Jane and the Ghosts of Netley
Page 27
Chapter 17
1 Lord Harold refers to the Duke of Devonshire, regarded at this time as the grey eminence of the Whigs.—Editor’s note.
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Chapter 19
1 Frank Austen refers to Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (1769– 1822), secretary for war in the Percival government. Castlereagh reorganized the army, creating a disposable force of 30,000 for use at short notice, with dedicated sea transport. He was one of Sir Arthur Wellesley’s oldest friends, and valued Wellesley’s advice on matters military. He is famed for having fought a duel with his fellow minister, Foreign Secretary Robert Canning; he committed suicide in 1822, a year after succeeding his father to the title of Marquess of Londonderry.—Editor’s note.
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Chapter 21
1 A gentleman’s carte blanche was his promissory note—offered to a woman he supported as a mistress, guaranteeing complete funding at her discretion.—Editor’s note.
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Chapter 24
1 The term “monsignor” now refers to a specific rank of seniority within the church hierarchy, and is only rarely applied to members of the Jesuit order—specifically, when a Jesuit is designated a monsignor by the local bishop. In Austen’s day, however, monsignor—or monseigneur, as it was variously spelled—was an honorific or term of respect applied to persons of rank throughout Europe, whether ordained or not.—Editor’s note.
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2 Founded by Basque nobleman Ignatius of Loyola in 1540, the Society of Jesus came to be regarded as an army devoted to the Papacy, and thus as a threat to temporal kingdoms and power. It was expelled from Portugal, Spain, and their overseas possessions between the years of 1759 and 1768; it was also outlawed in France. In 1773, Pope Clement XIV suppressed the order under pressure from the Bourbons, and many Jesuits fled Europe to join their brethren in the American colonies. By 1814, however, Pius VII had revoked the brief of suppression and restored the Society of Jesus.—Editor’s note.
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Chapter 25
1 It was common practice in Austen’s day for the coroner’s panel to view the corpse at an inquest.—Editor’s note.
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Chapter 27
1 Jane Leigh-Perrot, the wife of Mrs. Austen’s brother, James Leigh-Perrot, was accused of shoplifting by a Bath merchant in 1799. She was held in Ilchester gaol for seven months, tried for a capital crime, and, had she been convicted, faced transportation to Australia or public execution—all for a card of lace. She was acquitted but remained subject to rumors of kleptomania ever after.—Editor’s note.
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Chapter 28
1 Jane is recalling here the history recounted in Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (Bantam Books, 2001).—Editor’s note.
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Preview of Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy
1 The manor of Chawton, which included the Great House and the whole of the village, was deeded to Jane’s third brother Edward in 1797 as part of his inheritance from distant cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Knight of Kent, a childless couple who adopted Edward as their heir. Edward enjoyed the freehold of more than thirty cottages and gardens in Chawton, as well as the Great House, farm, and Chawton Park. The entire estate, including the village holdings, was gradually sold off in the twentieth century by Knight family heirs.—Editor’s note.
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