I like to think she would be pleased that there continue to be special occasions for enjoying the delights of her fiction and her skills as a writer.

 Halifax is one of the two places in North America, where Jane Austen’s naval brothers, Charles and Francis, lived and worked. Such a historic connection marks this city as a perfect location for celebrating Jane Austen at 250.

During the event, I spoke about the Austen family’s connections to Halifax. Here is the illustrated version of my talk. Following that, you can discover a photo gallery of images capturing the look and spirit of Jane Austen in the Public Gardens.

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Fig. 1: Captain Charles Austen by Robert Field

Jane Austen never came to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but two of her brothers, Charles and Francis, were here while serving on the North American station of the Royal Navy. Jane avidly followed their careers and drew on their naval experiences when she wrote Mansfield Park (1814) and Persuasion (1818), novels which contain significant naval characters. Charles’s time in Halifax coincided with Jane Austen’s writing life. However, Francis’s associations occurred decades after Jane’s death in 1817.

The young Captain Charles Austen arrived first. On 6 August 1805 he brought his newly built sloop of war the 18 gun Indian into Halifax harbour on her maiden voyage.  During 1805-1811, he stayed in Halifax a number of times, initially with the Indian, then in 1810 with the Swiftsure (74 guns), and finally with the frigate, Cleopatra (32 guns). Otherwise he was on mission at sea, or working in and out of St George’s Bermuda, the southern base of the Station.

These were dangerous and tumultuous times as the Napoleonic wars with France and Spain challenged and stretched the resources of the British Navy. Charles and the squadron were required to cruise the North Atlantic to protect British trade while interrupting enemy commerce, and to escort convoys of British troops and merchantmen. A side benefit of this tedious work for Charles and his men was the chance to earn prize money.

Fig. 2: Andrew Belcher, Charles’s Prize agent, by Robert Field

Enemy ships and cargoes seized during wartime could be condemned as lawful prize in a local Vice Admiralty Court. Thereafter they would be sold by auction and the prize money would be distributed among all members of the capturing ship(s). Charles was delighted when the Halifax court approved his co-captures of a Spanish schooner, the Rosalie, a Swedish ship, the Dygden, and part of the cargo of an American ship, the Ocean. He kept in close contact with his prize agent, merchant Andrew Belcher, at his office on Lower Water Street. Unfortunately, incomplete court records do not report Charles’s income from these three successful adjudications, but he may have received as much as £250, about the equivalent of a year’s pay at his rank. At home in England, the Austens would be excited to hear Charles’s news about his prize money. Jane Austen later made good use of the prize money theme in her novel, Persuasion. She created a hero, Captain Frederick Wentworth, whose professional and social standing is enhanced by his accrued fortune from prize taking.

           Continual cruising took a heavy toll on wooden sailing ships, which meant that Charles regularly brought his vessels into the Naval Yard (located at the Narrows on the west side of Halifax harbour) for repairs and refits. He stayed at hand to ensure that the sail makers, shipwrights, caulkers, joiners, chandlers and others rendered his ships seaworthy. Although the original Naval Yard has been totally rebuilt for the Canadian navy, you can view an intricate model of the Yard as it appeared in 1813, at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Lower Water Street.

Fig. 3: From foreground to background: The Sail Loft, the Capstan House, the Careening Wharf[ii]

Fig. 4: Detail of the Sheer legs and Careening Wharf

Fig 5: Fanny Palmer Austen by Robert Field

In May 1810, Charles had quite a different association with the Naval Yard. Sir John Warren, Commander-in-Chief of the Station, promoted Charles to post captain and made him captain of his flag ship, HMS Swiftsure. Warren immediately required Charles to transport him and Lady Warren from Bermuda to Halifax and allowed Charles’s young wife, Fanny Palmer Austen, and their tiny daughter, Cassy, to accompany them. Once there, Charles and family were invited to stay with the Warrens in the Admiral’s quarters, which were attached to the Naval Hospital within the Yard. As flag captain’s wife, Fanny became the companion of the vigorous and redoubtable Lady Warren, a role she fulfilled with diplomacy and charm. Charles, meanwhile, had the great pleasure of time on shore with his beloved family, a rare luxury in wartime.

Fig. 6: The Naval Hospital, west face

Fig. 7: Naval Hospital, east face. The Admiral’s Quarters were in the far left wing.

Intriguingly, Fanny wrote articulate and insightful letters to her sister, Esther, in Bermuda, in which she described their new location and life style. Some letters reveal her delight in accompanying Charles whilep they moved in elite social circles as part of the Warrens’ retinue; other letters articulate her anxiety and distress when he was unexpectedly required to transport troops from Halifax to a war zone off Lisbon, Portugal. In later years, Jane Austen drew sensitive portraits of naval wives in Persuasion - depictions of the likable, practical, Mrs Croft, and the caring and thoughtful, Anne Elliott. Arguably, what Jane knew about Fanny’s life as a naval wife, were catalytic to these portrayals.       

