I really do love Jane Austen but have to confess that I had no idea she was buried at Winchester Cathedral until Matt asked one of the tour guides where she was buried. Jane was easy to point out because there are always flowers by her marker.
The marker, which was added later, reads, Jane Austen. Known to many by her writings, endeared to her family by the varied charms of her character and ennobled by her Christian faith and piety was born at Steventon in the County of Hants, December 16 1775 and buried in the Cathedral July 18 1817. "She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness".
This is her original marker.
It was surrounded by tourists when we first walked. After we toured the rest of the cathedral ("toured" is used lightly) I asked Matt if we could go back and visit Jane for a few minutes and I got her all to myself. It was kind of an overwhelming few minutes. It seemed silly to cry but I really did have to hold back a few tears.
Speaking of Austen - I got to watch the Lost in Austen series while I was there. It's really clever and I recommend it for a couple nights of girly fun. Matt was a trooper and watched the last two episodes with me but if you're not familiar with Pride and Prejudice...yikes. And to come in halfway made it worse. I appreciated the effort, though. :)
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