This document comprises an article by Janine Barchas, "The Real Bluebeard of Bath: A Historical Model for Northanger Abbey" that was published in The Jane Austen Journal Persuasions (No. 32, 2010 at pp. 135-143). At the time of the article's publication, Janine Barchas taught Austen in Austin, Texas as an Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas.
This article is a highly entertaining investigation of the similarities between the geography and characters in Austen's book Northanger Abbey and the geography surrounding Farleigh Hungerford Castle and several members of the Hungerford family, including Sir Edward Hungerford (EN42 in the Surnames Database), Agnes Cotell (EN42wife2 in the Surnames Database), Sir Walter Hungerford (EN54 in the Surnames Database), Susan (EN54wife1 in the Surnames Database), and Elizabeth Hussey (EN54wife3 in the Surnames Database), among others.
The article is must reading for anyone interested in that history.