Two outstanding Georgian buildings in Halifax, St Paul’s Church (1750) and Government House (1805) were also part of the town which Charles and Fanny knew and frequented. On 6 October 1809, the rector of St Paul’s, Rev Dr Robert Stanser, the naval chaplain, baptized their daughter, Cassandra Esten Austen, at St Paul’s, an occasion which gave them a special family link to the church. In the summer of June 1810, they were the guests of Lt Gov George Prevost and Lady Prevost at a “splendid ball” (Fanny’s words) at Government House, where a delighted Fanny won $9 at the card game, Commerce.

 Fig. 8: St Paul’s Church

Fig. 9: Baptismal entry for Cassy Austen

Fig. 10: Government House

Fig. 11: Admiral Sir Francis Austen

Sir Francis Austen in Halifax

Thirty four years after Charles left North America, Admiral Sir Francis Austen was posted to Halifax. He arrived on HMS Vindictive (50 guns) as Commander-in-Chief of the North American and West Indies Station, 1845-48. This was a time of peace and relative prosperity. His squadron was responsible for protecting the fisheries against American incursions, making coastal surveys, and maintaining a presence in waters adjacent to remaining British colonial territories in North America.

Sir Francis made his summer administrative headquarters at Admiralty House. He must have been pleased with the elegance and style of his official residence. Completed in 1819, this neo-classical Georgian building featured mahogany woodwork, marble fireplaces and decorated plaster ceilings, a far cry from Admiral Warren’s quarters at the Yard, well known to Charles and Fanny in 1810. A major part of Admiralty House still retains its original arrangement; it also houses a small naval museum. Today it is one of the buildings of CFB Stadacona.

Fig. 12: Admiralty House

Sir Francis proved to be practical and precise in his management of local naval affairs. He commanded a squadron of 13 ships, into which he integrated three then-new steam vessels. He was also concerned with the health of his men. Given the pleasing climate in Halifax from June through October, he set up a temporary hospital for patients employed during these months. By using the services of the Vindictive’s surgeon, the ship’s medical supplies and part of the old naval hospital, he was able to provide healthcare in better circumstances than the cramped conditions aboard ship.

While on shore in Halifax, Francis attended to his official duties but as far as social occasions went, he preferred the company of his immediate family, of which there were many: his sons Herbert (flag lieut) and George (chaplain), his nephew, Charles (flag lieut and son of brother, Charles), and his two unmarried daughters, Cassy and Frances, (social hostesses). Sir Francis was a caring father, concerned that his daughters could circulate comfortably in public. They, and the rest of his family, would surely have been welcome in the private, five-and-a-half-acre Halifax Horticultural Society Garden (laid out in 1837). It featured flower beds, winding paths, specimen trees, a pool and a stream. The garden occupied the southern half of the current Halifax Public Gardens, the part where we are now, including the original Horticultural Hall (1847), which is located behind you.

Fig. 13: Mature Elm tree dating to c. 1840s and Horticultural Hall

Jane Austen’s nephew, Charles (flag officer on the Vindictive) likely visited the Garden for his own romantic purposes. While in Halifax, he met and fell in love with Sophia Emma DeBlois, daughter of a local merchant, the late William DeBlois. The Garden was an ideal place for a courting couple to promenade, to enjoy conversations a deux, as well as summertime band concerts. Charles married Sophia on 6 September 1848.

 If you are fascinated, as I am, by why and how members of the Austen family appear in the history of Halifax, an online walking tour, titled In the Footsteps of the Austens: A Walking Tour in Halifax, Nova Scotia, created by Sarah Emsley and myself is available on our web sites: sarahemsley.com and sheilajohnsonkindred.com.

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Endnotes:

[i] The event was organized by The Friends of the Public Gardens and The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), Nova Scotia Region.

[ii] At the Careening wharf, a vessel was hauled out of the water, and turned on its side in order to clean, caulk and repair its bottom. Sheer legs, a two pronged lifting device, was used to extract or position a mast. Both were used for repairing and refitting the Indian in September 1809. See ADM 51/1991.

Further information on my website:

“In the Footsteps of the Austens: A Walking Tour of Halifax, Nova Scotia,” co-authored with Sarah Emsley. Post: 27 October, 2019.

“Charles Austen and HMS Indian at the Halifax Naval Yard.” Post: 31 January 2020.

“Fanny Austen at the Halifax Naval Yard.” Post: 28 February 2020.

“Vice Admiral Francis Austen in Halifax Nova Scotia 1845-48.” Post: 27 November 2020.

 “New Details about Jane Austen’s Naval Brother Francis on the North American Station, 1845-48.” Post: 30 September 2022.

Publications:

 Sheila Johnson Kindred, “Two Naval Brothers, One City: Charles and Francis Austen in Halifax, Canada.” Jane Austen and the North Atlantic, ed. Sarah Emsley (2006), 9-21.

Sheila Johnson Kindred, Jane Austen’s Transatlantic Sister: The Life and Letters of Fanny Palmer Austen (2017, 2018), Chapter 2:“On the Move: Between Bermuda and Halifax, 1809-1810 (33-50); Chapter 3: “In Halifax: Summer into Autumn, 1810” (51-72). 

