Tabitha Twitchit
Encyclopedia
Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit is a fictional anthropomorphic cat
who features in the books of Beatrix Potter
. She is a shopkeeper and the long-suffering mother of three unruly kitten
s, Moppet, Mittens and Tom Kitten.
in Cumbria
. Among the animals there was a cat called Tabitha Twitchit.
In the books, she is shown as standing on her hind legs and wearing fashionable clothes. She and her kittens live in a house based on the Hill Top farmhouse while her shop is based on one in Hawkshead
, a local market town.
The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan
Tabitha is shown working at her shop and the illustrations include kittens, presumably her own, playing outside. Tabitha is rather peeved when her cousin Ribby tells her that she is having tea with Duchess the dog. "Just as if there were no CATS in Sawrey!" mutters Tabitha. Privately, Ribby considers Duchess superior company to Tabitha — though the two cats do enjoy a good gossip
while Ribby is at the shop purchasing goods. However, after a great deal of confusion and chaos as a result of the tea party with Duchess, Ribby decides that in future she will invite Cousin Tabitha Twitchit instead.
The Story of Miss Moppet
The Story of Miss Moppet was a fold-up book also written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, in which the titular kitten has problems with a mouse. In her next book, The Tale of Tom Kitten
, published the following year, Moppet was shown to be one of Tabitha Twitchit's children.
The Tale of Tom Kitten
The Tale of Tom Kitten showed Tabitha and her kittens, Moppet, Mittens and Tom Kitten, living in Potter's own home at Hill Top. Tabitha has invited some friends for tea (maybe even Ribby) and washes and dresses her children for the occasion. She then unwisely allows them to play outside, but they then lose their clothes to some passing ducks, including Jemima Puddle-Duck
. Their angry mother smacks them and sends them to their room, telling her friends that they are ill when in fact they are just getting up to further mischief.
Potter concluded The Tale of Tom Kitten with the remark that she might "have to make another, larger, book, to tell you more about Tom Kitten". In fact she had been writing such a book at about the same time and it was published a year later.
The Tale of Ginger and Pickles
Tabitha and her shop are mentioned in The Tale of Ginger and Pickles, though she does not feature in the illustrations. The story establishes Tabitha as a shrewd and astute businesswoman. She does not give her customers credit
, while her rival shopkeepers, Ginger the cat and Pickles the dog, grant unlimited credit. This policy prevents Ginger and Pickles from making any money, to the point that they cannot even pay taxes, forcing them to go out of business. Tabitha takes advantage to raise her own prices while still withholding credit.
as The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends
. Among the episodes were The Tale of Tom Kitten and The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, or the Roly-Poly Pudding. Tabitha Twitchit and Ribby were voiced by Rosemary Leach
and Patricia Routledge
respectively.
The "real" Tabitha Twitchit appears in Susan Wittig Albert
's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, in which she is the president of Sawrey's Cat Council.
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
who features in the books of Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
. She is a shopkeeper and the long-suffering mother of three unruly kitten
Kitten
A kitten is a juvenile domesticated cat.The young of big cats are called cubs rather than kittens. Either term may be used for the young of smaller wild felids such as ocelots, caracals, and lynx, but "kitten" is usually more common for these species....
s, Moppet, Mittens and Tom Kitten.
Inspiration
The success of her early books enabled Potter to purchase a farm called Hill TopHill Top, Cumbria
Hill Top is a 17th-century house in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead, in the English county of Cumbria. It is an example of Lakeland vernacular architecture with random stone walls and slate roof...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. Among the animals there was a cat called Tabitha Twitchit.
In the books, she is shown as standing on her hind legs and wearing fashionable clothes. She and her kittens live in a house based on the Hill Top farmhouse while her shop is based on one in Hawkshead
Hawkshead
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in the Cumbria, England. It is one of the main tourist honeypots in the South Lakeland area, and is dependent on the local tourist trade...
, a local market town.
The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-PanThe Tale of the Pie and the Patty-PanThe Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and released by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1905. It tells of a cat called Ribby and a tea party she holds for a dog called Duchess...
(1905)
Tabitha is shown working at her shop and the illustrations include kittens, presumably her own, playing outside. Tabitha is rather peeved when her cousin Ribby tells her that she is having tea with Duchess the dog. "Just as if there were no CATS in Sawrey!" mutters Tabitha. Privately, Ribby considers Duchess superior company to Tabitha — though the two cats do enjoy a good gossipGossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
while Ribby is at the shop purchasing goods. However, after a great deal of confusion and chaos as a result of the tea party with Duchess, Ribby decides that in future she will invite Cousin Tabitha Twitchit instead.
