Detailed Timeline of Events in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Discover the key events of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” with our timeline, highlighting pivotal moments and character developments in this classic novel.
Discover when key plot points in Jane Austen’s classic novel “Pride and Prejudice” occurred with this Pride & Prejudice timeline of events.
As I write my Pride & Prejudice variations, I don’t like to mess with the timeline all that much. I don’t want Mr. Collins to come early, for example, unless there is a specific reason for it that fits within the trope.
To help make it easier for me, I put together a timeline of events in Pride and Prejudice to help me not inadvertently skip around – too many times I’ve put the evening at Lucas Lodge after Jane is sick at Netherfield. You’d think with the number of times I’ve read and watched Jane Austen’s amazing book, I’d get it right – but alas, I don’t.
I base this timeline on 1811, which is when many people tend to assume it takes place, even though First Impressions (the original title of Pride & Prejudice) was actually first written in 1796, finished in 1797, and sent to a publisher in 1797.
I hope you find this timeline helpful as well! Many of these don’t actually have dates based on the book, so I use the ~ to show that it is an approximation.
Did I miss anything in my Pride & Prejudice timeline? Any more big details that stand out that should be added in?
Pride & Prejudice Events Timeline
| September | before the 29th | Bingley comes to Netherfield and takes possesssion of it before Michalemas (the 3rd quarter day of the year). |
| October | 15th (T) | Mr. Collins sends letter to Mr. Bennet |
| ~18th | Meryton assembly | |
| ~19th | Lucases pay call on Bennets to discuss assembly | |
| November | ~1st | Charlotte gives advice to Elizabeth that Jane needs to show more attraction. Darcy begins to notice his attraction to Elizabeth. |
| ~5th | Evening at Lucas Lodge; Elizabeth plays and refuses to dance with Darcy. Darcy eavesdrops on Elizabeth, makes his “fine eyes” comment, and says every savage can dance. Colonel Forster is present for the first time. | |
| 12th (T) | Jane invited to Netherfield. | |
| 13th (W) | Elizabeth goes to Netherfield and arrives with her hem six inches in mud. 3:00pm: Caroline invites Elizabeth to stay. 5:00pm: ladies dress 5:30pm: Elizabeth called down to dinner, then returns directly to Jane. Caroline and her sister speak poorly about Darcy, who agrees their connections will make it difficult for them to marry. Ladies visit Jane again until summoned to coffee. Elizabeth joins ladies, who are playing cards. Discussion about good libraries, Elizabeth preferring books to cards, and accomplished women. Elizabeth leaves, then comes back to say Jane is worse, and they decide to call for Mr. Jones in the morning (as opposed to an express for a doctor from London). | |
| 14th (Th) | Mrs. Bennet goes to Netherfield to check on Jane with Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. Day passes much the same as before. At loo, Caroline annoys Darcy about his letter. Mr. Bingley says he does things rapidly, and Darcy and Elizabeth debate about persuasion. Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance a reel, which she declines. | |
| 15th (F) | Caroline and Darcy walk in the shrubbery, and she teases him about Elizabeth’s family having portraits hung at Pemberley. Jane comes down after dinner. Caroline tries to read a book but interrupts Darcy’s. She then argues with her brother about the ball. Caroline has Elizabeth walk with her, then Elizabeth and Darcy argue about weaknesses. | |
| 16th (Sa) | Darcy avoids Elizabeth all day, even when they are alone together for half an hour in the library. | |
| 17th (Su) | Bennet sisters leave Netherfield | |
| 18th (M) | Mr. Collins arrives. | |
