Moniker/Name Ginny
Source of Question Just curious
Your Question I was wondering how large of an area “a neighbourhood” in the country would be. In Pride and Prejudice the distance to Netherfield is mentioned as 3 miles but if I remember correctly Longbourn is one of the closest estates to it. So how much of an area covers the “four and twenty families” that the Bennet’s regularly dine with according to Mrs Bennet?
Thanks for your question, Ginny, and for being a Regency Reader!
Meryton, Longbourn, Netherfield and many of the places of Pride and Prejudice are places of Austen’s imagination. Some have speculated which spots in Hertfordshire, in southern England, they were modeled after but it doesn’t help us get a true sense of place.
Today there are 10 districts that make up Hertfordshire. Districts are essentially loose groupings of areas for the purpose of governance that were established in the late 1800s. Prior to districts, and in the time of Jane Austen, local government was understood as parishes which were, in turn, successors of the manorial system. There are 128 civil parishes in Hertfordshire alone.
Parishes varied in size and distance. A quick survey of A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831) showed that they were typically at a distance between 1 and 15 miles from a nearby market town or city and contained a wide range of inhabitants from a couple hundred to several thousand.
Prior to the parish system, rural life was organized by the manorial system or basically a local governance around a lord of the manor. Manor houses typically were located near a village with a church and surrounded by agricultural land. Manors varied in size from 750 acres to 1,500 acres in the Medieval period. Lyme Park, said to be the basis for Pemberley, has approximately 1,4000 acres and is considered a large estate. Netherfield Park in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice movie is set at Basildon Park, which maintains 400 acres of parkland.
I believe Longbourn is said to be one mile from Meryton, and three miles from Netherfield Park. This means there could have been other addresses within a similar distance from Meryton. Sir Lucas used to live in Meryton, until he was able to purchase Lucas Lodge about a mile out from Meryton. It perhaps is helpful if we turn to a real world example.
Essendon parish, in Hertfordshire, was 2,331 acres with three established manor houses (Parishes: Essendon | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk)) Roughly 2.2 miles away is the centre of Little Berkhampstead parish which was 1,581 acres and contained one manor house. There were also several fine houses close to the church and village in Little Berkhampstead (Parishes: Little Berkhampstead | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk)) Just within a matter of 7-9 miles we already have roughly nine upper class households. In the other direction from Essendon, at approximately 3.6 miles was the parish of Hatfield. Hatfield was substantial, with over 12,800 acres with a church and over eighteen manor houses. Although 24 miles would have been a significant distance for a dinner at over four hours one way, it’s conceivable that families might travel half that on special occasions.
We have another post about the average distances people might have ventured for visiting in the era here: Regency Reader Questions: Distance and Visits – Regency Reader (regrom.com). A well sprung coach could go up to eight miles an hour, needing to be changed at 15 miles. That gives us roughly a radius of about eight to fifteen miles of easy travel by coach.
Based on the best available data, it’s supposed that a small parish would have had a few families of the gentry with a few others of middle class or second sons (retired military, clergy, etc) that would have spread over five to eight miles. If we think of Highbury, in Emma, where we get to know more of the neighbors, some lived in the village (Bates) or in the Church (Elton), and others live outside of it (Westons, Knightley, Woodhouses). There are also the Coles, who have significantly improved the size of their home and therefore their station.
I think its sensible to conclude that a neighborhood (as a non-governmental unit) was truly defined by a reasonable distance it might take someone to travel for visiting. In my earlier post, I guesstimated an eight mile journey was probably comfortable for most travelling by coach or horse. However, this is just my best guess using all the information available to me and what I think would be convenient for most people. It’s likely people thought of their community as within the parish, or people they saw at town or at church. Its conceivable that for families from a larger parish that were perhaps closer in distance to a smaller parish church, that there was some cross over creating more diversity of families.
I think it’s also worth underscoring that we are talking about an upper-class notion of neighborhood. For most working-class people, the ability to travel some distances would have been greatly reduced and they would have relied on other crofters or villagers to make up their acquaintance.
Interested to learn what other researchers think. Share your feedback in the comments below!