The Story of Miss MoppetThe Story of Miss MoppetThe Story of Miss Moppet is a tale about teasing featuring a kitten and a mouse, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was published by Frederick Warne & Co for the 1906 Christmas season. Potter was born in London in 1866, and between 1902 and 1905 published a series of small format...
(1906)
The Story of Miss Moppet was a fold-up book also written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, in which the titular kitten has problems with a mouse. In her next book, The Tale of Tom KittenThe Tale of Tom Kitten
The Tale of Tom Kitten is a children's book, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was released by Frederick Warne & Co. in September 1907. The tale is about manners and how children react to them. Tabitha Twitchit, a cat, invites friends for tea...
, published the following year, Moppet was shown to be one of Tabitha Twitchit's children.
The Tale of Tom KittenThe Tale of Tom KittenThe Tale of Tom Kitten is a children's book, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was released by Frederick Warne & Co. in September 1907. The tale is about manners and how children react to them. Tabitha Twitchit, a cat, invites friends for tea...
(1907)
The Tale of Tom Kitten showed Tabitha and her kittens, Moppet, Mittens and Tom Kitten, living in Potter's own home at Hill Top. Tabitha has invited some friends for tea (maybe even Ribby) and washes and dresses her children for the occasion. She then unwisely allows them to play outside, but they then lose their clothes to some passing ducks, including Jemima Puddle-DuckThe Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in July 1908. Potter composed the book at Hill Top, a working farm in the Lake District she bought in 1905...
. Their angry mother smacks them and sends them to their room, telling her friends that they are ill when in fact they are just getting up to further mischief.
Potter concluded The Tale of Tom Kitten with the remark that she might "have to make another, larger, book, to tell you more about Tom Kitten". In fact she had been writing such a book at about the same time and it was published a year later.
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding (1908)
This book was The Roly-Poly Pudding (later renamed The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding). Again based at Hill Top, it describes the place as being overrun with rats which are as much a trial for Tabitha (as they were for Potter) as her kittens. Tabitha tries to keep her children under control by locking them into a cupboard (an accepted form of discipline in those days). Tom Kitten evades his mother, only to be captured by the rats Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria who decide to eat him as a pudding. Ribby, who has come for a visit, helps Tabitha rescue Tom Kitten, who, as a result of his experience, develops a phobia for rats, though his sisters Moppet and Mittens become well-paid rat-catchers. The last illustration to feature Tabitha has her sitting by the fire, happy at the fact that there have not been any rats in her home for some time.The Tale of Ginger and PicklesThe Tale of Ginger and PicklesThe Tale of Ginger and Pickles is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1909. The book tells of two shopkeepers who extend unlimited credit to their customers and, as a result, are forced to go out of business...
(1909)
Tabitha and her shop are mentioned in The Tale of Ginger and Pickles, though she does not feature in the illustrations. The story establishes Tabitha as a shrewd and astute businesswoman. She does not give her customers creditCredit (finance)
Credit is the trust which allows one party to provide resources to another party where that second party does not reimburse the first party immediately , but instead arranges either to repay or return those resources at a later date. The resources provided may be financial Credit is the trust...
, while her rival shopkeepers, Ginger the cat and Pickles the dog, grant unlimited credit. This policy prevents Ginger and Pickles from making any money, to the point that they cannot even pay taxes, forcing them to go out of business. Tabitha takes advantage to raise her own prices while still withholding credit.
In other media
In 1993, a number of Beatrix Potter's tales were turned into an animated television series and broadcast by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends is an animated television series based on the works of Beatrix Potter, featuring Peter Rabbit and other anthropomorphic animal characters created by Potter. It was originally shown in the UK on BBC between 1992 and 1995 and subsequently broadcast in the USA on...
. Among the episodes were The Tale of Tom Kitten and The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, or the Roly-Poly Pudding. Tabitha Twitchit and Ribby were voiced by Rosemary Leach
Rosemary Leach
Rosemary Leach is a British stage, television and film actress.She was born at Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Her parents were teachers related to Edmund Leach. She attended grammar school and RADA...
and Patricia Routledge
Patricia Routledge
Katherine Patricia Routledge, CBE is an English character comedy actress and singer. She is best known for her role as character Hyacinth Bucket in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances and Hetty Wainthropp in the British television series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates...
respectively.
The "real" Tabitha Twitchit appears in Susan Wittig Albert
Susan Wittig Albert
Susan Wittig Albert is a mystery writer from Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. She currently resides in Bertram, Texas, near Austin, with her husband, Bill Albert.- Career :...
's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, in which she is the president of Sawrey's Cat Council.