In the 2006 BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, after discovering the existence of Mr. Rochester’s wife, Jane flees from Thornfield Hall and makes her way eventually to the Rivers family, who she will later learn are her cousins. While she lives with them and becomes a teacher in the village, the viewer is shown many shots of the northern landscape, a prominent feature of which is different types of barriers and field boundaries (Jane Eyre 01:16:12-01:16:17). The two main types of boundaries found throughout much of England, including the north, are drystone walls and hedges.

Drystone walling, so named because no mortar is used in the construction, is an ancient craft in England and was still widely practiced in the time of Jane Eyre. While some walls date back 800 years or more, many of these boundary walls found today are from just before the Victorian era, particularly walls that are straight and regular as they date from the period of Enclosure (“Dry Stone Walls”). This type of boundary is the one most often seen in the film and are particularly prominent around the Rivers’ home and around Jane’s school.

Hedging, unlike drystone walling, makes use of various plant materials to construct boundaries, particularly field boundaries for livestock. While there are many different approaches to hedging available depending upon the area, the specific needs of the builder, or the available materials, one that would be relatively common throughout the period is wattlework. Wattlework is a hedge style which involves driving posts into the ground, then weaving hazel rods between them for form a barrier (“Why Victorian Cravings Changed How They Hunted” 00:41:45-00:42:05).

While Jane herself would have known of the various types of boundaries in use, it seems unlikely that she would have had much, if any, practical experience building them given her schooling and profession. The same cannot be said for her students. Jane’s students in the village were, by and large, the children of farmers and would have been expected to work when needed. While many of her students would have been too young when she was there to help repair these boundaries, they would have already started to learn how the boundaries work and what the techniques were to build them with the expectation that they would be able to help when they were older. The professional craft of laying new walls and hedges was dominated by men, but the maintenance and repair of existing walls would have been the responsibility of whoever had a spare hour between other tasks around the farm, so any member of a household of the appropriate age and with the appropriate knowledge would have been constructing portions of walls and hedges. This expectation, that they be able to work with their hands in this way, sets Jane somewhat apart from her students since she seemingly at no point in her life has had this type of responsibility expected of her, showing that while Jane is of the same social class as her students, the life she tends to live is nothing like the lives of her students.

Works Cited

BBC Two. “Why Victorian Cravings Changed How They Hunted | Victorian Farm | Absolute History.” Youtube, uploaded by Absolute History, 31 July 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxcA4rszDgg&t.

“Dry Stone Walls.” DalesDiscoveries, https://www.dalesdiscoveries.com/more-inspiration/70-dry-stone-walls. Accessed 19 Mar. 2022.

“Jane Eyre: Episode 2.” Films On Demand, Films Media Group, 2006, fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=101269&xtid=128872. Accessed 19 Mar. 2022.

White, Matt. Barns and Fields. DalesDiscoveries, https://www.dalesdiscoveries.com/uploads/4/8/5/6/4856328/published/barns-and-fields-matt-white_1.png?1552300882. Accessed 19 Mar. 2022.