Mr. Wisley vs Mr. Harris Bigg-Wither

Becoming Jane viewers might not like John Warren who wrote the Judge the nasty letter (in fact, Warren was a pretty much decent guy who drew a sketch of Tom Lefroy and gave it to Jane Austen – letter 9 January 1796), but some viewers develop a sense of sympathy towards poor (well, rich) Mr. Wisley. I consent. I admit that I was not charmed by Laurence Fox’s Mr. Wisley during my first screenings, but then, upon watching the Husbands and Lovers scene again and again in YouTube, he somehow grew in me. Moreover, his last scene with Jane after he ditched his aunt Lady Gresham was touchy. Jane Austen and Mr. Wisley finally understood each other; they parted as friends.

But mind you dear friends, there was no Mr. Wisley in the real Austenian landscape (nor Lady Gresham for that matter). This sensitive guy was created purposely for Becoming Jane, to be Tom Lefroy’s rival. Laurence Fox did his job well; Mr. Wisley was indeed awkward in comparison to James McAvoy’s Tom Lefroy. And when I flipped through David Nokes’ Jane Austen: a Life (1997), I was struck by another ‘awkward’ friend of Jane Austen, a real person this time. He was Harris Bigg-Wither (1781-1833), heir of Manydown Park of Hampshire.

In page 251, Nokes describes Harris as ‘tall, clumsy and awkward, he would shamble through the house, or lounge on a sofa, adding little to the general conversation.’ Caroline Austen even said that Harris was ‘very plain in person – awkward & even uncouth in manner – nothing but his size to recommend him – he was a fine big man – but one need not look about for secret reasons to account for a young lady’s not loving him.’ (Nokes, 1997, p. 258).

Well… that was Mr. Wisley to me. And the fact that in the movie Jane Austen finally accepted Mr. Wisley’s proposal for a very short time (if not hours) before she met Tom Lefroy again in the forest makes me think that perhaps Mr. Wisley’s character was inspired a bit by Harris Bigg-Wither.

Now, to Harris. As I said, he was the heir of Manydown Park, a great house in Hampshire. Jane and Cassandra befriended Harris’ sisters and often stayed in Manydown Park for several weeks. The Bigg sisters (Elizabeth, Alethea and Catherine) did not use the ‘Wither’ name that was derived from their cousin’s name who, from whom they inherited Manydown. Harris was their little brother, six years younger than Jane. Manydown Park, by the way, was the place where Jane danced with Tom Lefroy in the evening of January 8, 1796.

In 1801, the Austens moved to Bath. However, Jane occasionally returned to Hampshire and stayed with, among others, the Bigg sisters. Such was the occasion in December 1802, where Cassandra and Jane stayed for a while in Manydown. At that time, Harris had returned from Worchester College, Oxford; a big tall guy now with golden future. In the evening of December 2, 1802, Jane found herself in the library (or a drawing room?), alone with Harris. It is very likely that the Bigg sisters and Cassandra might have orchestrated the private meeting. There, Harris proposed Jane… and Jane accepted. A happy night for everyone.

Except for Jane. She went to bed, but might not sleep after all. It was in Manydown in January 1796 that she danced with Tom Lefroy in such a ‘profligate’ manner. And now, almost seven years later, she accepted a proposal in the same house. But not from Tom.

We will never know Jane’s train of thought that night, it is possible that she talked with Cassandra about it. In any case, the very first thing she did the next morning was finding Harris and, again in private, cancelled their engagement. Afterwards, Jane and Cassandra simply could not stay longer in Manydown. The Bigg sisters ordered the carriage to take the Austen girls back to Steventon, where Jane later asked her brother James to take her home to Bath immediately. Confused, James finally cancelled his Sunday service to take his sisters back to Bath. And that was the end of Jane’s last marriage proposal.

Apparently, Harris dealt with his broken heart well. On November 2, 1804, less than two years after the faithful rejection, Harris Bigg-Wither married Anne Howe Frith from the Isle of Wight who gave him ten children. They lived happily in Wymering Manor, Portsmouth, Hampshire, and the friendship between the Austen sisters and the Bigg sisters were preserved.

I admire Jane Austen for her decision. She could easily succumb to the grandeur of Manydown Park, to the relatively easy life she could enjoy as the mistress of Manydown. She would be able to help her sister and her family then, and also taste a life of marriage she could only write about in her novels. But she did not do that. She cancelled the engagement, only 12 hours after her consent, risking her reputation and her friendship. She stayed true to her heart and principles, to never marry without love. And with that, she gave us six brilliant novels and three unfinished works that still show us the great woman behind the manuscripts.

Reference:

Nokes, D. 1997, Jane Austen: A Life, Fourth Estate, London.

Tomalin, C. 2000, Jane Austen: A Life, Penguin Books, London.

Pic 1: Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) and Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), from BBC UK

Pic 2: Harris Bigg-Wither, from the Manydown site

Pic 3: Manydown Park, from Jane Austen Society of Australia