| Our members are active in giving talks at other local events separate from those organised by the Kent Branch.
Last year, Averil Clayton led five two-hour sessions on the literature of Jane Austen
in the recently-inaugurated Wye Branch of the U3A. As the magic name of Jane Austen headed the
title of this short course, it proved very popular, and the list of those attending had to
be closed at nineteen to fit the accommodation available.
On Sunday 13 March Vivian Branson conducted a tour around the Austen-related buildings in Tonbridge
and the memorials in the Church of St Peter and St Paul. There were 16 participants from the Weald
History Group and an honorary member in a buggy, Aurelia, who stayed wide awake for the whole two hours;
obviously a Janeite. It was a super group, and Vivian coordinated with the senior guide in the Church
who gave a wonderful insight into the Church’s history which gave the Church its own character instead
of simply picking out memorials and talking about them in isolation. One of the group has been
researching Thomas Hardy for around thirty years! They all said they had no idea these treasures were
in Tonbridge and Vivian assured them they were not alone.
The following day, Vivian also led two private tour guides around Tonbridge to show them all the Austen
connections. These two individuals take tourists on a one-to-one basis.
On Saturday 2 April, Abi Dunn, Pauline Causer and Vivian Branson ran a ‘Tonbridge and the Austens’ table at
an Easter Egg-stravaganza which was held at the Church of St Peter and St Paul. It was a wonderful occasion
with people of all ages streaming in all day. There was masses of interest in the Austens’ connections with
Tonbridge. We were launching the new walk ‘In Austen Family Footsteps’ which provides a great deal of detail
requested by people who have been on the walk. Inspired by our November Luncheon talk of the pastimes of
Jane Austen we had two cups and balls which were immensely popular and so interesting to see the children playing
with these simple and cheap (!) games and having so much fun.
On Tuesday 12 April Vivian Branson was called at short notice to speak to the Cage Green Women's Institute as their
programmed speaker was unable to fulfil the engagement. Vivian was thrilled, as she finds the most difficult part
of spreading the word of the Austen connections in Tonbridge is to the Tonbridge people themselves. It was a wonderful
evening and such enthusiam and interest from the audience. Vivian gave examples of Jane's popularity across the world
and mentioned some of the articles from the newspapers where Jane is mentioned, such as Harriet Harman being compared
to Elizabeth Bennet when complimented by David Cameron: 'as a woman and a socialist she does not care to receive
compliments from a man and a Tory. Or perhaps like Miss Elizabeth Bennet being flattered by Mr Darcy, she is more
pleased than she cares to let on'. She then concentrated on the wonderful Elizabeth Weller's story. There were lots
of questions and many of the audience wanted to chat afterwards. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Fourteen members of the Lamorbey and Sidcup Local History Society came to Tonbridge on Saturday 4 June to hear all about
the Austens connections to Tonbridge. Pauline Causer and Vivian Branson led the walk on a simply beautiful warm, sunny day.
On Thursday 21 July, Vivian Branson spoke to 40 members of the Kent Active Retirement Fellowship. Her talk covered Jane's
influence in the world by showing advertisements and articles, including some from Italy and the States, in which references
are made to her books. She talked about the importance of the Tonbridge connections and expanded to the Kent connections,
including JMW Turner, whose visits to Tonbridge are well-documented. Vivian wondered whether, in one of the letters destroyed
by Cassandra, Jane may have reported meeting Turner in Tonbridge....!
Incidentally, after Vivian gave the above talk, some of that group came for a walk around the Austen-related buildings
and the Church. Vivian always learns something new from these presentations, and this time she heard from one of the group
that Powells, where Jane's great-aunt Betty (Weller) Hooper lived, is haunted. Having completed the Talk and the Walk, the
group now plans to visit Jane Austen's Cottage at Chawton.
This year, an excellent and very informative talk was given on 20 April by Clare Graham, lecturer and member of the Jane Austen Society.
Clare told us about Jane’s many links with Kent, starting with her ancestral family in Horsmonden. Jane’s great grandmother Elizabeth
Austen was left penniless with six sons to support, and in 1708 she took up the post of housekeeper to the headmaster of Sevenoaks School,
Elijah Fenton, with the proviso that her sons be educated there free of charge. Jane’s great uncle Francis Austen lived at the Red House
in Sevenoaks and became very rich. She stayed with him as a child, and in later years often visited her brother Edward in his fine house
at Godmersham in East Kent. ‘Kent is the place for happiness’, she wrote to her sister Cassandra while staying there. ‘Everybody is rich there.’
On Wednesday 9 May, Vivian Branson gave a talk to the Parkinsons Society Sevenoaks Branch AGM on the Austen Connections with Tonbridge.
Vivian showed how popular particularly Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility are in the press, and showed examples
of advertisements for Sex and Sensibility, Scents and Sensibility, Sense and Simplicity, Proud and Prejudiced,
Mr Darcy is Out, Pride, Prejudice and Post Codes and many more. She then talked about the Austens and Tonbridge, and the
remarkable Elizabeth (Weller) Austen and how her children fared post their education in Sevenoaks. It was a wonderful evening, with lots
of feed-back and questions and, like so many of these local occasions, the audience always produced snippets of information which are so
useful for the Austen history in the town.
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