![Book Cover of The Warden](/image/book/the-warden.webp)
The Warden
'The Warden' Summary
The Warden concerns Mr Septimus Harding, the meek, elderly warden of Hiram's Hospital and precentor of Barchester Cathedral, in the fictional county of Barsetshire.
Hiram's Hospital is an almshouse supported by a medieval charitable bequest to the Diocese of Barchester. The income maintains the almshouse itself, supports its twelve bedesmen, and, in addition, provides a comfortable abode and living for its warden. Mr Harding was appointed to this position through the patronage of his old friend the Bishop of Barchester, who is also the father of Archdeacon Grantly to whom Harding's older daughter, Susan, is married. The warden, who lives with his remaining child, an unmarried younger daughter Eleanor, performs his duties conscientiously.
The story concerns the impact upon Harding and his circle when a zealous young reformer, John Bold, launches a campaign to expose the disparity in the apportionment of the charity's income between its object, the bedesmen, and its officer, Mr Harding. John Bold embarks on this campaign in a spirit of public duty despite his romantic involvement with Eleanor and previously cordial relations with Mr Harding. Bold starts a lawsuit and Mr Harding is advised by the indomitable Dr Grantly, his son-in-law, to stand his ground.
Bold attempts to enlist the support of the press and engages the interest of The Jupiter (a newspaper representing The Times) whose editor, Tom Towers, pens editorials supporting reform of the charity, and presenting a portrait of Mr Harding as selfish and derelict in his conduct of his office. This image is taken up by commentators Dr Pessimist Anticant, and Mr Popular Sentiment, who have been seen as caricatures of Thomas Carlyle and Charles Dickens respectively.
Ultimately, despite much browbeating by his son-in-law the Archdeacon and the legal opinion solicited from the barrister, Sir Abraham Haphazard, Mr Harding concludes that he cannot in good conscience continue to accept such generous remuneration and resigns the office. John Bold, who has appealed in vain to Tom Towers to redress the injury to Mr Harding, returns to Barchester where he marries Eleanor after halting legal proceedings.
Those of the bedesmen of the hospital who have allowed their appetite for greater income to estrange them from the warden are reproved by their senior member, Bunce, who has been constantly loyal to Harding, whose good care and understanding heart are now lost to them. At the end of the novel the bishop decides that the wardenship of Hiram's Hospital be left vacant, and none of the bedesmen are offered the extra money despite the vacancy of the post. Mr Harding, on the other hand, becomes Rector of St Cuthbert's, a small parish near the Cathedral Close, drawing a much smaller income than before.
Book Details
Author
![Anthony Trollope image](/thumbs/image/author/anthony-trollope.webp)
Anthony Trollope
England
Anthony Trollope was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves ar...
More on Anthony TrollopeDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books
![The Trimmed Lamp: And Other Stories of the Four Million Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-trimmed-lamp-and-other-stories-of-the-four-million.webp)
The Trimmed Lamp: And Other Stories of the Four Million by O. Henry
Born in 1862 and died in 1910, O. Henry’s birth name is William Sydney Porter; however, he adopted the pen name O. Henry while in prison. He published...
![Outlaw Jack Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/outlaw-jack.webp)
Outlaw Jack by Harry Hazelton
The story follows the journey of a young boy named Jack, who becomes an outlaw after being wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit. The book is a...
![A Sharper's Downfall; Or, Into the Net Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/a-sharpers-downfall-or-into-the-net.webp)
A Sharper's Downfall; Or, Into the Net by Nicholas Carter
It follows the story of a clever detective as he investigates a cunning con man who has been preying on unsuspecting victims. Written in the early 20...
![The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood.webp)
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
A modern day legend, Robin Hood is an archetypal hero of the common people who goes to great lengths to famously take from the rich and give to the po...
![Shirley Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/shirley.webp)
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
Shirley, A Tale is a social novel by the English novelist Charlotte Brontë, first published in 1849. It was Brontë's second published novel after Jane...
![Lady Anna Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/lady-anna.webp)
Lady Anna by Anthony Trollope
Lady Anna is a novel by Anthony Trollope, written in 1871 and first published in book form in 1874. The protagonist is a young woman of noble birth wh...
![William -- The Fourth Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/william-the-fourth.webp)
William -- The Fourth by Richmal Crompton
In this, William and his gang of friends find themselves embroiled in a series of comic mishaps and misunderstandings. From mistaken identities to sec...
![The House by the Medlar Tree Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-house-by-the-medlar-tree.webp)
The House by the Medlar Tree by Giovanni Verga
In this timeless Italian classic, Verga transports readers to the idyllic coastal village of Aci Trezza, where the Salina family resides in their anc...
![Tono-Bungay Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/tono-bungay.webp)
Tono-Bungay by H. G. Wells
Tono-Bungay is narrated by George Ponderevo, who is persuaded to help develop the business of selling Tono-Bungay, a patent medicine created by his un...
![The Fellowship of the Frog Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-fellowship-of-the-frog.webp)
The Fellowship of the Frog by Edgar Wallace
It is a thrilling adventure novel perfect for the readers seeking an exciting and mysterious story. Originally published in 1925, this classic work of...
Reviews for The Warden
No reviews posted or approved, yet...