With this year marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, churches across the Diocese of Winchester have held special services and events to celebrate and give thanks to God for the life and work of the author.
St Nicholas Church, Steventon
Jane Austen was born at Steventon Rectory on 16th December 1775 and spent the first 25 years of her life in the village. George Austen, Jane’s father, was Rector of St Nicholas and Jane was baptised and regularly worshipped at the church.
A series of events and services have been held in the village and in the church, bringing people from across the world to this small part of Hampshire.
For at least 50 years an annual Jane Austen Choral Evensong has been held at St Nicholas in July on the anniversary of her death.
St Nicholas is one of 6 churches in the benefice of Overton and the service included music from the combined benefice choir. Prayers were also said that were believed to have been written by Jane and found in her collection after her death. The service was led by the church’s former rector, Revd Michael Kenning, who until recently was also vice-chair of the Jane Austen Society. He spoke in his sermon about how God had inspired and guided Jane throughout her life and work.
Revd Michael said, “Jane was a very faithful Christian, and I’m sure a lot of Christian teaching has influenced her writing. The way in which she presents those different characters, the good and the bad, seems to tone in so well with some of the scriptural stories. I think the willingness to examine one’s lifestyle, and to realise that when we make mistakes, we can amend our lives through biblical teaching, through God’s grace, through direction by the Holy Spirit. We see that in Jane’s writing, the way Marianne Dashwood, in Sense and Sensibility, turns from real bitterness about Willoughby, to a God-given realisation that she needs to be forgiving and accepting. Similarly, other characters in the novels are like that.”
St Nicholas is visited by people from across the world who come to see where Jane lived and worshipped. There are nearly 400 entries in the visitor book already this year including travellers from the USA, Australia, Iceland, Israel, Japan and Chile. The church has welcomed coach parties from across Europe including Germany and Holland and as far as Mexico.
Churchwarden Marilyn Wright said, “We have a group of villagers who will come and welcome people and show them around the church. We like to host, and we like to show people what the church is like and the connections with Jane.”
Laurie and Jonathan MacQuitty attended the Jane Austen Choral Evensong. They were visiting the area from California.
Laurie said, “To think that she actually worshipped herself in this church, and to think that the church key used to be hidden in the hole of the ancient yew tree. I’m sure she touched that so, the other day when I was here, I had to touch it too! I’ve read other prayers of hers besides the ones that we’ve read today, and I do feel like she is a moral compass. So, it was great to be in the place where she developed some of her ideas, and lived with a very religious family, but very of the world too.”
Rector of St Nicholas, Revd James Russell, said, “I think it’s been great to have this service today and all the celebrations last weekend in this anniversary year. It’s just reminding us as well that we honour Jane Austen for her work and her incredible achievements. She was a Christian, and her faith inspires us, and so it just works together so well.”
The previous weekend the village played host to a Regency themed country fair including Regency Dancers, Morris Men and local school children took part in maypole dancing. There were Jane Austen themed talks and traditional side shows. Again, people visited from far and wide, and many came dressed for the occasion.
The celebrations have involved the church and the whole community. A special service was also held in St Nicholas for members of the Jane Austen Society.
An art and flower festival was also created in the church, reflecting Jane’s work and life around the village.
Marilyn Wright continues, “It’s important to celebrate Jane being born in the village and she is such an important literary character. Her characterisation must be drawn from the people in the village, and the countryside around her, and everything that happens within a small village. It’s still the same village that she would have known. If she came back today, she would recognise some of the buildings, she’d certainly recognise the church where she was a regular worshipper. It’s important for people to come here and feel the presence of the author, but also to feel what a country church is like. Walking through the lanes that she would have walked through, that’s all very important.”
Another special event will be held in December to mark Jane Austen’s birthday. A thanksgiving service at St Nicholas will be led by Bishop Philip. It will be followed by refreshments and birthday cake.
St Nicholas, Chawton
To mark the 250th anniversaries of both Jane Austen and the renowned naturalist Revd Gilbert White, a celebratory evensong was held on Sunday 20th July in St Nicholas Church in Chawton.
Jane attended the church during her time in Chawton and Revd Gilbert White preached widely across the benefice from his home in Selborne.
The church was appropriately decorated with garden flowers from Chawton House as would have been the case in that time. A birthday cake for Gilbert was provided by the Gilbert White Museum and the Chawton group of welcomers served refreshments.
It was a joyful service and included music from the choir and musicians of ‘The Madding Crowd’, a group who perform music from the English villages from the 17th to 19th century. All of them were dressed in 17th/18th century style, adding to the atmosphere.
The service was led by Revd Lesley Leon, who said, “In many respects Gilbert and Jane are ours. They lived and worshipped in our benefice and Gilbert White preached all over the benefice too. We always mark their birthdays quietly each year but this year, being the 250th anniversaries, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. It was a very authentic event with the Madding Crowd wearing clothes from the time. The service was wonderful.”
The service music came from the period, and the hymns were metrical setting of verses from Psalm 104, plus the Evening Hymn and an anthem. An address prefaced one of Gilbert White’s sermons and one of Jane Austen’s prayers was read.
The church was packed, with some dressed in Regency costume. Others attended after visiting Jane’s house in Chawton.
Revd Lesley continued, “A packed church enjoyed an act of worship which was truly uplifting and joyful, although it must be said that the sermon tended to dwell somewhat on human pleasures which are practised to excess and become ‘certainly unlawful, and forbidden, and as such we cannot continue in the use of without endangering our Acceptance with God.’
“I wondered what might have been the reaction to a female priest from both the real Reverend Fordyce and the fictional Mr Collins who read Fordyce’s sermons to the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice. How times have changed but how well the globally recognised legacies of Jane and Gilbert endure 250 years on.”
St Lawrence Church, Alton
The Jane Austen Regency Week is a ten-day festival held annually in Alton, Chawton and Selborne. St Lawrence Church runs two concerts during Regency week as well as being a venue for various Jane Austen talks.
There is also a traditional evensong service and many of the choir and congregation enjoy being involved by dressing up in character.
People from all over the UK and several visitors from the USA travel to attend the different activities and regency balls that take place during the week.