Photo Gallery: In the Halifax Public Gardens, 17 August 2025

Fig 14: Poster for Jane Austen in the Public Garden

Fig. 15: The setting: Halifax Public Gardens

Fig. 16: Darcy Johns, a reader, arriving at the Main Gate

Fig. 17: Sarah Emsley, MC

Fig 18: Jan Gidman, Regional Coordinator,  JASNA NS reading from Mansfield Park

Fig. 19: Adria Jackson playing music of the Regency Period

Fig. 20: Dressed for the Occasion. Left to right: Linda Lefler, Donna Elliott, Anita Campbell, Joy McSwain, Sarah Emsley, Darcy Johns, and Adria Jackson seated

Fig: 21: From the Dahlia collection, “ Ketchup and  Mustard ”

Fig. 22: Summer flowers in the Gardens

Fig. 23: Horticultural Hall (1847)

Fig. 24: Public Gardens Entrance, Spring Garden Road

Photo credits: Figs. 1, 5, 11, Private Collections; Fig. 2. AGNS;  Fig. 9, St Paul’s Church; Figs. 8,10,12, Sarah Emsley; Fig. 18, Brian Gidman ; Figs: 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, Hugh Kindred,  Figs: 3,4,6,7,13, 14,15, 17, 21, 24, Sheila Kindred.

A Literary Alert: Halifax, Nova Scotia Celebrates Jane Austen at 250

Halifax, Nova Scotia is one of two places in North America where Jane Austen’s sailor brothers, Charles and Francis, and their associated families lived and worked. Given this historic connection, it is particularly fitting to honour Jane Austen’s literary legacy in this city. A special event, titled “Jane Austen in the Gardens, A 250 Birthday Celebration,” organized by the Jane Austen Society of North America, Nova Scotia Region and the Friends of the Public Gardens will be held the Halifax Public Gardens on 17 August, 2025, 4:30 pm at the Bandstand. I will be introducing the Austen family’s connection to Halifax before others read from Jane Austen’s six published novels, selections from her poems, and her prayers. All this will take place in a setting replete with harp music from Austen’s period. Everyone is warmly welcome.

Captain Charles Austen: Agent of British Diplomacy in South America

I am delighted to share with you the continuation of the story of Charles Austen’s ceremonial spadroon, a topic first introduced in my post on 29 September 2023.

Although Captain Charles Austen’s principal function was to sail his ship at sea, there were occasions when his commission required him to engage in activities on land. One such occasion concerned his brief involvement in South American politics shortly after the revolution against Spanish domination of that Continent. Charles’s activities, on behalf of British diplomatic interests in the area, earned him the gratitude of General Simon Bolivar, leader of the revolution, who rewarded Charles with a magnificent ceremonial sword. The narrative of this little know period of Charles’s naval career is drawn from  Charles’s private journal for 1827, as well as the contemporary diary of the British Consul in Caracas, Venezuela, Sir Robert Ker Porter.[1] These sources reveal a personal account of Charles’s engagement in international diplomacy, so very different from what is usually read about him as a working naval officer in the Royal Navy.

 On appointment to HMS Aurora in June 1826,[2] Charles’s orders were to sail to the West Indies where he became second in command on the Jamaica Station.  Part of his mandate was to suppress the slave trade,[3] but he was also required to establish the presence of the Aurora in northern South American waters, as British foreign policy might require. Charles would already have some knowledge of the turbulent history of the liberation of Spain’s former colonies in South America, including Simon Bolivar’s military and political roles in this matter. In 1819 General Simon Bolivar had proclaimed the independence of what are now the republics of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. He thereby laid the grounds for their union as Gran Colombia, which became a reality in 1822, when the last of the Spaniards were driven from northern South America.

Map of Gran Colombia. Wikimedia Commons.

By the time Charles’s arrived in the West Indies, the political situation in South America had become tense and potentially explosive. With a crisis looming, Bolivar, the president of Gran Colombia, had returned to his home city, Caracas, Venezuela, in February 1827. Not only was there discontent within Gran Columbia, but a breakaway group was also trying to take Venezuela out of the union. Civil war threatened.

Britain, as the chief power in the Caribbean, wished to protect its economic and political interests in South America. In 1826, it had ratified a commercial treaty with Gran Colombia. Further, a very large debt was owed to Great Britain by Gran Colombia, deriving from Britain’s willingness to support General Bolivar financially in his fight for South American independence.[4] It was in Britain’s interest that Gran Colombia remain politically stable. Thus, in 1827, the Royal Navy stationed in Jamaica was mandated to provide assistance consistent with the political ambitions of General Bolivar, whose leadership Britain was currently supporting.[5]

Charles’s entrée into the world of diplomacy began when he was asked to transport His Excellency Alexander Cockburn, the British Minister to Gran Colombia from the Barbados to Venezuela so he could assess the political climate in Gran Colombia and negotiate directly with General Bolivar.[6] From April through June 1827, Charles was at hand, ready to transport Cockburn as required, and to take his dispatches to St Thomas and Jamaica, from where they would be sent forward to George Canning, Minister of Foreign Affairs in England.[7]

