WORLD EXCLUSIVE—BREAKING NEWS!
Extensive vintage fashion collection gifted to Caroline Jane Knight for charity work.
Fiona Baverstock, a collector of vintage fashion, has gifted her collection of fashion dating from the 1750s – 1880s to Caroline Jane Knight, fifth great niece of Jane Austen, to support Caroline’s charitable work. In this, our 100th issue of Pride & Possibilities, Caroline shares exclusive details of this extraordinary gift.
“The extensive collection comprises more than 180 pieces and was exhibited in Australia and New Zealand pre-pandemic, curated as a “Be Persuaded”, a Jane Austen themed exhibition with mannequins dressed as Austen characters and the Austen family, and a “Best of Times, Worst of Times” Charles Dickens themed exhibition with characters from every novel.
I was contacted by Keith and Fiona Baverstock in 2018 and invited to speak at four of their “Be Persuaded” exhibitions in Victoria, Australia (where I now live) in 2018/2019, an invitation I gladly accepted. It was a good chance to talk about the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation and raise some money for literacy projects. Keith and Fiona were lovely people and extremely knowledgeable about fashion, textiles, and a lot of other things. They were well travelled and very interesting.
Caroline Jane Knight and Fiona Baverstock at Stonnington Library, Victoria, in 2018
The pandemic put an end to the exhibitions, and the collections were packed away. Fiona called me a couple of months ago with news. Sadly, Keith had died of cancer during the pandemic, a great loss to everyone who knew him. Fiona had since retired, had decided not to exhibit the collections anymore, and wanted to give the “Jane” and “Dickens” collections to me to support my charity work. I took a deep breath and tried to take in what I was hearing. Fiona explained that she wants the collections to continue to have a life, to be seen, to benefit good causes, to do good things. She wanted to give them to me personally, as a member of Jane’s family, knowing that my connection to Chawton and the Austen community is lifelong and knowing my commitment to charitable work with the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. We spoke about it over the next month or so. I wanted Fiona (and her family) to be certain, and I wanted to understand the responsibility of owning and exhibiting such a stunning historical collection. Fiona was steadfast in her wish, and I was honoured to accept.
We agreed I would take a trip to visit Fiona, a plane ride away. We spent a few days together, going through the collections, packing each piece ready to be moved, and talking. This is some of what I learned about Fiona and Keith Baverstock and the “Jane” collection. I will share more details of the “Dicken’s” collection and the Baverstocks later in the year.
Fiona and Keith Baverstock
Fiona & Keith Baverstock shared a passion for social history and for collecting. From cross-stitched samplers to Queen Mary’s embroidery, from beaded Victorian bodices to complete gowns with bonnets, parasols, boots and shoes, gloves, lace stoles, and all things fashion. Rather than put a picture on the wall, they would hang an elaborate bodice. Incidental furniture made way for dressed mannequins. Bookshelves became laden with hard to come by tomes on the history and science of textiles and fashion, everything from knitting frames to the spinning jenny. From aniline dyes to heel turning techniques. Every decade from the 1750s through to the 1950s and beyond. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and World War I were the most popular exhibition themes.
The pieces in the collection were acquired gradually over many years, but acquisition became much more concentrated and purposeful from 2000 onwards as a hobby developed into the business of buying, selling, and exhibiting. Exhibiting latterly became the focus.
“Be Persuaded” Austen exhibition at Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Victoria, in 2018
It is difficult to attribute a precise provenance to most of the pieces in the “Jane” collection, acquired as they were at specialist auctions or from specialist and credible collectors and dealers. Families placing pieces at auction or selling them frequently don’t wish it to be known that they’re selling off family heirlooms. The one gown which has documented provenance is the delicate 1810 wedding gown, similarly the incredibly preserved 1790 bridal bonnet, and the luxurious royal blue velvet boy’s dress. Other than that, it is only possible to identify from which part of the UK the pieces were acquired.
