Steventon, Hampshire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steventon is a small village in north Hampshire, United Kingdom. In the 2001 census it had a population of 219. It is situated just north-west of the town of Basingstoke, close to the villages of Overton, Oakley and North Waltham, and to Junction 7 of the M3.

Steventon Church

Steventon is best known as the birth place of author Jane Austen, who went on to live in the nearby village of Chawton. Sadly the rectory in which she wrote Pride & Prejudice, Northanger Abbey and Sense & Sensibility was destroyed in 1823. All that is left is an old pump in a field next to a lime tree that is believed to have been planted by James Austen, Jane's eldest brother.

The 12th century Steventon Church, where Jane Austen worshipped, stands almost unchanged from those days. In the church are memorial tablets to James Austen, who took over the parish from her father, his two wives and some of his relations. Their graves are in the churchyard.