| 19th (T) | Wickham arrives and encounters Bennet girls, Mr. Collins, Darcy, and Bingley on the street in Meryton. | |
| 20th (W) | Card party at Philipses home. Wickham shares his sad tale with Elizabeth. | |
| 21st (Th) | Bingleys visit Longbourn to deliver invitation to the ball. Elizabeth first suspects Mr. Collins is interested in her. | |
| 26th (T) | Ball at Netherfield. | |
| 27th (W) | Mr. Collins proposes. Mr. Bingley goes to London. | |
| 28th (Th) | Elizabeth sees Wickham after the ball. Bingleys leave Netherfield. | |
| 29th (F) | Mr. Collins goes to Lucas Lodge and proposes. | |
| 30th (Sa) | Mr. Collins goes back to Hunsford. Charlotte tells Elizabeth about her engagement. | |
| December | 16th (M) | Mr. Collins returns to Longbourn. |
| ~18th | Jane receives Caroline Bingley’s letter. | |
| 21st (Sa) | Mr. Collins leaves once again. | |
| 23rd (M) | Gardiners come for Christmas. | |
| 30th (M) | Gardiners and Jane leave for London. | |
| January | ~3rd | Mr. Collins is back at Lucas Lodge |
| 6th (M) | Letter from Jane, still hasn’t heard from Caroline. | |
| 7th (T) | Jane calls on Caroline and Mrs. Hurst. | |
| 8th (W) | Charlotte says goodbye and invites Elizabeth to Hunsford. | |
| 9th (Th) | Charlotte and Mr. Collins marry. | |
| ~27th | Another letter from Jane – it has been 4 weeks since she went to London and still hasn’t seen Bingley but Caroline paid a short, rude call. Elizabeth writes to Mrs. Gardiner that Wickham has been paying his attentions to Mary King. | |
| March | ~2nd | Elizabeth says farewell to Wickham. |
| ~3rd | Elizabeth goes to London with Sir William and Maria Lucas. Jane doesn’t look well. | |
| ~5th | Arrival at Hunsford. | |
| ~6th | Miss de Bourgh invites Parsonage to dine at Rosings the following night. | |
| ~7th | First time dining at Rosings. | |
| ~12th | Sir William leaves Hunsford; Elizabeth and Maria remain. | |
| ~19th | End of Elizabeth’s first fortnight (two weeks) at Hunsford. | |
| 23rd (M) | Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive. | |
| 24th (T) | Darcy and Colonel call on the parsonage. Elizabeth asks after Jane, who has been in town for almost three months. | |
| ~25th | Colonel Fitzwilliam calls at the parsonage at least one more time. | |
| 27th (F) | Attend church for Good Friday and see Darcy there for the first time since his first call. | |
| 29th (Su) | Easter Sunday. Parsonage inhabitants dine at Rosings. Elizabeth plays the piano and challenges Darcy to practice more. | |
| 30th (M) | Darcy calls at the parsonage; Elizabeth is the only one at home. He says Bingley may give up Netherfield, how the parsonage is a comfortable house, and how it’s an easy distance of 50 miles of good road from Meryton. Conversation ends when Charlotte and Maria return home. | |
| April | 1st-8th | Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam call frequently at the parsonage. |
| 9th (Th) | Colonel Fitzwilliam tells Elizabeth about Darcy separating Bingley from a young lady with an unsuitable family to which there were “strong objections.” Darcy proposes. | |
| 10th (F) | Darcy gives Elizabeth the letter. | |
| 11th (Sa) | Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam leave Kent after having stayed for three weeks. | |
| 17th (F) | A dull evening spent at Rosings. | |
| 18th (Sa) | Elizabeth returns to London after being in Kent for a little over six weeks. Gardiners invite Elizabeth to tour the Lakes. | |
| May | ~5th | Jane, Elizabeth, and Maria return to Hertfordshire. Kitty and Lydia meet them, tell them Wickham will no longer marry Miss King. |
| ~25th | Regiment goes to Brighton, along with Lydia. | |
| June | ~10th | Lydia’s birthday – she turns sixteen years old. |
| ~15th | Letter arrives to postpone Lakes tour to mid-July. | |
| July | ~2nd | Gardiners arrive at Meryton and leave their children. Elizabeth joins them to go to northward towards Derbyshire. |
