George Austen (cleric)
George Austen (1731–21 January 1805) was an English clergyman in the Church of England and the rector of Deane and Steventon in Hampshire. He is best known as the father of the novelist Jane Austen.
Born in Tonbridge, Kent, he was the son of William Austen. Orphaned at age nine along with his sister Philadelphia, he was raised by his wealthy uncle Francis Austen. He studied at Tonbridge School and St John’s College, Oxford, matriculating on 2 July 1747 at age 16. He earned a BA in 1751, an MA in 1754, and a Bachelor of Divinity in 1760; he also served as a proctor in 1759.
In 1764 his uncle bought him the living at Deane, and his cousin Mr. Knight gave him the living at Steventon. He retired around 1800, with the Steventon living transferred to his son James. He and his wife Cassandra Leigh moved to Bath, Somerset, where he died in 1805.
George and Cassandra Leigh had several children, including Jane Austen; their son George suffered from epilepsy. Cassandra came from a clerical family with links to St John’s College, Oxford, which helped their children gain admission to the college. James and Henry Thomas Austen later attended St John’s College.
Aunt Anna Lefroy remembered him as very handsome, with milk-white hair and bright hazel eyes, a description that stayed with her lifelong.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:24 (CET).