About a month ago, I posted a list of Officers of the 12th Light Dragoons (Captain Frederick Tilney’s regiment in "Northanger Abbey"). I thought there might be a name there, with a direct connection to Jane Austen, which would explain why she made such a direct reference. (A friend or family member who served in that unit, perhaps.) That list covered the years 1788-1803. I thought that would cover the period when she first wrote NA, plus a decade earlier.

There were a number of names of note, but nothing specific was unearthed. That does leave the possibility that the 12th LD reference was added after the manuscript was retrieved from the publisher by her brother Henry. I’ve added names I found in the "Army Lists" for 1804-1817 to the original roster. Those name in plain text are those which appeared in the earlier (1788-1803) posting; those in italics are those whose name only appears c.1804-1817. The ranks mentioned are the highest achieved by the named officer while in the Regiment:

Officers of the 12th Light Dragoons: 1788-1817

H. Alexander (Lieutenant); Christopher J. Allingham (Lieutenant); Henry Stachey Amiel (Captain); Henry Andrews (Lieutenant); Marvyn Archdall (Lieutenant-Colonel); Edward Arnold (Lieutenant)

St. George Ryder Barry (Coronet); Alex. Barton (Coronet); Dunbar Barton (Captain); Thomas Bateson (Coronet); Samual Bayley (Coronet); Linday James Bertie (Lieutenant); Richard Bewley (Coronet); Richard H. Bird (Captain); Robert Lord Blantyre (Captain); Overington Blunden (Major); George Aug. Bouverie (Captain); James Paul Bridger (Captain); Robert Browne (Lieutenant-Colonel); Hon. Pierce Butler (Captain)

James Dur. Calderwood (Lieutenant); Robert Carew (Lieutenant); Charles Carpenter (Coronet); _____ Carruthers (Coronet); R.B. Caton (Lieutenant); James Chatterdon (Coronet); James Clark (Coronet); Alexander Clarke (Lieutenant); Morgan Clifford (Coronet); Hon. Robert Clive (Lieutenant); Thomas Cock (Asst. Surgeon); ___ Coffins (Surgeon); Hon. George Lowry Cole (Lieutenant); Henry Robert Cole (Coronet); Wm. Coper Coles (Captain); John Conolly (Adjutant); John Cooke (Lieutenant); Robert Cooke (Lieutenant); Robert Coombs (Asst. Surgeon); J.R. Couttes (Lieutenant); Marmaduke Cramer (Captain); Charles Creagh (Coronet); Rollings Edward Crouch (Coronet); H. Cuffe (Lieutenant)

Earle Lindsey Daniel (Captain); Edward Dawson (Lieutenantt); Sir James Steuart Denham (see J.Steuart); Frederick J. Dickens (Captain); Thomas Dicksenson (Lieutenant); George Dickson (Surgeon); Wm. H. Dowbiggen (Lieutenant); Wm. Dowdall (Coronet); John Dunkin (Coronet); William Dunscombe (Coronet)

John Eddington (Lieutenant); John Edwards (Coronet); Patrick Egan (Asst. Surgeon); Robert Ellice (Coronet); Charles Elliot (Coronet); George Erskine (Coronet); James St. Clair Erskine, Bt (Lieutenant-Colonel)

John Farnham (Chaplain); John Feron (Vet. Surgeon); John Francis (Lieutenant-Colonel ); Stephen Freemantle (Captain); Thomas Freer (Captain); George Foulkes (Surgeon); Charles Frost (Lieutenant); Richard Fulton (Lieutenant)

Percy Gethin, Bt., (Coronet); John Gitterick (Adjutant); Albert Goldsmid (Lieutenant); _____ Griffiths (Adjutant); John Grimston (Captain & Captain-Lieutenant)

