Here are 5 New England places named after locations in Jane Austen’s books
Tuesday marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. The famed British author set her novels in real-life locations around England, many of which she lived in or visited.
Here are five places in New England named after actual locations from Austen’s life and books.
New Hampshire
The state was named after Hampshire county on the southern coast of England. Austen lived most of her life in Hampshire, which is where she was born and died.
Bath, Maine
The name of this city originated from a fashionable resort in Somerset county, which was named after its Roman-built baths. The English city of Bath plays an important role for the main characters of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion when they visit. Austen’s parents were married in Bath, she lived there from 1801 to 1806, and her father was buried there.
The Berkshires
This region in western Massachusetts was named after Berkshire county to the west of London. Austen and her sister, Cassandra, attended boarding school in Berkshire from 1785 to 1786.
Brighton
The namesake of this Boston neighborhood is a seaside resort town in East Sussex county. In Pride & Prejudice, flirtatious Bennet sister Lydia visits Brighton to see the regiment stationed there. In Mansfield Park, Maria Bertram and Mr. Rushworth plan to travel to Brighton for their honeymoon.
Bristol
A county in Massachusetts and towns in New Hampshire and Rhode Island all take their name from this city and county in southwest England. After the titular heroine of Emma rejects Mr. Elton’s hand in marriage, he proposes to the daughter of a Bristol merchant. Austen visited Bristol in 1806.
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