Terrific work Tarn! And what fascinating details you have managed to dig up!

I love your hypothesis of La Norris hastily adding some superficial improvements at the Rectory, whilst ignoring the real (and costly to fix) problems with the place. Seems very like the way she has treated Maria and Julia.

Some things don't change - we Brits still love our gardens. (When I'm house-hunting I check out the garden first and if it lacks 'capabilities' I don't bother looking over the house.)

There is so much info in your post I can hardly take it all in as yet. It all makes me wonder just how much oblique political satire is embedded in JA's work. Stuff which would be evident to her contemporaries but which we generally fail to see because our 'mental furniture' doesn't include their awareness of what were then recent and not so recent political events.

Reading of Swift's demise I can't help thinking that Dr Grant got lucky on this occasion!

Thank you so much for doing all this research Tarn. You have given me a lot to think about.