The 1810 wedding gown was worn by Emma Cato, who married George Daniels at Chelsea Old Church in London in 1810. Emma was born in 1787 in Holborn, one of Thomas and Elizabeth Cato’s nine children. Thomas was a wire worker and would have belonged to the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate and Wire Workers, one of the City of London Trade Guilds. He was well enough off to leave a will. George Daniels was variously described as a book collector, literary critic, and author, who fancied himself as the equal of such as Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Emma Cato’s wedding gown worn 1810 and Alice Southern’s bridal bonnet, worn 1790
The bridal bonnet was worn by Alice Southern for her marriage to Richard Crompton (believed to be a relative of Samuel Crompton who invented the Spinning Mule which revolutionised the textile industry in the 18th century) on 5th September 1790 at Deane in Lancashire. Alice died on 6th April 1835, a little more than a year after Richard who died on 24th February 1834.
The boy’s velvet dress – as worn by “unbreeched” boys – came from the Castle Howard Costume Collection which was auctioned off in 2003 at Sotherby’s. Many of the pieces in this collection were acquired from the aristocratic “contacts” of the Howards or were, indeed, from the family’s private possessions. This superb piece is believed to have been a family piece.
Boys velvet dress, acquired from the Castle Howard Collection
Several of the pieces in the “Jane” collection were acquired from the south of England, where an unnamed family apparently divested itself of an amazing collection of very early 19th century pieces.
Mrs Austen, James Edward Austen Leigh and Jane herself, imagined in costume
The stunningly preserved muslin “a la hussarde” gown c. 1810, the fine cotton gown c. 1815, the incredible Regency silk cape trimmed with human hair, and the triangular chine silk shawl, re-fashioned from an 19th century gown, all came from this source.
Caroline Bingley imagined in a cape adorned with human hair and wire collared bib
The remaining pieces came from a variety of sources in London, the Midlands, Cheshire, Yorkshire, and Scotland – some from museums de-accessioning but sadly unattributed, some from families divesting or collectors selling on.
Regency accessories from the collection
Whilst this collection does not claim provenance from the Austen/Knight family, it has brilliantly brought to life Jane, her immediate family, and her unforgettable characters, and they in turn continue to give life to the collection.
Portland Library, Victoria
My visit to see Fiona was emotional. The collections are exquisite, so many pieces are unique and in wonderful condition— items that would have been treasured by their owners centuries ago, and ever since. It was an honour to hear stories of how Fiona and Keith met, their shared passion for collecting, and the entrepreneurial spirit that made them pioneers. I asked Fiona repeatedly if she was sure she wanted to give it all away. She was adamant.
I don’t have words to describe how it feels to receive it. I am overwhelmed by the generosity, deeply humbled by the belief and trust Fiona has in me, and very excited about the future. The collections are exceptional, and I want them to be seen by as many people as possible. The collections will bring so many more people to the work of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation and help us create a sustainable future. Profits made by the collections, through exhibitions and perhaps sale (one day), will be donated to charity. The collections will also be available on loan to Chawton House and Jane Austen’s House to support their fundraising and visitor initiatives.
I am in the early stages of planning. I would love to see the collections enjoyed all over the world and look forward to sharing when and where you can see them.
Thank you, Fiona, for this extraordinary gift. It will change the lives of children all over the world through literacy programs and support the preservation of Jane’s legacy in Chawton.
© Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen’s fifth great niece and the last of Jane’s nieces to grow up at Chawton House on the family’s ancestral estate where Jane herself lived and wrote. Jane Austen Literacy Foundation founder & chair, Patron of Jane Austen Regency Week, author of Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage
All photos copyright © Caroline Jane Knight and Fiona Baverstock and are not to be reproduced without permission.
Ambassador Announcement
We are thrilled to welcome Gill Hornby as an Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.
Gill Hornby is the author of the novels Godmersham Park, Miss Austen, The Hive and All Together Now, as well as The Story of Jane Austen, a biography of Austen for young readers. She lives in Kintbury, Berkshire, with her husband and their four children.
Gill is our special guest speaker at this year's Jane Austen Regency Picnic at Chawton House, on Sunday 18th June:
Join Jane Austen’s family, Jane Austen Literacy Foundation ambassadors and volunteers at the Parade for Literacy and Regency Picnic on Sunday 18th June.