The Warden's Niece by Gillian Avery
"The Warden's Niece" by Gillian Avery is a children's novel that follows the story of Maria, a Victorian girl orphaned at a young age. Initially labeled as the most ignorant and untidy student in her class, Maria escapes the humiliation by leaving school and traveling to Oxford to stay with her great-uncle, the warden of Canterbury College. Instead of seeking adventure, she faces a series of coincidences that lead her into minor escapades alongside her great-uncle's neighbor, Professor Smith, and his three sons. As Maria navigates her new surroundings, she becomes increasingly curious about a historical drawing and a stone inscription that lead her to learn about a boy named Stephen Fitzackerley, who lived during the seventeenth century. Throughout the novel, Maria grapples with her fears of embarrassment while uncovering historical narratives, ultimately finding fulfillment in intellectual pursuits rather than physical adventures. Avery's storytelling combines humor with the serious constraints of Victorian society, making the novel relatable for young readers who may share similar fears and aspirations. "The Warden's Niece" serves not only as a tale of personal growth but also as a bridge to understanding history through the eyes of a child.
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Subject Terms
The Warden's Niece by Gillian Avery
First published: 1957
Type of work: Historical fiction
Themes: Education and gender roles
Time of work: Spring and summer, 1875
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: Oxford, England
Principal Characters:
Maria Henniker-Hadden , an eleven-year-old orphan who daydreams about becoming a Professor of Greek at Oxford UniversityThe Reverend Henry Henniker-Hadden , Warden of Canterbury College, Oxford, her great-uncle, an unworldly scholarMrs. Clomper , the Warden’s housekeeper and guardian of respectabilityThomas Smith , thirteen, the oldest son of the Wykeham Professor of Ancient History, aloof and superiorJoshua Smith , eleven, the considerate oneJames Smith , eight, a redheaded pest and mischief-makerThe Reverend Francis Copplestone , a substitute tutor for the Smiths and Maria
The Story
In the beginning of The Warden’s Niece, Maria, whose parents died when she was too young to remember them, is singled out by her teacher as the most ignorant and untidy girl in the class. To escape the humiliation of wearing the label “slut” for the rest of the week, Maria leaves school. The train to Bath—where her great-aunt lives—has left, so she goes to Oxford, where her great-uncle is the warden of Canterbury College.
This “escape” sets a pattern that is repeated throughout the book: Maria, a Victorian girl whose life has been carefully supervised by elderly relatives, does not seek or even desire adventure. The combination of her fear of embarrassment, her desire for meaningful knowledge, and coincidence leads her into adventurous actions. She hopes that her great-uncle will help her get to Aunt Lucia’s. At the end of the first chapter, however, her great-aunt has died; her great-uncle believes that she can learn more under a tutor at Oxford than in a school for young ladies.
The house next to the warden’s lodgings is occupied by Professor Smith, whose three sons—Thomas, Joshua, and James—are being taught at home in preparation for Rugby School. Maria is at first frightened of the three boys, but she gradually becomes accustomed to them. Thomas seems knowing and superior and James is the quintessential little brother, always greedy for attention and sweets. Joshua, Maria’s age, is the most like her in temperament; he thinks of consequences while the others plunge ahead.
On their own, the Smith boys pursue minor adventures, but coincidence brings Mr. Copplestone to replace their regular tutor. Mr. Copplestone is tall, eccentric, and agreeably disorganized in his teaching methods. On a river excursion to Jerusalem House, Maria’s interest is aroused by a drawing entitled An Unknown Boy. A further, unauthorized visit with Thomas uncovers an inscription dated 1654 on a stone in the garden. In trouble, Maria decides to impress her great-uncle with what James calls “original research,” to find out whether the boy in the picture carved the inscription. Her research involves more embarrassments: She gets into the Bodleian Library only after Mrs. Clomper has fainted on the stairs, Mr. Copplestone takes her back to Jerusalem House outside visiting hours, and she has to return a stolen letter to the scholar who owns it. She does learn, however, that the boy, Stephen Fitzackerley, carved the inscription as he escaped from Cromwell’s soldiers.
One more coincidence completes Maria’s research. On holiday with her great-uncle in Kent, she discovers Stephen Fitzackerley’s grave. Maria is able to explain to Uncle Hadden who the boy was and how he came there, and he offers her the chance to explain it to the Kentish Historical Association. Still not eager for physical adventure, Maria is learning to appreciate the scholar’s adventures of the mind.
Context
The Warden’s Niece is Gillian Avery’s first novel for children. Maria and the Smith boys appear again in other books, including The Elephant War (1960), which emphasizes more strongly the restraints placed on girls when the children try to involve themselves in a cause. In The Italian Spring (1964), Maria’s background makes it almost impossible for her to enjoy the extravagant landscape and art of Italy. In the two Maria books, her orphan status prevents a detailed portrayal of family relationships, but family expectations are central to The Greatest Gresham (1962) and to A Likely Lad (1971), the latter of which has a boy as its central character. All the novels reflect the knowledge of children in history that informs Avery’s Childhood’s Pattern: A Study of the Heroes and Heroines of Children’s Fiction, 1770-1950 (1975) and other contributions to the history of children’s literature.
The Warden’s Niece could be classified as domestic realism because it makes no reference to historical events of the Victorian era; the critic John Rowe Townsend discusses it as realistic fiction in his Written for Children (revised edition, 1983). The novel emphasizes the influence of the past by combining Oxford landmarks with a nineteenth century main character who traces the life of a seventeenth century boy. Many historical novels express nostalgia for the past; The Warden’s Niece presents a realistic view of the rules and constraints of Victorian society upon middle-class children. At the same time, however, the humorous escapades provoked by James or Mr. Copplestone lighten the serious theme. If young people are uninterested in history, they should nevertheless be attracted to Avery’s fiction by the ability of characters such as Maria to progress toward their goals in spite of their fears of embarrassment or failure; once attracted, perhaps those young people will discover that history can be interesting.