The Aurora arrived at La Guayra,[8] the port for Caracas, on 18 April. Once disembarked, Austen, Cockburn and their party began the steep mountainous route to Caracas, mounted on mules and horses. Charles mentions the ‘sublime scenery’, although they encountered some ‘hard showers’ and were ‘frequently embodied in a thick mist’. They climbed steadily on a zig zag path, and were finally rewarded  with a fine view, which Charles described as ‘the City of Caracas and the valley extending inland beyond, seen below. [It was] certainly the finest sight my eye could behold’. The party arrived thoroughly wet, happy to shelter at the home of the British Consul, Sir Robert Porter and ready to accept the offer of dry clothes. Charles noted that Caracas at closer range looked much less enchanting than from afar. He observed: ‘the city before the earthquake [of 1812] must  have been a very handsome one but now it has quite the appearance of desolation’.[9]

In subsequent entries Charles describes excursions to local scenic villages near Caracas and rides in the countryside, preferably on horse back as opposed to mule. It was the rainy season in which  ‘a perfect torrent’, ‘a violent show of rain’ or ‘a storm descended’. Even so, Charles walked about Caracas, exploring the city and making  courtesy calls with Sir Robert and Minister Cockburn, On one of these visit, Charles stopped to ‘thank [Mrs Mocatta] for a little pig she promised me’. He  was presumably looking forward to fresh meat to enjoy once he was back on board the Aurora. Much to his surprise, the pig ‘turned out to be a guinea pig’.[10]

Cockburn and his staff made their headquarters in Caracas at the home of the genial and hospitable, Sir Robert Porter, whose house served as a centre for intense social activity and political discussion. Charles was invited there to join other dinner guests almost every evening he was in Caracas. He enjoyed Sir Robert’s generous and superior fare and he came to know members of the local English community who were closely attuned to political developments. He met, among others, Dr Thomas Cox, at whose house he was staying, Mr Morris Lievesly, Porter’s private secretary, and Col Edward Stopford, who edited an English  newspaper in Caracas. One of Bolivar’s ADC, Englishman Col Belford Hinton Wilson, was a regular guest at most dinners at Sir Robert’s house. Getting to know him would have given Charles an additional personal insight into Bolivar’s leadership and political strategies.

Sir Robert Ker Porter by L. B. Shaw (1840). Alberto Vollmer Foundation.

The twentieth of April was a special and memorable day for Charles. Cockburn was officially presented to General Bolivar and Charles was one of the accompanying party which included Sir Robert Porter and ten officers from the Aurora. On arrival they were greeted by a Guard of Honour and the stirring sound of trumpets. At the gateway, the General’s staff in full dress met the party and led them to a suite of handsome rooms, known as the great Salon of Audience.  After a short wait, Bolivar appeared and ‘welcomed with great suavity- as well as dignity, the British Envoy, Mr Cockburn.’[11]

General Simon Bolivar by Antonio Salas (1825). Wikimedia Commons

After Bolivar and Cockburn had effusively praised Britain and Colombia respectively,[12] the focus fell on Charles. He knew he was also to be presented to Bolivar, so he had carefully put on his full dress uniform as was fitting for the occasion. A note of pride and pleasure suffuses his description of the event: ‘I was presented by His Excellency [Mr Cockburn] to the Liberator  and paid my compliments in a few words of French, and then my officers were presented in succession…. [During conversation that followed, Bolivar], placed me at his right hand and paid me marked attention, and in truth we all left him much pleased with our reception.’[13]  Charles was now officially identified as part of the English community that was expected to maintain good relations with Bolivar and to support his initiatives, as long as they remained consistent with British policy.

Several days later, Sir Robert Porter and Minister Cockburn approached Charles with a request for his services that would bring him closer to Bolivar and give Charles an even more active role in British diplomacy. Transport would be needed to convey the Liberator, a few of his staff and a part of his bodyguard, together with Minister Cockburn, to Cartagena (a port on the north coast of Colombia, bordering the Caribbean Sea). The Aurora was the frigate of choice for this purpose. Charles was presumably flattered to be asked to carry out such a mission. He had never had so illustrious a passenger aboard his own ship.

During the following weeks, Cockburn and Porter tried to persuade Bolivar to go immediately to Cartagena, the first stage of his journey to Bogata, capital of Gran Colombia.[14] They were  fearful that Bolivar’s political future, as President of Gran Colombia, was under threat from an ambitious rival, Vice President General Santander. Bolivar, they thought, needed to make a personal appearance at Bogata ‘in order if possible to quell the Santander party and displace its Chief’.[15] Presumably, Charles was aware of the opinions of the Minister and the Consul, but with the timing for Bolivar’s departure yet to be established, Charles carried on with other tasks. He sailed first to Les Roques[16] and then on to St Thomas, carrying dispatches from both Minister Cockburn and Sir Robert.  

