Juliana Horatia Ewing
Encyclopedia
Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841–1885) was an English writer of children's stories
.
, vicar of Ecclesfield
in Yorkshire
, and Margaret Gatty
, who was herself a children's author. The children were educated mainly by her mother, but Julie was often the driving force behind their various activities: drama, botany etc. Later she was responsible for setting up a village library in Ecclesfield and helped out in the parish with her three sisters. Early stories appeared in Charlotte Yonge's magazine Monthly Packet.
On 1 June 1867, she was married to Major Alexander Ewing (1830–1895) of the army pay department, also a keen churchgoer, who shared his wife's interest in literature. Within a week of their marriage, Ewing left England
for Fredericton, New Brunswick
, Canada
, where her husband had received a new posting. They remained there for two years, before returning to England in 1869 and spending eight years in the army town of Aldershot
. Rudyard Kipling
claimed to know her novel Jan of the Windmill (1872-3, 1876) almost by heart. Her story The Brownies (1865) gave the Baden-Powells
the idea and the name for the junior level of the Girl Guides. Another admirer of her work was E. Nesbit
.
Though her husband was sent overseas again, to Malta
in 1879 and Sri Lanka
in 1881, Ewing's poor health would not allow her to accompany him. They moved to Trull
, Somerset
, on his return in 1883, and in 1885, to Bath, in the hopes that the change of air would do her good. However, her health continued to deteriorate, and after two operations, she died there on 13 May 1885. She was given a military funeral at Trull three days later.
A biography of her by Gillian Avery
appeared in 1961 (London: Bodley Head).
. Her works are notable for their sympathetic insight into child life, their admiration for things military, and their reflection of her strong Anglican
faith. They include Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances
(1869), A Flat Iron for a Farthing
(1872), Six to Sixteen (1875), Jackanapes (1884), Daddy Darwin's Dovecot (1884), and The Story of a Short Life (1885).
A talented artist herself, her works were frequently illustrated by such notables as George Cruikshank
and Randolph Caldecott
. She was also the editor of a number of magazines which published short stories
for children, such as the Nursery Magazines from 1856 onwards, the Monthly Packet
and the monthly Aunt Judy's Magazine
from 1866.
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
.
Youth and marriage
Known as Julie, she was the second of ten children of the Reverend Alfred GattyAlfred Gatty
Alfred Gatty was a Church of England vicar and author.He was born in London to Robert Gatty, a solicitor, and Margaret Jones. In 1831 he entered Exeter College, Oxford, graduating in 1836. He was ordained a deacon in 1837 and was appointed as curate of Bellerby in the North Riding of Yorkshire...
, vicar of Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield is a suburb and civil parish in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, about north of Sheffield City Centre. At the 2001 census the civil parish— which also includes the Sheffield suburbs of Chapeltown, Grenoside, High Green, and formerly Thorpe Hesley —had a population...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and Margaret Gatty
Margaret Gatty
Margaret Gatty was an English writer of children's literature.Gatty was born in Burnham on Crouch, Essex, the daughter of the Rev. Alexander John Scott, D.D., a Royal Navy chaplain, who served under, and was the trusted friend of, Lord Nelson on board the HMS Victory before and during the Battle...
, who was herself a children's author. The children were educated mainly by her mother, but Julie was often the driving force behind their various activities: drama, botany etc. Later she was responsible for setting up a village library in Ecclesfield and helped out in the parish with her three sisters. Early stories appeared in Charlotte Yonge's magazine Monthly Packet.
On 1 June 1867, she was married to Major Alexander Ewing (1830–1895) of the army pay department, also a keen churchgoer, who shared his wife's interest in literature. Within a week of their marriage, Ewing left England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for Fredericton, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where her husband had received a new posting. They remained there for two years, before returning to England in 1869 and spending eight years in the army town of Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
. Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
claimed to know her novel Jan of the Windmill (1872-3, 1876) almost by heart. Her story The Brownies (1865) gave the Baden-Powells
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
the idea and the name for the junior level of the Girl Guides. Another admirer of her work was E. Nesbit
E. Nesbit
Edith Nesbit was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television...
.
Though her husband was sent overseas again, to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1879 and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1881, Ewing's poor health would not allow her to accompany him. They moved to Trull
Trull
Trull is village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near Taunton. The parish which includes Dipford has a population of 1,861.-History:The name Trull is thought to derive from the word Trendle meaning circle or wheel....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, on his return in 1883, and in 1885, to Bath, in the hopes that the change of air would do her good. However, her health continued to deteriorate, and after two operations, she died there on 13 May 1885. She was given a military funeral at Trull three days later.
A biography of her by Gillian Avery
Gillian Avery
Gillian Avery is a British children’s novelist and literary historian.She was born in Reigate on 30 September 1926 and attended Dunottar School there. She worked first as a journalist on the Surrey Mirror, then for Chambers Encyclopedia and Oxford University Press. In 1952 she married the...
appeared in 1961 (London: Bodley Head).
'Child-novels'
Roger Lancelyn Green calls her works the "first outstanding child-novels" in English literatureEnglish literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. Her works are notable for their sympathetic insight into child life, their admiration for things military, and their reflection of her strong Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
faith. They include Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances
Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances
Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances is the first children's book published by author Juliana Horatia Ewing . The book was published by George Bells and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden, London, and had illustrations by J.A. Pasquier and J. Wolf....
(1869), A Flat Iron for a Farthing
A Flat Iron for a Farthing
A Flat Iron for a Farthing is a book by Juliana Horatia Ewing and consists of childhood reminiscences of the only child of a widowed father. The book was one of the author's most popular books.-References:...
(1872), Six to Sixteen (1875), Jackanapes (1884), Daddy Darwin's Dovecot (1884), and The Story of a Short Life (1885).
A talented artist herself, her works were frequently illustrated by such notables as George Cruikshank
George Cruikshank
George Cruikshank was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached an international audience.-Early life:Cruikshank was born in London...
and Randolph Caldecott
Randolph Caldecott
Randolph Caldecott was a British artist and illustrator, born in Chester. The Caldecott Medal was named in his honor. He exercised his art chiefly in book illustrations. His abilities as an artist were promptly and generously recognized by the Royal Academy. Caldecott greatly influenced...
. She was also the editor of a number of magazines which published short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
for children, such as the Nursery Magazines from 1856 onwards, the Monthly Packet
Monthly Packet
The Monthly Packet was an English magazine published between 1851 and 1899. It was founded by members of the Oxford Movement to counter Anglo-Catholic extremism. It was strongly influenced by its first editor, the novelist Charlotte Yonge. Its aims were to provide instruction, entertainment, and...
and the monthly Aunt Judy's Magazine
Aunt Judy's Magazine
Aunt Judy's Magazine was a British magazine for young people founded in 1866 by Margaret Gatty and continued after her death in 1873 by her daughter Horatia Eden until 1885. It published much of the work of Juliana Horatia Ewing and perhaps most notably "Fairy Sylvie" and "Bruno's Revenge", two...
from 1866.
External links
- Juliana Horatia Ewing and her books by Horatia K. F. Eden, 1896, from Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
- Juliana Horatia Ewing books with full images of all pages, covers, and spines in the University of Florida Digital CollectionsUniversity of Florida Digital CollectionsThe University of Florida Digital Collections are supported by the University of Florida Digital Library Center in the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. The University of Florida Digital Collections comprise a constantly growing collection of digital resources from the...