Handel’s Messiah in Jane Austen’s England

Handel's Messiah was very popular in Jane Austen's England. She may have seen it herself in Bath. What objection, though, did some Evangelicals have to it?

The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

"Modern Geology" began during Jane Austen's era. William Smith, self-educated and from humble beginnings, laid the foundations.

Of Catholics, Riots, and the Theatre in Bath

Catholics in Jane Austen's England suffered many restrictions and sometimes even violence. In Bath, they eventually found a place to worship in the Old Orchard Street Theatre.

Churches, Chapels, Abbeys, and Cathedrals in Northanger Abbey

A church, a chapel, an abbey, and a cathedral: What's the difference? And which ones would Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey have seen in Bath?