By 1 May Charles was back in port at La Guayra, anxious to reach Caracas overland in time for a lavish feast in the dinner salon at the President’s House. On this occasion, Bolivar was assisted by the Intendente, the Mayor of Caracas, four members of the High Court, three Generals and his own staff. Charles was impressed by the ‘knives and forks of pure gold.’[17] Sir Robert admired the setting, noting the patriotic décor which featured ‘allegorical paintings, touching the revolution and South America, inscriptions of battles, and other acts connected with its separation from the old world.’[18] He described the menu with relish. Guests were offered ‘various native edible birds, several sorts [of fish] from La Guayra, besides turtle in various ways, and a huge land tortoise into the bargain; wild deer, Lapa,[19] or rattish Sylvan pig of the woods, and mountain pork besides. The dessert and all its sweet et ceteras … equalled the first and second courses’.[20] After such an amazing spread Charles declared himself to be ‘plein gorge’.[21] He was particularly pleased that Bolivar had ‘received him in a friendly manner’ and likely surprised when Bolivar asked Charles ‘if he could [transport] a horse which [Bolivar] intended to present to our Gracious King’.[22]

Finally, on June 19, Bolivar announced he would sail with Cockburn from La Guayra to Cartagena within ten to twelve days, accompanied by a bodyguard of about 150 men. Charles arrived at La Guayra on 21 June,  presumably in readiness to transport Cockburn, Bolivar and his party, but meanwhile there had been an unexpected development. On the previous evening, Captain Chambers of the frigate HMS Druid (46 guns) had arrived in port, bringing orders from Admiral Charles Elphinstone Fleeming, Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station. Captain Chambers had been sent to Venezuela for the express purpose of  conveying President Bolivar and Minister Cockburn to Cartagena.  In consequence, Charles was precluded from having ‘the gratification as well as the honour of being the bearer of the President to that port’.[23]

Charles must have been  hugely disappointed. He had already been thinking about Bolivar’s comforts aboard the Aurora for he had altered the bathing arrangements ‘in expectation of conveying General Boliva and suite to Cartagena.’[24] It was some consolation that on 23 June Mr Cockburn and Charles were invited to wait upon Bolivar at the Presidential House in Caracas. There, in Sir Robert’s words, the Liberator presented Charles ‘with a handsome sword, expressing his regret that it was not his good fortune to be Captain Austen’s guest to Cartagena’.[25] Conceivably, Bolivar had meant to give Charles the sword in thanks after the  disembarking from the Aurora at Cartagena. Yet even though the arrangements had been  changed, Bolivar must have appreciated Charles’s  supportive actions, and so the sword represented a parting thank you after all.

Admiral Charles Austen with his Ceremonial Spadroon, a gift from General Bolivar, 1827.

With kind permission of the Jane Austen’s House.

 And what a splendid object it is! Charles’s ceremonial sword or spadroon has ‘a canon-shaped cross guard and eagle-headed pommel. The loop guard is in the form of a rope, which is held in the eagle’s mouth, and loops around the canon. The grip is made of carved ivory. The steel blade has been etched with decorative patterns, with gilded decoration. The scabbard has been decorated with eagle and sun motifs on one side, and on the other side is inscribed the dedication to Charles Austen from General Simon Bolivar’.[26] It reads” Presented to Charles John Austen R.N. commanding HMS Aurora at the City of Caracas, 1 March 1827 by Simon Bolivar the liberator of his country as a mark of his esteem’. The date is puzzling as Sir Robert’s diary confirms that the presentation occurred on 23 June 1827.[27]

Subsequently Charles brought the sword to England in late November 1828 when he sailed the Aurora home. It has been treasured by Austen descendants ever since. Happily, the public are now able to admire the sword as it is currently on loan to the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, England and is displayed there as part of the ‘Command of the Ocean’ exhibit.  

Charles remained in contact with Sir Robert until he departed from South America in July 1828.  Sir Robert’s diary records that he ‘bid adieu to one of the most worthy naval personages in command in this quarter.’[28] As for General Bolivar, the rock star of South American revolution, his political ambitions were thwarted during the several years that followed. He resigned as the President of Gran Colombia in 1830. He died of tuberculosis in 1832.   

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This essay first appeared in The Jane Austen Society Report for 2024.

[1] Charles Austen, Private Journal, 1 January-27 April 1827, HMS Aurora Jamaica Station, AUS/121 and 28 April -31 July 1827, AUS/122 (hereafter Journal); Sir Robert Ker Porter’s Caracas Diary 1825-1842: A British Diplomat in a Newborn Nation, ed. Walter Dupouy, 1966 (hereafter Diary).

[2] Charles’s appointment to HMS Aurora (38 guns) came about under unusual circumstances. He was on half pay in Plymouth in 1826, hoping for a commission which would return him to the active sea service. (Charles had not been at sea since his frigate, HMS Phoenix (36 guns) was wrecked in a terrific storm off the coast of Cesme, Asia Minor, in February 1816.) Learning, by chance, that Captain Maxwell of HMS Aurora had died suddenly just as the ship was about to sail to the West Indies, Charles immediately made his availability known to the Admiralty, who agreed to commission him as the new captain. He sailed four days later on June 3.

[3] Britain and the United States had abolished the slave trade in 1807-08, followed by France and Spain, but the trade was still going on in a clandestine manner. See Clive Caplan, ‘The Ships of Charles Austen’, Jane Austen Society Report for 2009, p.153. On 29 August 1826, Charles captured the Spanish slave brigantine, Nuevo Campeador, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Havannah and sentenced to be condemned. See Devoney Looser, ‘Heroics all at Sea’, Times Literary Supplement, 8 July 2022.    

[4] In 1826 the principal on Gran Colombia’s debt came to nearly seven million dollars. See William Armstrong, ‘British Representation in Venezuela in 1826’, Caribbean Quarterly, 1960, Vol.6, no.1, n.9, p.23.

