Every Jane-Austen-related society and organisation has been promoting it all year, but it’s finally here – the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of the world’s most beloved authors. In my December 2025 newsletter, I mentioned I would write this blog, but I wanted it to be different.
Jane Austen was born on 16th December 1775, the second daughter and seventh of the eight children of clergyman, George Austen and Cassandra Leigh. Yes, yes, we know. Once I looked a little deeper, I discovered there are lots of things we don’t know about Jane. But how? There are letters. Surely, we should know the intimate details of her life. However, we don’t.
This is because many of the letters between Jane and her sister Cassandra, Jane’s best friend and closest confidante, were destroyed by Cassandra. So, while we may know some things, we truly don’t know her most intimate thoughts about personal subjects or have full insight into her writing process.
So, let’s turn this on its head and ask, what don’t we know about Jane Austen?
The cause of Jane’s death
We know Jane died on 18th July 1817 in Winchester following an illness. But what was that illness? Many have speculated that Jane died from Addisons’s disease, tuberculosis, cancer or even arsenic poisoning from some of the medical treatments administered, but a definite diagnosis remains elusive.
A full biography of Jane’s life
Only 160 of Jane’s letters survive. This may seem like a lot from a modern perspective, but from a time when letter writing was the only means of correspondence, it’s a tiny percentage of what may have been written.
Because Cassandra burned much of the correspondence between them, significant chunks of Jane’s personal life, her feelings and detailed opinions are missing. Jane also wrote regularly to her brother, Francis, who cherished her correspondence until his death. Unfortunately, his daughter mistakenly threw the letters out when cleaning. What a shame.
There is so much we don’t know about Jane’s writing process or how she felt about her work. We know what she wrote, and that she was determined to publish her work, but the how and why of her personal journey are only partially revealed in the remaining letters, while the rest is lost to history.
Jane’s romantic life
We know about Jane’s flirtations with Tom Lefroy and her one-day engagement to Harris Bigg-Wither, but the depth of her feelings for either of these gentlemen remains speculative.
Did you know Jane had a rumoured seaside romance with a young man who died? I didn’t. Austen biographer Andrew Norman theorises that Jane found love with a clergyman named Samuel Blackall, whom she met while visiting the Devonshire seaside. Norman says Jane mentions the man in several letters, and that Cassandra also developed a tendre for the clergyman, which caused a rift between the sisters. Hmm, more research is required, I think.
Her appearance
We all have an image of Jane Austen in our heads thanks to various speculative creations. The only contemporary image drawn of Austen was by her sister Cassandra. This famous portrait was considered unflattering by the Austen family. So, was it an accurate likeness?
Unpublished works
Because Jane died at the age of 41, we will never know the full extent of her literary capabilities. Some early writing survives, but why was it abandoned? The full extent of what she might have written or planned to write will never be known.
Did Jane wear knickers?
Yes, I ask the most intellectual questions. In my post about a Regency lady’s underwear, I said that Jane did not mention knickers, or drawers as they were known, in any correspondence. In her book, Jane Austen’s Wardrobe, Hilary Davidson includes an entire chapter on underwear, but drawers do not feature. Does that mean Jane Austen didn’t wear knickers? Just another thing about Jane we will never know for sure.
250 years of Austen
While Jane sold her work during her lifetime, the money she made averaged around £40 a year. At the time this was below the poverty line, set at £55 per year. After her death, Jane’s work was out of circulation for 12 years. It wasn’t until a sanitised biography was published in 1869 by her nephew, James Austen-Leigh, that interest in her work increased.
Now we have publications in every bookshop, remake, upon remake, upon remake of film and television adaptations and a never-ending supply of fan fiction and writing inspired by her work.
My homage to Austen
I can now include myself as a published writer of Austen-inspired fiction. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, I decided to release my own humble homage to the writer.
Tea for Two is out today. What Austen would make of my interpretation of her characters, Mrs Jennings and Henry Crawford? I suspect she would roast me, and my writing, effectively with her satirical wit.
Hopefully, I have created something that both Austen fans and non-Austen readers find an entertaining read, with a hint of sardonic humour that Jane Austen may have appreciated.
Find out for yourself and please leave a review.
Don’t forget, you can also find my Austen-inspired short story, with a paranormal twist, in Sense, Sensibility & Shifters.
Sources
https://proofed.co.uk/writing-tips/6-curious-facts-you-didnt-know-about-jane-austen
Jane Austen’s Wardrobe, Hilary Davidson (2023)
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