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The Warden (Chronicles of Barsetshire, #1)

Anthony Trollope

Start date: July 1, 2018

Finish date: July 31, 2018

Discussion: Lesser Know/Wilderness Classics

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Mar 09, 2016 Sara rated it really liked it

I have finally introduced myself to Anthony Trollope, and I can say with a smile that I am very happy to have made his acquaintance. A friend suggested I start with "The Warden" and I believe it to be advice well-taken.

The Warden of this novel is Mr. Harding, a kindly and good man, who is overseer to a group of bedesmen whose care has been provided for in the will of a long-deceased gentleman. The church tends the property left in the will and provides for the care of the men out of the proceeds ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Antonomasia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british, 2019, 19th-century, divine-comedy-booklovers, novella

If you are British and in your 40s, your word-association answer for "Anthony Trollope" may well be "John Major". A GR friend in the same decade of life also begins his review of The Warden by mentioning the former Prime Minister. If you were much younger than us, you wouldn't have been taking enough notice of political news in the early to mid-1990s to see the journalistic jokes about Major's reading habits; if you were older and interested in classic literature, you'd already heard of Trollope ...more

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Jan 18, 2023 Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2023-read, classics-trad-and-modern, trollope

This is the first book in the Barsetshire series, my first Trollope and the beginning of a yearlong Trollope readathon!

The Warden is a slow read. It's a gentle book, despite the main character experiencing some major life upheavals, the drama is conveyed in a somewhat detached manner and Mr Harding, the Warden's inner turmoil, although it feels distressing never really had me too worried for him.

The story centres around Mr Septimus Harding, warden of an alms-house who comes under scrutiny from r This is the first book in the Barsetshire series, my first Trollope and the beginning of a yearlong Trollope readathon!

The Warden is a slow read. It's a gentle book, despite the main character experiencing some major life upheavals, the drama is conveyed in a somewhat detached manner and Mr Harding, the Warden's inner turmoil, although it feels distressing never really had me too worried for him.

The story centres around Mr Septimus Harding, warden of an alms-house who comes under scrutiny from reformer John Bold. Bold deems the Warden's salary incommensurate with the income of the charity he represents and implies that he draws his salary at the expense of the men he looks after.
What ensues is a wrangle between reformers, the church, the law, the press and personal interest and conscience.

There's a lot from the Warden that could be applied to the world today - the power of the press to vilify public figures and the lack of accountability on their part; the conflict between public and private personas; the compromise between the letter of the law and moral justice; the unforeseen consequences of zealous reform compared with settled establishment; the concept of innocents as collateral damage.

Mr Harding is a meek and submissive man, usually dominated by his overbearing son-in-law Dr Grantly, the Archdeacon. Grantly represents the infallible belief in the institution of the church without embodying its better values. Harding comes into his own however, when he feels doubt about the justice of his position and here his true moral character shines through and allows him to stand up for himself and what he believes is right.

The aspects of this story that stuck with me were the friendship between the Warden and the Bishop, the Warden's personal sense of justice and the manipulation of the poor bedesmen.

The idea of shortsighted reform with no contingency plan really stood out. The occupants of the alms-house are caught up in the fervour of reform, the promise of wealth, the interests of the solicitors and the frenzy of the press. No one really cares for them individually or in the long term, and they end up worse off with the charity itself no longer operating efficiently.
This result begs the question - what was the real aim of all those involved? To better the lot of the bedesmen or to seek personal glory in the pursuit of a "cause"?

In the end I loved the Warden and the Bishop was let down by most of those surrounding them. I'm interested to see which of these characters reappear in the rest of the series and how they conduct themselves. An interesting introduction to Barsetshire!

SOME QUOTES
"You are going to make yourself, and her, and her father miserable. You are going to make us all miserable. And for what? For a dream of justice. You will never make those twelve men happier than they now are."

"The bishop had no further argument to adduce; he could not fight for the cause as his son would do; he could not prove all the precentor's doubts to be groundless; but he could sympathise with his friend, and he did so; and Mr Harding felt that he had received that for which he came."
...more

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May 24, 2024 Shirley (stampartiste) rated it really liked it

Shelves: to-read-in-2024, read-classics, published-1899-and-earlier, challenge-bingo-2024

I was touched by the Warden of this story, the Reverend Septimus Harding. He was a humble, thoughtful, kindhearted and conscientious man who enjoyed doing for others. His work as choir director of his cathedral and warden of an almshouse housing a dozen elderly pensioners was ideally suited to his temperament. He enjoyed caring for them and lived in harmony with himself and with others. That is, until his world was turned upside down by John Bold, a radical reformer and the prospective husband o I was touched by the Warden of this story, the Reverend Septimus Harding. He was a humble, thoughtful, kindhearted and conscientious man who enjoyed doing for others. His work as choir director of his cathedral and warden of an almshouse housing a dozen elderly pensioners was ideally suited to his temperament. He enjoyed caring for them and lived in harmony with himself and with others. That is, until his world was turned upside down by John Bold, a radical reformer and the prospective husband of Harding’s daughter Eleanor.