[5] According to Brian Southam, ‘in this power struggle, the support for Bolivar visible in the British naval presence was crucial’. See Jane Austen and the Navy, 2nd edition, National Maritime Museum, 2005, p. 177 (hereafter Navy).

[6] Cockburn was ‘sent from England to strengthen British ties with an area of South America judged worthy of cultivation and alliance’. See Navy, p. 177.

[7] He also took dispatches for Sir Robert Porter, British Counsel in Caracas.

[8] The modern spelling is La Guaira.

[9] Journal, 18 April 1827.

[10] Journal, 13 May 1817.

[11] Diary, 20 April 1827, p. 239.

[12] Ibid., According to Sir Robert’s diary, Bolivar, speaking in French, praised  Britain, its King, Ministers and ‘virtuous magnanimity in the Cause of Liberty, not only for the support it lent Colombia during her struggle but also for the firm aid she had afforded to the young Country since her regeneration’. Mr Cockburn had already emphasized the ‘personal attachment the King of Great Britain entertained for [Bolivar] as did her ministers and Nation at large, Bolivar being regarded as the founder and giver of Independence to South America and the unspoken savior of Colombia’. Cockburn also assured Bolivar of ‘the cordial and unceasing friendship of England’. Diary, 20 April 1827, p. 239.

[13] Charles had already caught a glimpse on Bolivar on 19 April, which was the seventeenth anniversary of Colombian Independence. In honour of the day, Bolivar attended High Mass at the cathedral. Charles happened to be passing by and slipped into the church. He found the décor ‘gaudy’ but ‘the service with the music imposing’. (Journal, 20 April 1827). Charles could see Bolivar standing by the high altar and described his expression as a ‘thoughtful and almost melancholy cast  of countenance’. On the occasion of his presentation, Charles described Bolivar as ‘a small man with a fine countenance… I should take him to be about 45 years of age, though his dark hair is very lightly touched with grey’. (Journal, 20 April 1827).

[14] Sir Robert’s diary entries for April into July provide more detail about the perpetually changing political situation within Gran Colombia. He speculated about Bolivar’s most effective course of action. Sir Robert also assessed the level of threat posed by Bolivar’s political opponents. See Diary, pp. 232-266. 

[15] Diary, 25 April 1827, p. 240.

16 Les Roques consists of 350 Islands, 160 km west of La Guayra.

[17] Journal, 1 May 1827.

[18] Charles was impressed by ‘a group of Colombian, British and American flags painted at the head of the room,  [with ] all the Liberator’s great Battles written in Festoons under the corners’. Journal, 20 April 1827.

[19]  A large South American rodent.

[20] Diary, 1 May 1827, p. 243.

[21] Meaning he felt stuffed.

[22] Journal, 1 May 1827. During this conversation Charles records that he ‘blundered in my French and was annoyed’.

[23] Journal, 22 June 1827.

[24] Journal, 9 May 1827.

[25] Diary, 23 June 1827, p. 260.

[26] My thanks to the sword’s owner, David Willan, for this fine, detailed description.

[27] Diary, 23 June 1827, p. 260. The presentation could not have occurred on 1 March 1827. Charles’s journal relates that he was in the Caribbean, not in South America. He spent the day at the Dockyard (most likely Antigua). That evening he entertained guests for dinner. The party, which included Captain Wilson of the 93rd Regiment (who was stationed in Antigua) ended with ‘cards and liquors in the after cabin [of the Aurora]’. (Journal, 1 March 1827).

[28] Diary, 5 July 1828, p. 392. According to Sir Robert, Captain Austen ‘promised in person to deliver [my recent drawing of General Paez] at Esher [the home of his novel writing sisters, Jane and Maria]’. Charles had read Maria’s novel, Honor O’Hara, in Caracas in April 1827. He would presumably be happy to complete this commission when he could. Both Porter sisters were intrigued to learn about their brother’s interactions with General Paez and General Bolivar. According to Devoney Looser, Jane was delighted with the gifts ‘Robert sent home from the Americas, including items said to be Bolivar’s (a ribbon, hair) and General Paez’s (hair)’. See Devoney Looser, Sister Novelists: The Trailblazing Porter Sisters Who Paved The Way For Austen And The Brontes. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022, p. 378.

Remembering Patrick Stokes, Admiral Charles Austen’s great great grandson

Patrick Stokes, a great great nephew of Jane Austen and a direct descendant of her naval brother, Charles, died early on Christmas morning, 2023, at his home in Bridport, Dorset, England, aged 80. Trained as a chemist, Patrick had a successful international career in business. Among lovers of Jane Austen’s novels, he will be remembered for his initiatives to promote her literary legacy.                    

Fig.1: “Halifax,” by Lt Herbert Grey Austen, 1848. [2]

Fig 2: Publication from the Halifax Conference 2005. [3]  

 Patrick had a talent for gathering people together for literary purposes. He spearheaded and organized four highly successful international conferences attended by members of the Jane Austen Society UK (JAS), the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) and the Jane Austen Society of Australia (JASA). These conferences took place in Bermuda (2000 and 2010) and in Halifax, Nova Scotia (2005 and 2017). The locations were apt choices as Jane Austen’s brothers, Francis and Charles, had both served in North American waters during their naval careers.[1]

Fig. 3: Plenary Speakers at the 2014 JASNA AGM.