| August | 1st (Sa) | The actual date of Lydia’s elopement. |
| 2nd (Su) | Colonel Forster discovers Lydia is missing and sends an express to Longbourn. | |
| 3rd (M) | Jane writes her first letter to Elizabeth. Colonel Forster arrives at Longbourn. — The Gardiners and Elizabeth arrive at Lambton. | |
| 4th (Tu) | Jane writes her second letter to Elizabeth. Mr. Bennet goes to London. — The Gardiners and Elizabeth tour Pemberley, where they encounter Mr. Darcy. | |
| 5th (W) | Colonel Forster goes back to Brighton. Mr. Bennet writes to Jane. — Darcy, Georgiana, and Bingley visit Elizabeth at the inn at Lambton. | |
| 6th (Th) | The Gardiners and Elizabeth go to Pemberley, where they encounter Miss Bingley and the Hursts. | |
| 7th (F) | Elizabeth receives both of Jane’s letters. Darcy arrives and then leaves after cancelling the dinner. Gardiners and Elizabeth depart for Longbourn. | |
| 8th (Sa) | Elizabeth and Gardiners arrive at Longbourn. — Darcy leaves Derbyshire for London. | |
| 9th (Su) | Mr. Gardiner leaves Longbourn for London. | |
| 11th (T) | Mrs. Gardiner receives a letter from her husband, who has written to Colonel Forster and to ask Elizabeth if she knows of any of Wickham’s acquaintances. | |
| 14th (F) | Darcy calls at Gracechurch Street. | |
| 15th (Sa) | Mr. Bennet leaves London to go back to Longbourn. Mrs. Gardiner goes back to London with her children. Darcy calls at Gracechurch Street again now that Mr. Bennet is gone. | |
| 16th (Su) | Darcy meets with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. | |
| 17th (M) | Mr. Gardiner sends an express to Longbourn that says that Lydia has been found and that the matters are all settled. Lydia goes to Gracechurch Street, where she’ll remain for a fortnight until the wedding. — Mrs. Bennet comes downstairs from her room for the first time since August 2nd. | |
| 31st (M) | Lydia and Wickham marry in the morning, then they go to Longbourn (and arrive the same day). | |
| September | 1st (T) | Darcy dines with the Gardiners in London. |
| 2nd (W) | Jane writes to Mrs. Gardiner and includes information about Lydia Wickham’s behavior up on her arrival at Longbourn. | |
| ~3rd | Darcy leaves London. — Lydia discloses that | |
| 4th (F) | Elizabeth writes to Mrs. Gardiner to ask about Darcy’s presence. Wickham tries to speak privately with Elizabeth. | |
| 6th (Su) | Mrs. Gardiner writes to Elizabeth and tells her Darcy was the one who found the Wickhams, paid the money, and made all the arrangements. | |
| ~10th | Wickhams leave Longbourn for Newcastle. | |
| ~16th | Bingley is expected back at Netherfield, about twelve months after Mr. Bennet paid his first call on him. | |
| ~19th | Bingley and Darcy call at Longbourn, but they do not stay long. | |
| 22nd (T) | Bingley and Darcy dine at Longbourn. | |
| ~23rd | Darcy confesses to Bingley that he had hid Jane’s presence from him in town. | |
| ~24th | Darcy leaves for London and will return in ten days. Bingley calls at Longbourn alone. | |
| 25th (F) | Bingley comes to call at Longbourn and stays for supper. | |
| 26th (Sa) | Bingley comes to shoot and ends up proposing to Jane. | |
| October | 2nd (F) | Mr. Collins writes to Mr. Bennet about the rumor of an engagement between Darcy and Elizabeth. |
| ~3rd | Lady Catherine visits Longbourn about a week after the engagement to protest the supposed engagement between Darcy and Elizabeth. | |
| 4th (Su) | Mr. Bennet receives Mr. Collins’s letter and laughs about it with Elizabeth, though she doesn’t find it very humorous. | |
| ~6th | Darcy returns to Netherfield and visits Longbourn with Bingley. He proposes to Elizabeth, who tells Jane. | |
| ~7th | Darcy, Elizabeth, Bingley, and Jane walk to Oakham Mount together. After supper, he asks Mr. Bennet’s approval. | |
| ~8th | Darcy dines at Longbourn again. | |
| December | before the 25th | Double wedding when the Gardiners come to Pemberley “before Christmas.” |