Carolyn Freeman Travers, Research Manager at Plimoth Plantation, wrote in an article entitled, “Were They All Shorter Back Then?” that the “average height for an early 17th-century English man was approximately 5′ 6″. For 17th-century English women, it was about 5′ ½”. While average heights in England remained virtually unchanged in the 17th and 18th centuries, American colonists grew taller.”
This post in the News for Medievalists confirms Ms. Travers’ findings.
Image from “Does Height Matter in Politics?”
Found in the vaults of Pemberley are three letters that Elizabeth Darcy wrote to her sister Jane describing a shocking discovery about her husband. These letters have been published for the first time.
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Jane Austen’s height: At the Chicago Jane Austen AGM Emporium was a replica of Jane Austen’s pelisse made by Hilary Davidson who has been researching the original pelisse (the property of Hampshire Museums Service.) As part of her research Hilary consulted with osteo-archaeologists at the Museum of London. They concluded that assuming that the pelisse did in fact belong to Jane Austen, she had tiny shoulders and thin arms, and was probably around 5 feet 7 inches tall (a US size 0 or 2.) As part of this project, a replica silk fabric is being made at Hampshire’s Whitchurch Silk Mill – http://www.whitchurchsilkmill.org.uk – and it is understood that the fabric will be available for sale along with patterns. Further information can be obtained from Hilary at janeaustenpelisse@hotmail.co.uk.
Thank you, Joan, for this illuminating piece of information. Jane would be above average in height even today. Vic
Hi,
Just to clarify, the average height for a woman in Jane’s time, based on the osteological record, was about 5′ 2″. Jane would have been considered tall for her time, and contemporary mentions of her refer to this.
Thanks for the great summary Joan!
Cheers, Hilary