St Nicholas Church, Chawton

Cassandra was destined to long outlive her sister Jane. She continued on at Chawton with regular visits to her brothers, nieces and nephews. In 1827 Mrs. Cassandra Austen, the girls’ mother, died and was buried in the Chawton cemetery.

Jane and her sister Cassandra were extremely close…their mother, Mrs Austen stated “ If Cassandra were going to have her head cut off, Jane would insist on sharing her fate “

The sisters wrote each other nearly every day while apart and over 100 of these missives survive today giving us a better picture of both Jane, the author, and the sister she loved so much.