The Warden by Anthony Trollope
"The Warden" is a novel by Anthony Trollope, published in 1855, and serves as the first installment in his Barchester series. The story revolves around Reverend Septimus Harding, who becomes the warden of Hiram's Hospital, an institution that has provided care for elderly men for over four centuries. As Harding enjoys a comfortable income, a young reformist physician named John Bold discovers that the substantial salaries of the warden and the steward are disproportionately high compared to the meager allowances received by the hospital's residents. This revelation prompts Bold to challenge the status quo, leading to a conflict that tests Harding’s sense of duty and integrity.
As the narrative unfolds, themes of morality, social justice, and the tension between the church and reform movements emerge. Harding faces pressure from various parties, including his ambitious son-in-law, the archdeacon, who believes Harding should stand firm against public scrutiny. The story examines the complexities of familial relationships, particularly between Harding and his daughters, as well as the impact of societal expectations on individual choices. Ultimately, "The Warden" addresses the moral dilemmas faced by individuals within institutional frameworks and the personal sacrifices made in the pursuit of justice and self-respect. The novel combines humor with poignant social commentary, inviting readers to reflect on the responsibilities of those in positions of authority.
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The Warden by Anthony Trollope
First published: 1855
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of plot: Mid-nineteenth century
Locale: London and Barchester, England
Principal characters
The Reverend Septimus Harding , the warden of Hiram’s HospitalEleanor Harding , his young daughterJohn Bold , a young physicianDr. Grantly , the husband of Mr. Harding’s older daughterTom Towers , a newspapermanSir Abraham Haphazard , Mr. Harding’s counsel
The Story:
At the age of fifty, the Reverend Septimus Harding is appointed precentor of Barchester Cathedral, a position that carries with it the wardenship of Hiram’s Hospital. For more than four hundred years, this institution has provided a home for twelve men in their old age; because the institution’s income has grown to a considerable size, both the warden and the steward receive substantial yearly salaries. With his income of eight hundred pounds a year, Mr. Harding is able to provide comfortably for his younger daughter, Eleanor. His older daughter, Susan, is married to Dr. Grantly, the archdeacon of the cathedral.
John Bold, a young physician with a small practice, turns his energies to reform. On investigation, he discovers that the will of John Hiram, the donor of the hospital, made no stipulation that would result in such a discrepancy as exists between the incomes of the warden and the steward and the incomes of the twelve residents. Bold decides that it is his duty to bring the discrepancy to light. He engages the interest of a newspaperman friend, Tom Towers, and the services of a solicitor named Finney, who explains the situation to the residents and encourages them to think in terms of an annual income of as much as one hundred pounds a year. Most of them sign a petition addressed to the bishop, asking that justice be done.
When The Jupiter, the newspaper for which Towers works, begins to publish editorials about the greediness of the Church and unscrupulous clergymen, Mr. Harding is distressed. It has never entered his head that he is living on an income not his by rights, and he begins to talk of resigning. Eleanor agrees that if her father is unhappy at Hiram’s Hospital, they would be better off at Crabtree Parva, a small parish that belongs to Mr. Harding and that pays an annual income of fifty pounds.
Dr. Grantly, a worldly man, will not hear of Mr. Harding’s resignation. He insists that the warden has an obligation to the Church and to his fellow members of the clergy that requires a firm stand against the laity and the press. Besides, as he points out, the living Mr. Harding would receive at Crabtree Parva would not enable Eleanor to make a suitable marriage.
Dr. Grantly comes to the hospital and addresses the residents. He tells them that John Hiram had intended simply to provide comfortable quarters for old single men who have no other homes. Dr. Grantly’s speech has little effect on anyone except John Bunce and two of his cronies. John Bunce, who is especially close to Mr. Harding, serves as the old men’s subwarden. The others feel they have a right to a hundred pounds a year.
When Eleanor sees how unhappy the whole affair has made her father, she begs him to resign. She also goes to John Bold and begs him to give up the suit. After promising to do anything he can for her, Bold declares his love. Eleanor, who had not meant to let matters go so far, confesses that she loves him in return.
Bold goes to see Dr. Grantly and tells him that, for reasons best known to himself, he is withdrawing the charges he had made. Dr. Grantly replies that he does not think the defendants wish to have the suit withdrawn. He has been advised that Mr. Harding and the steward are, in effect, servants, and therefore are not responsible and cannot be defendants in a suit.
Mr. Harding decides to go to London for a conference with Sir Abraham Haphazard, the counsel for the defense. Eleanor has come home expecting to tell her father all that Bold has told her, but she cannot bring herself to discuss her own affairs before those of the wardenship are settled. Mr. Harding has decided that he has no right to the income from Hiram’s Hospital.
