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.
[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