In addition, for eighteen years Patrick organized and directed the highly popular annual JAS conferences in the UK, maintaining the tradition of choosing places associated with Jane Austen, her writings, her family and the period in which she wrote.  

Patrick’s leadership in these matters was marked by professionalism, hard work, and humour. Those who had the good fortune to attend any of his conferences remarked favourably on the interesting speakers and the attractive settings with historic connections. They spoke warmly of the convivial spirit of the gathering, the fine food,  and the pleasure of talking about Jane Austen in good company. The success of these ventures was in large part due to Patrick’s personality. He was charming, gregarious and made people feel welcome.

Patrick was also a memorable speaker about the Georgian Royal Navy.

Fig. 4: Patrick presenting at the Halifax Conference 2017.

He was a keynote speaker at the JASNA AGM in Montreal, 2014, and subsequently talked to JASNA Regions in the United States and Canada as well as in the UK. Patrick had a fine feel for the dramatic on such occasions, arriving with panache in the costume of an Admiral’s dress uniform of the period. His witty presentations amused and delighted his audiences.

Fig. 5: Patrick as an ‘Admiral’, Halifax, June 2017.

Patrick also displayed his acting skill when he was recruited to take part in Syrie James’s short play, “Dangerous Intimacy: Behind the Scenes at Mansfield Park,” which was performed at the 2014 JASNA AGM. He delivered a vigorous portrayal of the Prince Regent. In addition,  participants in a JASNA summer tour to England will remember meeting Patrick on location at Lyme Regis. Who else could read so well the dramatic passages from Persuasion where Austen describes Lousia Musgrove’s disastrous fall on the Cobb at Lyme?

Fig. 6 : The novel Persuasion and Lyme.

Fig. 7: On location on the Cobb, Lyme.

Patrick rendered further service to JAS as Chair of the Society, beginning in 2004 for a five year term. Afterwards and ever willing to be helpful, Patrick took on the task of ensuring sufficient seating was available for JAS AGMs, which at the time took place in a tent on the grounds of Chawton House. With a twinkle in his eye and typical Patrick humour, he was happy to report that he was still a chairman, but now best described as a chair-man!

Fig. 8: Portrait of Captain Charles Austen in the 1840s.

Patrick was keen to promote Jane Austen to the world, to encourage new readers, to offer support to those researching her works, her life and family. It was in this context that I first met Patrick. While exploring the life and times of Fanny Palmer, Charles Austen’s young wife, Patrick’s knowledge, interest, and encouragement was a gift beyond expectation. I am very grateful for his permission to include in my book, Jane Austen’s Transatlantic Sister: The Life and Letters of Fanny Palmer Austen,[4] reproductions of several Austen family artefacts in his possession, including a fine oil portrait of his great great grandfather, Charles, in later life.

I count myself very fortunate to have known Patrick. Along with wit and charm, he had a hugely generous heart and endearing spirit. His unique gift was to make everyone he met feel significant and important. Patrick will be greatly missed in the Jane Austen world and far beyond.

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[1] Charles served as a commander (1804-1810), flag captain to his Commander- in - Chief, Admiral Warren (1810)  and frigate captain (1810-1811); Admiral Sir Francis was Commander- in - Chief of the North American and West Indies Station, 1845-1848.

[2] Lt  Herbert was a son of Admiral Sir Francis Austen and served on the North American Station with him from 1845-48. Private Collection.

[3] The cover image of Halifax Harbour is also by Lt Herbert Grey Austen. The publication was edited by Sarah Emsley and includes essays by Sarah, Peter Graham, Sheila Johnson Kindred and Brian Southam.

[4] MQUP ( 2017, 2018) 

Photo credits: Figs. 2, 3, 6, 7 : Hugh Kindred;  Thanks to Sarah Emsley for permission to use Fig. 4 and Fig.5.

Lieutenant Commander Francis Austen RN (1924-2023) : Remembering Jane Austen’s Great Great Nephew

Fig.1: Lt. Cdr Francis Austen RN (Retd)

On 23 November 2023 the Jane Austen Society UK sadly lost one of its most senior members when Francis Henry Inskip Austen died, age 99 and 7 months.[1] A direct descendant of Jane Austen’s naval brother, Admiral Sir Francis William Austen (1774-1865), the contemporary Francis was an admirer and supporter of the writing of his famous great-great aunt, Jane Austen. Francis had a notable naval career, leaving school early in 1941[2] to enlist and train for active service. He was posted into the frigate HMS Kent where he was employed during 1943-44, first as a midshipman and then as a sub-lieutenant. During this period, the Kent provided cover for convoys carrying vital supplies on the Arctic route to and from northern Russia and was party to a successful attack on a German convoy in Norwegian waters.[3] Francis retired in 1954 at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Francis’s life mirrored certain experiences and attitudes of his impressive forebear, Admiral Sir Francis (1774-1865). As boys, each grew up in a close and supportive clergy family. Admiral Francis was the fifth son of Rev. George Austen, and Francis, the third son of Rev. Frederick William Austen. Each was to enjoy a long life. Admiral Sir Francis died in his 93rd year, his great grandson in his 100th.

