Sunday, 12 February 2017

Old Buckenham learns about Jane Austen

Women's Institute's first meeting of 2017
Old Buckenham WI were pleased to welcome Rev Jacqui Horton (the local Methodist minister) to their first meeting of 2017. Jacqui gave a fascinating insight into the life of Jane Austen, who died at the early age of 42 in 1817 (this year is the bi-centenary of her death). The title of the talk was “The Trail of Jane Austen” and the speaker traced the life of this remarkable author from her birth at Steventon (a village in Hampshire) in 1775 until her death in Winchester in 1817. Her father was the vicar of this village and on his retirement she, with her parents and sister, moved to Bath and lived there for four years. After her father’s death in 1805 she and her mother and sister moved around the country until finally settling in the village of Chawton in Hampshire (this house now houses the Jane Austen museum). She had already written in script form the novels of Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility whilst living at Steventon and the latter two books were published in 1811 and 1813 respectively. Her other books were published posthumously. For the last two years of her life she and her sister lived in Winchester so that she could be near to her doctor and she died there in July 1817. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral and there is a stained glass window in the cathedral dedicated to her memory.
Members were pleased to hear that Alison Frank has now raised over £1,000 through the “Waste Not Want Not” table she organises each month. This money is donated to the Associated Country Women of the World, of which the WI is a founder member, and supports the education and training of women in third world countries.

The next meeting is in the Village Hall on Thursday 23 March starting at 7.30pm. The speaker will be Chris Brown and the subject of his talk is “The Case for the Defence – life as a criminal lawyer”. Old Buckenham WI meets on the fourth Thursday of each month and they are always pleased to welcome new members. 

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