The Jane Austen Society was founded in 1940.
The society was established in Chawton, Hampshire, by Dorothy Darnell, a local woman who wanted to preserve the cottage where Austen lived with her mother and sister Cassandra from 1809 to 1817. Its original purpose was to raise money to protect and maintain the historic house.
The organisation’s work helped secure Jane Austen’s former home as a museum. The house was opened to the public in 1949, and the Duke of Wellington, who served as the society’s president, took part in the opening ceremony. The society later expanded its mission to promote study and appreciation of Austen’s life, family, times, and writing.
A frequent source of confusion is the Jane Austen Society of North America, commonly called JASNA, which is a separate organisation founded in 1979. The 1940 date belongs to the original British Jane Austen Society associated with Chawton.