Block 29: Lend &
Borrow for James Stanier Clarke by Becky Brown
James Stanier Clarke
(1766–1834)
The Reverend James Stanier Clarke was a link between Jane
Austen and the Prince Regent. Clarke was Naval Chaplain on the H.M.S. Jupiter,
the ship that brought the Regent’s German fiancé to England in 1795. (Jane’s
brother Frank Austen was also in that fleet on another ship.) Twenty years
later we find Clarke as librarian (and
perhaps chaplain) to the Prince Regent, issuing an invitation to Jane Austen to
visit Carlton House and tour the library.
Carlton House was the
Prince Regent’s residence,
torn down after he built Buckingham Palace while King
George IV.
Lend and Borrow by Becky Brown
In Jane Austen’s England women often wrote anonymously and
Jane’s books were authored “By a Lady,” Brother Henry had a hard time keeping Jane’s
growing literary fame a secret. When he was recovering from a serious illness,
so serious the royal family’s physician had been called in to consult, Henry
bragged about his sister as the author of Pride
and Prejudice. The physician apparently told the Regent and the Regent
asked his librarian to invite the lady to the palace and request she dedicate her next book to her sovereign.
Illustration of a bookshop from Dr. Syntax.
It’s hard to believe the Prince Regent
actually read the books
he collected but he seems to have enjoyed Jane’s books
so
much he kept copies at each royal residence.
Jane’s personal views of the Regent were irrelevant. She did
as she was asked and Emma has a royal
dedication.
Emma was, like Jane’s
earlier books, published as a series.
Readers subscribed to the series by paying
ahead
and subsidizing the printing costs.
Jane and Clarke continued a correspondence after her visit
and he has earned a pompous reputation for requesting that she write a book
based on his experiences. She declined but for her family wrote a short satirical Plan of a Novel based on unsolicited
advice from her readers.
The Reverend Mr.
Clarke seems to be Jane’s fictional
Reverend Mr. Collins come to life.
BlockBase #3166
We can remember Rev. Clarke and Jane’s brush with royalty in
Lend and Borrow, the perfect block for a librarian, given the name by the
magazine The Woman’s World about
1930.
Cutting a 12” Block
A - Cut 9 squares 3-1/4” (5 light
and 4 light). Cut each in half with a
diagonal cut to make 2 triangles.
You need 9
light and 7 dark of the small triangles.
B - Cut 1 square 12-7/8”. Cut in
half with a diagonal cut to make 2 triangles.
You need 1 large
triangle.
C - Cut 1 square 8”. Cut in half
with a diagonal cut to make 2 triangles.
You need 1 medium-sized
triangle.
Sewing:
Lend and Borrow by Bettina Havig with an applique floral
done Broderie-Perse style.
View of the Carlton
House Library from Ackermann’s periodical
Lend and Borrow by Dustin Cecil
Read more about the royal librarian here at Laura Boyle's
post, James Stanier Clarke: Librarian to
the Prince of Wales.
http://www.janeausten.co.uk/james-stanier-clarke-librarian-to-the-prince-of-wales/
Lend and Borrow by Georgann Eglinski
Nice to know how that very un-Jane-like dedication came about. Also, that Jane's identity became known by accident, not by her own design. Thank goodness we know!
ReplyDeleteThat big triangle begs for design and I love Bettina's applique floral!
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I am also not receiving emails the last 2 weeks. Can you enlighten me as to why? Were you aware of this?
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