Meryton, Hertfordshire is a fictional "small market town" located 24 miles from London around which much of the action of the novel occurs. The narrator tells us that it is one mile from Longbourn village, making it "a most convenient distance for the young [Bennet] ladies, who were usually tempted thither three or four times a week, to pay their duty to their aunt and to a milliner's shop just over the way."
People
The following are individuals known to live in Mertyon. For a more comprehensive list of residents in the general neighborhood, please see the entry on Hertfordshire.
- The Lucases, a bourgeois family that has joined the ranks of the gentry but originally lived in Meryton, including:
- Sir William Lucas, former Mayor of Meryton
- Lady Lucas
- And their children:
- The Phillipses, tradespeople in Meryton, including:
- Mr. Phillips, an attorney
- Mrs. Phillips, his wife
- Mr. Jones, a surgeon or apothecary
Over the course of the novel, a militia Regiment under the direction of a Colonel Forster joins Hertfordshire to weather a winter and spring in Meryton. Several of the officers mingle in Hertfordshire society.
Places
Over the course of the novel, we hear of a range of Meryton establishments, including:
- Clarke's Library
- The George
- Miss Watson's
- The Assembly Hall, where we know they occasionally host Balls
