Of all the family, Mary was probably the one most immediately gratified by the circumstance. It was creditable to have a sister married, and she might flatter herself with having been greatly instrumental to the connexion, by keeping Anne with her in the autumn; and as her own sister must be better than her husband’s sisters, it was very agreeable that Captain Wentworth should be a richer man than either Captain Benwick or Charles Hayter. She had something to suffer, perhaps, when they came into contact again, in seeing Anne restored to the rights of seniority, and the mistress of a very pretty landaulette; but she had a future to look forward to, of powerful consolation.
Persuasion, Chapter 24
Typically, in one small passage, Jane Austen gives us a lot of information about Anne Wentworth (as she now is), her husband’s essential nature and that of her sister Mary.
Frederick Wentworth is shown to be a man of a generous and practical nature, but not without a certain wicked style.
For he gives his wife a very pretty Landaulette to enable her to be driven around the country and be independent when it came to travel.
This is what William Felton, London coachmaker has to say about this type of vehicle in his Treatise on Carriages etc (1797):
A Landaulet or Demi-Landau.
This carriage has the same advantage as the landau only that the number of passengers are proportionally less; but, for convenience, where only one carriage is kept, none exceeds it for country use.
This was quite an expensive two-seater vehicle and a rather impressive gift on Captain Wentworth’s part.
(Do remember- to enlarge all these illustrations in order to make the detail easier to read, just click on them)
Mr Felton gives the cost of a new one, fitted out with all the top level furnishings and finishes, at £156, 10 shillings and 3 pence. In addition to the purchase cost, it also required the services of a coachman,
and perhaps also a groom( though the two jobs could be combined) and a footman, if he was employed by the Wentworths, could also stand on the back to accompany his mistress on her journeys.
Note that this is also a rather grand gesture by Frederick Wentworth. Employing male servants at the time incurred an extra tax: they were therefore a ‘luxury’ for from 1777 onwards an annual tax of a guinea was imposed on households that employed one male servant. The rate increased with the number of make servants one kept. This tax remained in force( thought it was modified occasionally) until 1937.
And of course, in addition to the cost of male employees, the Wentworths would have to factor in the cost of stabling the horses which would draw the carriage.
Sandy Lerner, the chatelaine of Chawton House, in her article in The Female Spectator Volume 4 number 1 has this to say about Wentworth’s gift:
This light four-wheeled conveyance gained popularity as it was well suited to England’s uncertain climate in that it could be converted from an open to a closed carriage with little trouble. The landaulette was a smaller version of the landau, a very formal postillion driven vehicle. The landaulette was also known as a demi-Landau with only a rear seat. Again this is a lady’s vehicle, and its inclusion denotes Captain Wentworth’s extreme generosity to his wife as well as a remarkable concern for her independence
William Bridges Adams in his book English Pleasure Carriages (1837) remarks that these vehicle ,along with their close-cousins landaus, were rather expensive to maintain in good order:
This is an expensive carriage to build and very liable to get out of order as the leather and wood work of the head is affected by cold and heat, damp and dryness. The expense of repairs is considerable.
So, this gift on Wentworth’s part to his wife of a very pretty landaulette was one made with much consideration for her ability tot ravel independently, in safety, and in some considerable style at no little extra cost to himself.
A much more practical carriage than Charles Musgrove’s curricle, being an all weather vehicle. Small- only a two-seater- but very stylish,with its moveable roof, perfect for summer driving.
In effect, Wentworth has given Anne the equivalent of a luxury convertible sports car.
And it rankles with Mary because she (and we !) know that she only has the services of Charles’s rather masculine and impractical curricle to call upon. No wonder she sees Anne’s gift through the green eyes of jealousy.
And now to Extravagant Monsters. We know that Sir Walter Elliot has to retrench and leave Kellynch Hall, tenanted out to the far superior ( in every way)Admiral and Mrs Croft, but does he leave Kellynch for Bath in any penitent style?
Of course not.
The last office of the four carriage-horses was to draw Sir Walter, Miss Elliot, and Mrs. Clay to Bath. The party drove off in very good spirits; Sir Walter prepared with condescending bows for all the afflicted tenantry and cottagers who might have had a hint to shew themselves: and Anne walked up at the same time, in a sort of desolate tranquillity, to the Lodge, where she was to spend the first week.
Persuasion, Chapter 5
Four carriage horses draw Sir Walter’s coach, note. Not two…four.He could never be expected to retrench that far….And can you imagine what sort of coach it might be? Not a serviceable comfortable coach like the Musgrove’s might own, I fear, but one like this, again from William Felton’s Treatise.
An Elegant Crane Neck Coach
Which would cost at least £337 pounds (gasp!) fitted with every conceivable luxurious extra…
.
In addition no doubt the panels of the coach were emblazoned with Sir Walter’s arms and emblems, as garish as his servant’s livery…..
Oh, yes, I’m sure his tenants and cottagers were impressed as he rode away, in his grand extravagant coach pulled by four horse with coachman and footmen galore, retrenching like mad….Don’t you think?
4 comments
February 18, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Deb
I’ve wondered about the gift of a ladies vehicle by Captain Wentworth to his new wife before. I’ve always thought it was a practical gift since there would be times that she would be maintaining the household alone while he’s off to the sea and would need a means of transportation to carry on the household’s business. That train of thought also led to the idea that while he married for love he also chose well in his wife because Anne, much more than the Musgrove girls, has the temperment and perhaps the skills to stand in for him as steward of his new found wealth when he is not there to care for it.
Of course, she could have followed her sister-in-law’s example and gone to sea with him….
February 18, 2010 at 4:26 pm
jfwakefield
Exactly! This very smart but thoughtful gift allowed her her independence. I think she may have gone to sea ,like Besty Freemantle , of The Freemantle Diaries, unless she had to stay to look after a newly purchased estate, or children.
February 19, 2010 at 12:58 am
Cathy Allen
Ah, Julie, there’s so much here to look at and understand! As I usually try to do (except when you are too quick for me, and post another fascinating message before I get the chance!), I shall have to read it again, and study the pictures more in-depth.
I’m surprised to learn about the landaulette; I had always thought of it as something similar to what the Admiral and Mrs. Croft drove about in, and subsequently gave a ride to Anne in (I’m picturing Amanda Root, of course). Shows my total ignorance of the matter, I know! This information is just delightful, and, as you said, it clearly indicates even more the good Captain’s love for Anne, which she so richly deserves. Looking at the picture, I am very taken with how pretty the landaulette is. It kind of reminds me of a small ’59 Thunderbird two-seater owned by a friend of my parents when I was a small child. It was a beautiful car.
The information on Sir Walter’s carriage, too, is so much more than I thought. JA conveyed so much with such economy of language, and 200 years later, it’s such a joy to be learning these unexpected nuances.
Thank you!
CEA
February 19, 2010 at 9:36 pm
jfwakefield
It really is a delightful vehicle, isn’t it? And tell us a lot about Wentworth’s respect for his wife. Im not the Captain’s greatest fan( too emotional for my taste- Do Not Beat Me!!) but he redeems himself somewhat with this gift