Ramsgate is mentioned briefly in two of Jane Austen’s books: in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (1813) it is the scene of Wickham’s attempted elopement with Darcy’s sister, and in ‘Mansfield Park’ (1814) Tom Bertram encounters problems of social etiquette there. If we take at face value Jane Austen’s judgement that an acquaintance’s decision to move there was ‘bad taste’, then she did not seem to have a high opinion of the place. However, her impressions were probably formed when she visited her brother Frank there in the autumn of 1803. He was in charge of the ‘Sea Fencibles’, an assorted force of volunteers who were part of the measures to counter a French invasion. At that time Ramsgate’s character was largely shaped by its importance as a military embarkation port, depot and training ground. The harbour was dominated by military preparations and the West Cliff area contained large open spaces for parades and exercises. The air was full of the noise of marching feet, galloping hooves, rifle practice and bugles. None of the elegant Regency terraces were complete. It was only in 1819, when the troops left Ramsgate, that it began to assume the distinctive style which so attracted later writers.
On one occasion in October 1798, her return journey was enlivened by the misdirection of a piece of luggage which had to be recovered before she and her parents could sit down to their evening meal...
From the evidence suggested in her Letters, she travelled several times through Kent between Godmersham, where she was visiting family, and Steventon, which was her home for a time...
Database Credits PHP/Perl:James Wilson, Christian Jacobsen; Webdesign:Antony Barron; Graphics: Paul Haine
