Diary kept by Eliza Chute, 1797

  • Women's Voices and Life Writing
You may need to log in to continue. Access the full document and its details.
Title
Diary kept by Eliza Chute, 1797
Author
  • Chute, Eliza
Document Type
  • Diary
Date
1797
Biography
Elizabeth Chute (née Smith), known as Eliza, was born in c.1770 to Joshua Smith of Stoke Park, Wiltshire. She was an intelligent and well read individual. In 1794 she married William John Chute, who inherited The Vyne in Hampshire. Her niece Emma Smith married Jane Austen’s nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh. She was an independent woman it seems, and wealthy. She spent a lot of her time travelling and visiting towns and villages across Hampshire and Wiltshire, attending dinners and socialising. She also keeps accounts of her spending and would frequently give money to those in poverty and in need. Her spending denotes the use of materials for making items of clothing that she would often gift to children of her church school, or give to servants. Eliza died in 1842.
Copyright and Source Archive
Material sourced from Hampshire Record Office