English banker in Livorno; grandfather of Thomas Langlois Lefroy, allegedly the model for Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Of Huguenot descent, Anthony Lefroy left the family's failing silk-dyeing business in London to seek his fortune in Leghorn, Italy. There he joined the Huguenot banking-house of Peter Langlois, and married his partner's daughter Elizabeth. The couple's sons, George and Anthony, were sent to England to be educated. George later became a parson (and neighbor of author Jane Austen) in Hampshire, while Anthony, an Army officer, was posted to Ireland where he married and subsequently fathered Tom Lefroy. It was while visiting his relatives in Hampshire that Tom met the young Jane Austen, and their short-lived romance ensued.
Grandfather Anthony Lefroy, described as as a cultivated, shrewd-but-benign man, died in his 76th year.
Grandfather Anthony Lefroy, described as as a cultivated, shrewd-but-benign man, died in his 76th year.
English banker in Livorno; grandfather of Thomas Langlois Lefroy, allegedly the model for Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Of Huguenot descent, Anthony Lefroy left the family's failing silk-dyeing business in London to seek his fortune in Leghorn, Italy. There he joined the Huguenot banking-house of Peter Langlois, and married his partner's daughter Elizabeth. The couple's sons, George and Anthony, were sent to England to be educated. George later became a parson (and neighbor of author Jane Austen) in Hampshire, while Anthony, an Army officer, was posted to Ireland where he married and subsequently fathered Tom Lefroy. It was while visiting his relatives in Hampshire that Tom met the young Jane Austen, and their short-lived romance ensued.
Grandfather Anthony Lefroy, described as as a cultivated, shrewd-but-benign man, died in his 76th year.
Grandfather Anthony Lefroy, described as as a cultivated, shrewd-but-benign man, died in his 76th year.
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