Written by staff member Darcy
Don your best bonnet and gown, it’s time to celebrate one of the most beloved authors in the English-speaking world. Jane Austen, or “our Jane” to her many admirers, turns 250 this year!
It may surprise people to know that Jane Austen has a number of family connections to Halifax, as her two naval brothers were stationed here in the 19th century.
We would also be remiss if we didn’t offer a list of activities to further expand your appreciation of Jane and her world.
Whether it’s a tea party, a literary reading or a fabulous fancy ball, there are many delightful ways to celebrate! As Miss Bates says in Emma:
“It is always a delight when good friends get together – and they always do.”
Jane’s brother, Captain Charles Austen, was the first member of the Austen family to visit Halifax. He was stationed here between 1805 and 1811. He arrived initially on HMS Indian, a sloop of war and then later HMS Swiftsure and lastly on HMS Cleopatra.
Book Recommendations
Jane Austen's Transatlantic Sister
Sheila Kindred has penned a biography of Jane’s sister-in-law, Francis Fitz Williams Palmer Austen, the daughter of John Grove Palmer, who was the attorney general of Bermuda. Fanny was a beautiful, vivacious young woman who captured the heart of Captain Charles Austen. They were married in Bermuda when Fanny was only seventeen. She travelled to Halifax with Charles Halifax between 1809 and 1811. In the book Kindred explores the relationship between Fanny and Jane in the treasure trove of surviving letters. Jane also probably used Fanny’s experience as a naval wife to help inform her females naval characters in Persuasion.
Austens : A Novel
(Forthcoming from Pottersfield Press, September 15, 2025)
In her novel The Austens, Emsley brings to life the story of the friendship between Jane and Fanny.
Jane Austen chooses art and the freedom to write fiction instead of marrying for money and thereby selling her body and soul, while her sister-in-law Fanny chooses to marry for love. Their disagreement about work and family threaten their friendship in a world that is hostile to art and love, even the idea of a woman making a choice.
Explore our full list in celebration of the 250th:
This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. To celebrate this beloved author, we have assembled a list of some of our favourite books, films and graphic novels.
Locations & Lore
St. Paul's Church
St. Paul’s Church was where Fanny and Charles’s daughter Cassandra Esten Austen (Cassy) was baptized in 1809. It was also the church, where Charles John Austen, a nephew of Admiral Francis Austen, married a young woman from Halifax, Sophia Emma Deblois on September 6, 1848.
Government House
Government House was completed in 1805, and in June 1810, Fanny wrote that she and Charles attended a “splendid ball” hosted by Lt. Governor Sir George Prevost and Lady Prevost.
Admiralty House
Admiral Sir Francis Austen, Commander-in-Chief of the North American and West Indies Station served in Halifax between 1845-1848. He would spend from June to October based in Halifax and lodged at Admiralty House.
He brought family with him, including his sons, George, as chaplain and Herbert Grey, (flag lieutenant and artist), his nephew Charles John Austen, as well as his daughters, Cassandra and Frances. The women would presumably have acted as hostesses for the many functions that the Admiral would be expected to host.
The Halifax Public Gardens
Sir Francis would also take his daughters on walks in the Horticultural Society Gardens, the forerunner of the Halifax Public Gardens. These gardens were private, and entrance was by subscription.
Explore More
- For more details about these and other sites that were related to Charles and Francis during their time in Halifax, click here to download a PDF of this walking tour, opens a new window: In the Footsteps of the Austens- A Walking Tour of Halifax, Nova Scotia. This was developed by Sarah Emsley and Sheila Johnson Kindred.
- For more information about the Austen family’s Nova Scotia connection you can read Jane Austen and the North Atlantic, opens a new window, a collection of essays from the Jane Austen Society (UK) conference held in Halifax in 2005, edited by Sarah Emsley.
- Sarah Emsley’s book St. Paul’s in the Grand Parade is an illustrated history of the church where Jane’s niece was baptised in 1809 and her nephew was married in 1848.
St. Paul's in the Grand Parade, 1749-1999
References
Articles by Sheila Johnson Kindred:
“Charles Austen: Prize Chaser and Prize Taker on the North American Station 1805-1808” in Persuasions 26 (2004): 188-94.
“Charles Austen’s Capture of the French Privateer La Jeune Estelle.” Jane Austen Society Annual Report (2006): 50-53.
“Two Brothers, One City: Charles and Francis Austen in Halifax, Canada” in https://sarahemsley.com/my-books, ed. Sarah Emsley. Chawton, Hampshire: Jane Austen Society, 2006. 9-21.
“Jane Austen’s Naval Brother Charles on the North American Station” in the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society Journal 10 (2007): 25-46.
“The Influence of Naval Captain Charles Austen’s North American Experiences on Persuasion and Mansfield Park” in Persuasions 31 (2009): 115-29.
Web resources:
Jane Austen Society of North America: Nova Scotia Chapter, opens a new window
The Nova Scotia chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America outlines various events and activities for members.
Jane Austen Society of North America
The Purpose of the Jane Austen Society of North America is to encourage the appreciation and enjoyment of her works and her novels.
The Jane Austen Festival in Bath is the largest and longest running Jane Austen Festival in the world. The first Jane Austen Festival in 2001 took place over a weekend at The Jane Austen Centre, Bath, and has since grown into a 10-day programme, drawing over 3500 people from around the world.
This inspiring Hampshire cottage was Jane Austen’s home and the birthplace of her six beloved novels.
How to Celebrate Jane Austen on her 250th birthday
A plethora of advice and events complied by the BBC to celebrate Jane Austen’s birthday.
Images:
HMS Cleopatra: public domain, source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cleopatra_%281779%29
All other photographs by Sarah Emsley, used with permission
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