Bold also is going to London. When he arrives there, he meets with Tom Towers and asks him not to print any more editorials about the Barchester situation. Towers says that he cannot be responsible for the attitude of The Jupiter. Bold then goes to the offices of his lawyer and tells him to drop the suit. The lawyer sends word to Sir Abraham.
Mr. Harding arrives in London and is given an appointment with Sir Abraham the next night at ten o’clock. He has explained his intention in a note to Dr. Grantly and now is afraid that Dr. Grantly will arrive in London before he has a chance to carry out his plan. He leaves his hotel at ten in the morning and spends most of the day in Westminster Abbey in order to avoid Dr. Grantly. That night, he tells Sir Abraham that he must in all conscience resign his post as warden. When he returns to his hotel, he finds Dr. and Mrs. Grantly waiting for him, but their arguments cannot sway the warden. Back in Barchester, he writes a formal letter of resignation to the bishop and sends a copy to Dr. Grantly.
The bishop offers Mr. Harding a position as chaplain in his household, but he declines the offer. Then it is suggested that a trade be effected between Mr. Harding and Mr. Quiverful of Puddingdale. Mr. Quiverful, who has twelve children, would be glad to double his annual income and would be impervious to any attacks from the press. Nevertheless, this arrangement also meets with opposition, for Puddingdale is too far from Barchester for Mr. Harding to attend to his duties as precentor at the cathedral.
As the time for Mr. Harding’s departure from Hiram’s Hospital draws near, he calls in all the residents and has a last talk with them. They are disturbed—even those who petitioned the bishop—for they know that they are being deprived of a friendly and sympathetic warden.
Mr. Harding takes lodgings and is given a tiny parish at the entrance to the cathedral close. His daughter Eleanor marries John Bold. Mr. Harding’s income continues to be ample for his needs. He dines frequently with the bishop and keeps his violoncello at Eleanor’s house, where he often goes to make music. In short, Mr. Harding is not an unhappy man.
Bibliography
Bridgham, Elizabeth A. Spaces of the Sacred and Profane: Dickens, Trollope, and the Victorian Cathedral Town. New York: Routledge, 2008. Describes how Trollope and Charles Dickens use Victorian cathedral towns as settings within which to critique religious attitudes, business practices, aesthetic ideas, and other aspects of nineteenth century English life.
Bury, Laurent. Seductive Strategies in the Novels of Anthony Trollope, 1815-1882. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2004. Focuses on seduction in all of Trollope’s novels, arguing that seduction was a survival skill for both men and women in the Victorian era. Demonstrates how Trollope depicted the era’s sexual politics.
Cockshut, A. O. J. Anthony Trollope: A Critical Study. New York: New York University Press, 1968. Discusses Trollope’s views on human nature, property and rank, families, religion and the clergy, death, politics, and love—all subjects that inform The Warden, the first of his Barchester novels.
Glendinning, Victoria. Anthony Trollope. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. Considered the standard late twentieth century biography of Trollope. Provides insight into the characters of Mr. Septimus Harding and Archdeacon Grantly. Connects the plot of The Warden to actual ecclesiastical scandals in the Anglican Church in the Victorian era.
Markwick, Margaret. New Men in Trollope’s Novels: Rewriting the Victorian Male. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate, 2007. Examines Trollope’s novels to trace the development of his ideas about masculinity. Argues that the novels’ male characters are not conventional Victorian patriarchs and demonstrates how Trollope’s works promoted a “startlingly modern model of manhood.”
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Trollope and Women. London: Hambledon Press, 1997. Examines how Trollope could simultaneously accept conventional Victorian ideas about women and sympathize with women’s difficult situations. Demonstrates the individuality of his female characters. Includes discussion of Trollope’s depictions of both happy and unhappy marriages, male-female relationships, bigamy, and scandal.
Mullen, Richard, and James Munson. The Penguin Companion to Trollope. New York: Penguin, 1996. Comprehensive guide describes all of Trollope’s novels, short stories, travel books, and other works; discusses plots, characters, background, allusions, and contemporary references; and places the works in their historical context.
Sadleir, Michael. Trollope: A Commentary. New York: Farrar, Straus, 1947. Sadleir and Frederick Page produced the uncorrupted Oxford edition of The Warden. In this study, Sadleir uses Trollope family papers and letters as well as contemporary reviews of The Warden to elucidate some of Trollope’s sources and the initial reception of the book.
Skilton, David. Anthony Trollope and His Contemporaries: A Study in the Theory and Conventions of Mid-Victorian Fiction. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1972. Situates Trollope and The Warden in the context of the mid-Victorian world. Shows Trollope’s work in relation to that of other authors of the period, such as Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray.