Catching the Past- An Unusual Gentlemanly Pastime

Today, I'd love to talk about a pastime you don't normally read about in a Regency book, but I found it in Jane Austen's letters and in one of her books. In fact, it is so often misunderstood that it is quoted as a joke!

Well, I'm going to show you today that Jane Austen actually found shelves a happy thought.

A Little-Mentioned Regency Pastime for Gentlemen: Woodcrafts

I think most of us know the popular pastimes for gentleman: hunting, fishing, riding, racing, boxing, fencing, rowing (especially in college), cards, cricket, and so many others. But while researching, I discovered a pastime I'd never heard of. Even though it is actually mentioned in one of Austen's books, but as it was Captain Harville who is looked down upon by Anne's uppity relations in Persuasion, I didn't give it much credit at first. Turns out, I should have.

Captain Harville made his own shelves, and as much as we like to laugh at the line, "Shelves in the closest, a happy thought indeed." It really was a happy thought. Austen shows this by Anne's delight with how Captain Harville had "fashioned very pretty shelves" for Captain Benwick's books in chapter 11, volume 1.

In the paragraph before that, she said he also "excellently worked up" rare pieces of wood into some sort of items to display, although she doesn't explain what he did with them. Just that they were well done. I mean Austen almost has Anne gushing (or at least Anne's version of gushing) about how delightful Captain Harville's woodwork abilities were. Go read the passage for yourself if you don't believe me!

Even more than that, this hobby showed up in one of Jane Austen's letters (you should totally read her letters BTW. They are a lot of fun! Even if you just skim through them.). Jane Austen's own brother had taken to woodwork/handicrafts.

Jane writes to Cassandra that Henry Austen had learnt to "turn". And was so delighted by it that he employed himself for hours a day until he had turned "a very nice little butter-churn for Fanny." (FYI, Fanny was the maid.)

To turn is to shape a piece of metal, wood, or ivory into a round form by cutting it with a chisel or similar tool while rotating it on a lathe.

I knew it was fashionable for women to sew and make little crafty things if you will. It's becoming a lot more widely known that Jane Austen used to quilt, but I didn't know it was acceptable for gentlemen to get into woodcraft! (Although I can't really imagine Mr. Darcy doing this. Doesn't seem his style.)

Did you know about this gentlemanly pastime? And have you heard of any other gentlemanly pursuits (clean ones only, please) that I didn't list above? Tell us in the comments!

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Looking for a book with an unusual pastime for the hero?

In a Heart to Treasure, I wrote about a gentleman who liked to work with metal, and it's on special with a bonus wedding epilogue for the month of July and August for just 99c!

FYI, if you already own the ebook, just tell your device to download the newest version, and you find the epilogue magically appears at the end. :)

Happy reading!

Find A Heart to Treasure here