Bold questioned how the church was administering the almshouse and its residents. The almshouse in question had been established four hundred years prior to the time of this story by a wealthy wool dealer. He had the almshouse built to house and care for 12 old wool-carders of his acquaintance. In his will, the wool dealer had set up an income stream and set forth certain stipulations on the operations of the almshouse. By the time this story took place, income from the property had greatly increased and the terms of the will had become obscure. Bold believed that, over time, wardens had been grossly overpaid while the pensioners themselves had not received their “fair share” of the estate’s income. While the Warden supplemented their income out of his own salary, Bold did not believe it was enough and went public with his misgivings. Rather than remonstrate, Harding began to analyze his part in this arrangement. Being a just man, Harding knew his conscience would not let him continue to hold his position as Warden unless and until he knew that he was living in accordance with the terms and original intent of the will. The story revolves therefore around this sad state of affairs.

I loved Trollope’s characters. Harding was someone I would love to know. I loved his daughter Eleanor and her strength of will. I didn’t care for John Bold as he was unable to weigh the consequences of his actions. There were other very memorable characters as well. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. ...more

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Apr 21, 2014 Christine PNW rated it really liked it

70/150

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Mar 22, 2014 Cleo rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-52-books-in-52-weeks, 2014-mount-tbr-challenge, 2014-read-dead-writers, 2014-british-books-challenge, classics, english-literature, 2014-european-reading-challenge, classics-club-challenge-5-yr

The Honest Gossip Newspaper

In many a town in England there are given charitable bequests to church dioceses, and the honest public assumes that the monies are distributed in a fair and equitable way, in a manner that benefits all who have need of them. Yet this learned reporter has discovered that in a small holding in Barsetshire, there has been a shocking exploitation of this practice, resulting in twelve respectable old gentlemen being cheated out of their livelihood. And who is the avari The Honest Gossip Newspaper

In many a town in England there are given charitable bequests to church dioceses, and the honest public assumes that the monies are distributed in a fair and equitable way, in a manner that benefits all who have need of them. Yet this learned reporter has discovered that in a small holding in Barsetshire, there has been a shocking exploitation of this practice, resulting in twelve respectable old gentlemen being cheated out of their livelihood. And who is the avaricious fiend to be so bold as to expropriate funds which are not solely meant for him?

The Revd Septimus Harding, the warden of Hiram's Hospital in Barsetshire, it has been discovered, earns 800 pounds per annum for his position as warden and overseer of the legacy left by the philanthropic John Hiram, namesake of Hiram's Hospital, yet the gentlemen who were meant to benefit from his legacy, receive housing and a paltry one shilling four pence per day to meet all their needs in their tender and uncertain later years of life.

Ask yourself, can you as a common man remain indifferent to the plight of others? Can you remain indifferent to the misappropriation of funds by a man who not only takes bread out of the mouths of his brothers, but whose actions leaves a stain on the offices of the sacred and respected agents of mother Church? Oh, for shame you vainglorious men who have no respect for what is sacred, yet greedily engorge yourselves with money to line your already comfortable existence! Is it to be borne? No! Mr. Harding must be revealed as the avaricious culprit he is, and the money given to the rightful recipients, who deserve it far more than a warden who presently lives comfortably on this legacy while doing nothing to earn its bestowal. Who will see that justice is served in such a uncomfortable yet critical situation? This reporter knows just the man!

Our young and zealous reformer, Mr. John Bold, has been working industriously to illuminate this unfortunate circumstance and expose the corruption that has so carefully been concealed . Can we trust this gentleman in his noble purpose? Certainly! Not only does his estimable reputation speak volumes, but in spite of his relationship to the aforementioned's lovely daughter, Eleanor, he will not let possible future familial ties stand in the way of serving justice. We have learned that he has wisely consulted a respectable and reputable law firm to deal with this perplexing and delicate matter and that, once begun, nothing will stand in his way. The bishop and his pretentious son, the archdeacon Theophilus Grantly (also son-in-law to the accused), can puff and blow all they like, but we all know which side is valiantly trumpeting the truth. It will be heard, and the Reverend Harding will be made to choke on it.

This is a sample of what poor Septimus Harding, warden of Hiram's Hospital had to withstand: an unfair accusation, judgement, an attack on his character and the possible loss of his livelihood. His son-in-law, the archdeacon, attempts to defend his father-in-law, yet in a worldly, materialistic, dictatorial manner, which his father-in-law cannot respect or accept. Harding's simple, gentle, sacrificial nature, while at first bends under the pressure of his contemporaries, eventually asserts itself in his determination to act in an honourable manner. In a case where people's good intentions do more harm than good, we realize that law and justice followed blindly, can have unexpected negative repercussions. Love and friendship hold a human value that money can never equal, and the loss of the former can create an emotional deprivation that is felt long after the incident is over.

A wonderful start to this series! This was my first Trollope and it far exceeded my expectations! ...more

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