Jane Austen's Financial Position

Friend Rebecca sent a reference to me from the book At Home about Jane Austen’s family, quoting “that she grew up in what she considered to be an embarrassingly deficient rectory at Steventon in Hampshire, but it had a drawing room, a kitchen, a parlor, a study, library, and seven bedrooms—hardly a hardship posting.”

What Bill Bryson did not note was that the Austens were landed gentry without a large income. It must be noted that she had seven brothers and one sister. After feeding and clothing all of them, the boys needed extended educations, brother George was mentally deficient and was sent to another family nearby to be raised, and two of the boys went into the navy. All these positions had to be paid for.

At one time, Jane and her sister Cassandra were sent away to school so their bedroom could be used for paying students. Mr. and Mrs. Austen ran a boarding school for boys to acquire more income. Jane became so ill that the girls had to return home. She nearly died from the incident so they stayed home after that. More than once she commented that she grew up with all boys, first with her brothers then with the added school boys. Hence she was a tomboy, good at physical outdoor play.

Also, once her father died, their income was cut off completely. Her brothers then became responsible for her, her mother and her sister. She desperately wanted to earn her own money but her brothers did not think it seemly. She was gentry.