William Hall (Coronet); James Hamilton (Lieutenant); Peter D. Hamilton (Lieutenant); Abel Hamon (QM); James Hare (Major); Holton Harrison (Asst. Surgeon); William Johnson Harte (Coronet); Francis Hawker (Captain); William Hawkesley (Coronet); William Hay (Lieutenant); Michael Head (Captain); Henry Heatley (Lieutenant); William Heydon (Coronet); John Holmes (Lieutenant); George Horton (Coronet)

Richard Isherwood (Lieutenant); Thomas Jones (Coronet)

James Kearney (Major); John Kearney (Lieutenant); Edward Kelly (C&CL); Charles Edward Kennedy (Coronet)

Abraham Lane (Lieutenant); Thomas Leech (Lieutenant); James Liddell (Coronet); Robert Liddle (Lieutenant); Alexander Livingston (Coronet); John Elliott Lockhart (Coronet); John Lynch (Lieutenant); Charles Lyons (Coronet); Tenison Lyons (Captain)

James Norman Macleod (Coronet); George Allen Madden (Major); William Maxwell (Coronet); Malcolm M’Neill (Lieutenant); Thomas Martin (Captain); John Micklethwaite (Lieutenant); Patrick Miller (Captain); Lorenzo Henry Moore (Lieutenant); William Moore (Lieutenant); Charles Moreland (Captain)

Joshua Healey Newson (Coronet); John Nixon (Lieutenant)

John Aylward O’Brien (Coronet); Charles O’Connor (Veterinary Surgeon); Wm. Otway (Paymaster)

Richard Barry Pallisar (Coronet); George Lane Parker (Colonel); William Patton (Coronet); Sir William Payne, Bt. (Colonel); Edward Penfold (Lieutenant); Wm. Penny (Coronet); Guy Percival (Captain); John Perkins (Asst. Surgeon); Simon Pepper (Lieutenant); E. Perkins (Asst. Surgeon/Vet. Surgeon); Edward Fulton Phelps (Coronet); Joseph Phillips (Coronet); Hon. H.C. Ponsonby (Lieutenant-Colonel); John Pringle (Captain)

Francis Raynes (Coronet); Thomas Reed (Coronet); Charles Henry Rich (Captain); Robert Riddell (Captain); Benjamin Robertson (Surgeon); Joseph Robbins (Paymaster); John B. Roberts (Captain); Joseph Robins (Coronet); Michael Ryans (Lieutenant)

William James St. John (Coronet); Edwin T. Sandy (Captain); Arthur Saunders (Coronet); Theobald Shield (Coronet); H.E.D.B. Sidley (Coronet); John Henry Slade (Lieutenant); John G. Smith (Vet. Surgeon); Lord R___ Edward H___ Somerset (Colonel); William Frederick Spicer (Major); Edwin Stacey (Lieutenant); George Wm. Stammer (Coronet); Hon. Augustus Stanhope (Lieutenant); Samson Stawell (Captain); George Steinbach (Coronet); James Steuart (Denham) Bt (Colonel)

T. Tarleton (Coronet); A.E. Taylor (Lieutenant); Hon. Frederick Thelluson (Coronet); Simon Toole (Adjutant); James Trevor (Coronet);

John Vandeleur (Lieutenant); John Vernon (Captain); William Ann Villettes (Major)

John Earl Waldegrove (Major); Ogle Wallace (Coronet): ____ Wallington (Coronet); B. Ware (Coronet); John Warren (Captain); William Webb (Lieutenant); Edward Weight (Coronet); Hon. Arthur Wesley (Lieutenant); Henry Westenra (Captain); Ralph Westrop (Coronet); Edward Westroper (Asst. Surgeon); Francis Whaley (Lieutenant); Robert Whaley (Lieutenant); William Wheeler (C&CL); James White (Captain); Stephen White (Captain); Edward Willey (Major); Alexander Wilson (Lieutenant); Edward Wright (Coronet); John Wyatt (Coronet); George Wyndenham (Major); Robert Wynne (Lieutenant)

Can any members of our Community find a JA connection here?

I remain,
Jason E.