Information on Money and Incomes in Austen's Time

Many believe the Bennet family in Pride and Prejudice was "poor," but this is a misconception. It depends on how one defines "poor." If you mean the Bennets had a low income, that is incorrect. If, however, you refer to a lack of savings, that may be true, though debatable given Mr. Bennet's secretive nature.

It’s plausible, though not confirmed, that Mr. Bennet may have saved money without his family knowing. This possibility might come into play during marriage negotiations for Jane and Elizabeth, as any personal savings could remain undisclosed in their official dowries. Although there’s no way to confirm this in the text, it is implied that the Bennets live within their means, and indeed, it would be hard for them to overspend.

With an income of £2,000 per year, the Bennets are relatively well-off. For context, the average estate income in the 1790s was around £600 to £700 annually. While I can’t locate my source for this at the moment, it is findable with some research. Austen's only mention of an average estate income in her novels is Combe Magna, owned by John Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility. Longbourn’s income, however, is more than double the average for estate earnings at the time, so the Bennets were by no means poor.

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For a better understanding of what this income would mean for their lifestyle, refer to A New System of Practical Domestic Economy (Henry Colburn & Co., 3rd Edition, 1823). On page 405 (PDF version), you’ll find expense guidelines for various income ranges. The book divides expenses into three parts based on annual income: part I (from pg. 405) has incomes under £100, part II (from pg. 431) has incomes between £100-£750, and part III (from pg. 443) has incomes between £1,000-£5,000. For the Bennets' approximate income, see pages 452 and 453, and for a higher income level of £4,000, see pages 456 and 457. Comparing these entries offers insight into the Bennets' lifestyle compared to other Austen families, like the Dashwoods.

The book provides the information that the costs for children are the assumed costs of adult children which means that expenses would be lower, and savings higher, before their birth and for several years after. It also list the number of servants, carriages, etc.

For Jane Austen fan fiction (JAFF) writers, these resources also reveal period-appropriate costs for essentials like food, candles, soap, and luxuries, such as servants, wardrobes, and education. This insight into domestic economics provides a valuable foundation for accurately understanding or writing about characters in Austen’s time.

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Note: This post was originally published on Jane Austen's Literary Lasagna on November 11th, 2024. I am now migrating my content to this blog, but this remains my original work. Minor edits may have been made for clarity or formatting.