Copyright 2008 by Jane Austen Museum, all rights reserved.
The Donkey Sanctuary has kindly been given permission to use this image.

Jane Austen, the famous authoress of novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma, was given a donkey carriage by her brother Edward Knight in the 1800s. Jane and her sister Cassandra who lived in the beautiful village of Chawton travelled into Alton, their nearby town, by donkey and carriage to go shopping and visit friends.

The carriage measures 9ft long, about 60 inches wide and it seats two people.

Acknowledgements:
With special thanks to the Jane Austen Museum.

There is a long history of donkeys in Britain.