Fig. 2: Admiral Sir Francis Austen

As young men, both were patriots motivated to fight for England in times of great national threat. In readying themselves for naval service, each studied at the best naval school of the day: the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth for Admiral Francis (1786 to1788) and its successor, the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, for Francis (1942).[4] During their careers, each served in North American waters: Admiral Sir Francis was Commander in Chief of the North American and West Indies Station, 1845-1848, a command which brought him to Halifax, Nova Scotia every summer when the North American squadron made its headquarter there. Almost 100 years later the then young Lieutenant Francis sailed into Halifax at least once on naval operations. Given these deployments, both naval officers became familiar with the deep and spacious Halifax harbour.

Fig.3: Halifax Harbour by Lt. Herbert Grey Austen

Fig. 5: Publication from the Halifax Conference, 2005

Though they lived in widely differing times, both men were frank in their warm admiration of Jane’s literary genius. The Admiral shared his thoughtful responses to Mansfield Park and Emma with Jane in 1814 and 1815.[5] In later life he spoke with enthusiasm about her talents and publications. The contemporary Francis talked engagingly about Jane Austen and her family. Particularly memorable were his stories about the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars as they affected the careers of his ancestor, Admiral Francis, and the Admiral’s younger naval brother, Charles (1779 -1852), who had also served on the North American Station from 1805-1811.

Fig. 4: Exhibition Catalogue, JAS-JASNA Bermuda meeting, May 2000

Francis Austen will additionally be remembered for his vigorous support of initiatives to further the appreciation and study of Jane Austen’s writings and times. For decades he was an active member of the Jane Austen Society UK and in 1994 he became a founding member, along with his brother Alwyn, of the Kent Branch of the Society. Francis was also central to the planning of the highly successful Millenium Meeting of the Jane Austen Society UK and the Jane Austen Society of North America in Bermuda, 2-9 May 2000. A featured theme was the connections between Bermuda and the naval careers of Jane Austen’s brothers, Francis and Charles.

Coinciding with this meeting was an exhibition highlighting the artistry of British naval officers, men who had sketched the harbours and surrounding countryside, while they were stationed in North American waters. Curated by Bermuda Archivist, Karla Hayward, and mounted at the Bermuda Maritime Museum, this unique collection included some impressive watercolours painted by Francis’s grandfather, Lieutenant Herbert Grey Austen RN. (This was the baby Herbert, born 8 November 1815, 6th son of Admiral Sir Francis, to whom Aunt Jane sent her love on 24 November).[6]

Fig.6: Francis Austen at a JAS Kent Branch Meeting, Godmersham Park. 2018.

Five years later Francis was once more a consultant and attendee at another meeting of JAS UK and JASNA with a naval connection. This conference,[7] which explored the theme of “Jane Austen and the North Atlantic,” took place, appropriately, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, since both her naval brothers, as well as Francis himself had been deployed there.

By virtue of his long life, Francis Austen had access to personal family perspectives about Jane Austen, her siblings, and the Austen family over generations. In addition, he preserved and generously shared access to Austen artefacts, such as the loan of Herbert Grey Austen’s watercolour sketches to the exhibition in Bermuda in 2000. Well into his nineties, Francis was a regular presence at Jane Austen Society AGMs each July as well as Kent Branch meetings throughout the year. He was genial, empathetic and had the gift of making people feel welcome. I consider myself fortunate to have known him.

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[1] See the British newspaper, The Telegraph, 2 December 2023.

[2] Marlborough College Register 1903-1996, 11th ed., 1997. Francis had entered Marlborough in January 1938.

[3] According to Joan Corder, Akin to Jane, 1952, Francis served on HMS Kent during 1943 and 1944. If aboard for the whole time, he was party to a variety of dangerous missions. In addition to convoying supplies to and from Northern Russia, the Kent escorted British aircraft carriers while their planes attacked airfields in Norway as well as German shipping. Later, she intercepted a German convoy and sank two freighter and five escorts. The Kent was paid off in January 1945.         

[4] Francis most likely had a lucky escape from danger and possibly death when, on 18 September 1942, German Focke-Wulf aircraft bombed the Royal Naval College. It has been suggested that this attack was planned to coincide with the day after the officer cadets would have arrived back for the start of autumn term. However, every 6 years an extra week was added to the summer term, so the autumn term started a week later than usual.  Fortunately, 1942 was one of  those years.

[5] See The Works of Jane Austen: Minor Works, ed R.W Chapman, OUP, 1954, 431, 436. The postscript to Jane’s letter no. 86, 3-6 July 1814, reveals that she discussed a naval aspect of Mansfield Park with Francis. See Jane Austen’s Letters, ed. Deirdre Le Faye, 1995, 217.

[6] She wrote to Cassandra: “I send my love to little Herbert.” See Jane Austen’s Letters, ed. Deirdre Le Faye, 1995, Letter no. 127,  299.

[7] It was organized by Patrick Stokes, a direct descendant of Vice Admiral Charles Austen.

Photo credits: Figs. 1,4,5: Sheila Johnson Kindred, Figs 2&3, Private Collection, Fig. 6: Hugh Kindred