Jane Cholmeley Leigh Perrot

author

Jane Cholmeley Leigh Perrot

1746–1836

Best known today as Jane Austen’s wealthy aunt, she is remembered for the sensational 1800 lace-theft trial that drew wide attention in Georgian England. Her own published trial account has helped keep that episode—and her place on the edges of Austen’s world—alive.

1 Audiobook

Trial of Jane Leigh Perrot, at Taunton Assizes, on Saturday the 29th day of March, 1800; charged with stealing a card of lace, in the shop of Elizabeth Gregory, haberdasher & milliner, of the city of Bath

Trial of Jane Leigh Perrot, at Taunton Assizes, on Saturday the 29th day of March, 1800; charged with stealing a card of lace, in the shop of Elizabeth Gregory, haberdasher & milliner, of the city of Bath

by Jane Cholmeley Leigh Perrot

About the author

Born Jane Cholmeley and later known as Jane Leigh-Perrot, she lived from 1746 to 1836 and became part of the extended family circle around Jane Austen through her marriage to James Leigh-Perrot. Contemporary and modern sources regularly note her as Austen’s aunt, and the couple were known for their wealth, with homes in Bath and Berkshire.

She is most often remembered for the dramatic accusation that she stole a card of lace from a shop in Bath in August 1799. The case went to trial at Taunton Assizes on March 29, 1800, where she was acquitted after attracting intense public interest.

Her name also survives in print because the trial was published soon afterward under her name, which is why she appears in library and catalog records as an author. Even when she is treated mainly as a historical figure rather than a literary one, her story offers a vivid glimpse of class, reputation, and scandal in the world surrounding Jane Austen.