AMY THORNTON OR THE CURATE'S DAUGHTER by EDWARD BURLEND Back to the Main Historical Society page
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A story linked with Barwick


AMY THORNTON OR THE CURATE'S DAUGHTER
by EDWARD BURLEND

Barwicker No. 6 July 1987


Edward Burlend's novel, "Amy Thornton", is apparently set in the Barwick of the 1820s. It is not referred to by name; the village being called Elmwood, but all the evidence suggests it is Barwick thinly disguised.

Edward Burlend was born in Barwick in 1814 and died at Swillington on April 6th, 1875. He was a schoolmaster at both Hunslet and Swillington and published several books as well as this novel. In 1858 he published a book of poems entitled "Village Rhymes" and this included a lengthy poem on Barwick and her characters in which Burlend reflects with nostalgia on his youth.

The inscription on his tombstone reads, "In memory of Edward Burlend of Swillington, schoolmaster, who died on April 6th 1875. Under social disadvantages and under extreme delicacy of constitution, he taught with marked success a competent knowledge of classics, mathematics and other branches of science and literature. As an original thinker his prose works, and as an elegant writer, his poetry will long remain evidence of his power and ability. Cautious, peaceful and retiring by nature, he lived respected, and his end truly deserving the character of a just man. "

We are introduced to Amy at the age of about eight years, just after the death of her father, the curate, from consumption. Mrs. Thornton is left in debt due to the medical bills incurred by her husband's illness, and, although these debts are settled by her childhood friend, Matty Morritt, her finances remain precarious. Mrs. Thornton starts a school in order to provide an income for herself and Amy. This is successful but Mrs. Thornton soon also succumbs to consumption and dies. Amy is left an orphan without resource and is obliged to go to the workhouse.

Amy settles at the workhouse where she is generally kindly treated apart from one dark episode when she is wrongly accused of repeating gossip. Her superior level of education is soon recognised and she is set on under the aged pauper schoolmaster, "Old Benjamin" to teach the other children. This she much enjoys and does the job so extremely well that she is noticed by one of the workhouse guardians on an official visit, and is apprenticed to his family to teach his own children. Unfortunately, this proves not to be a good move for Amy and she is very harshly and unkindly treated by her new mistress, Mrs. Jackson.

Amy is eventually rescued from this bondage by her long lost uncle who returns from America, but not before she has formed an attachment to Sam, one of the Jackson's farm-hands. Sam is a little older than Amy and shows her great kindness during her apprenticeship. However, his increasing affection for her leads him unwisely to bestow a kiss upon her unexpectedly. This is reported to Mrs. Jackson by her unpleasant daughter who delights in making trouble for Amy. Mrs. Jackson beats Amy and also cuts off all her hair; a terrible disfigurement and disgrace.

Amy's uncle, though very kind to her, discourages Sam as an unsuitable match for her. After re-affirming his undying devotion, Sam emigrates to the West Indies to try to make his fortune.

Amy settles down dutifully at Whitford with her uncle and is introduced to his neighbour and relative, Dr. Snibbins. Snibbins, a rather ruthless character, has insinuated himself as a friend and regular visitor at Mr. Thornton's in the hopes of inheriting the house, Holly Grove, and Mr. Thornton's wealth as his only relative. The arrival of Amy threatens to interfere with these plans since she is a nearer relative, but after initial dismay, Dr. Snibbins quickly hits on the plan of marrying Amy and so still inheriting. Not surprisingly Amy does not welcome the attentions of the obnoxious doctor.

Mr. Thornton's health, already poor, begins to deteriorate in the English climate and he decides to return to America. Amy accompanies him, but within four years Mr. Thornton dies without having signed his will.

Snibbins now seizes his chance, and having followed up a rumour perpetuated by Mrs. Jackson that Amy's parents were never married, presents himself to the Solicitor as Mr. Thornton's rightful heir.

The account of how Amy's legitimacy is proved makes a gripping climax to the novel. Snibbins discovers by chance that Amy's parents were in fact married quietly at a village some distance from Elmwood. Although he is convinced that no-one else will discover this, the threat to his inheritance induces him to steal the record of the marriage from the parish register. When Amy returns from America he urges her to marry him and so not lose her inheritance entirely. Amy has no intention of marrying the despised Snibbins, and, being left almost penniless, is about to accept Matty Morritt's invitation to live with her. At this point Sam returns from the West Indies.

The couple marry and at their wedding reception Matty presents Amy with a bundle of papers given to her for safekeeping by Amy's mother. Among these papers is the marriage certificate. The Solicitor discovers Snibbins' theft of the copy from the parish register and faces him with his guilt. Amy inherits her uncle's property and she and Sam move into Holly Grove and, as expected, live happily ever after!

The clearest evidence that the novel is set in Barwick comes from three references to the Maypole and Cross Hill. In the first reference Burlend gives the location of Amy's parents' house. "The village of Elmwood has two short branches separating from the main street at the cross hill. In one of these, about sixty yards from the said junction, stands a small detached house with one end to the road and a small garden to its front." The description fits number 14, The Boyle,in most particulars and this is reinforced by the passage describing Amy's walk from the workhouse to the Jacksons'. "Amy Thornton passed the outer gate and over the bridge that crossed the brook (Rake Beck) on her way to Elmwood .... And when she had ascended the hill that leads to the village (from Rakehill Road to The Boyle) she came to the little gate at the end of what was once her cherished home. Having surveyed these touching reminiscences. ...she walked on to the churchyard."

The second reference is when Amy is leaving Elmwood on her way to Fleeceborough (Leeds) with her uncle. We are told, "the next moment, Elmwood, with all its associations, save the grey old tower (of the church) and the maypole, were hid from the travellers."

The third reference is when Sam, having returned from the West Indies, is seeking information about Amy. "Having reached the outskirts of the gate, (of Jackson's Farm) he stood on the causeway in the street for a moment, looking down towards the maypole and the old cross hill."

Although Burlend is precise about the location of Amy's parents' house he is more vague about the two cottages originally occupied by Mrs. Thornton's parents and Matty Morritt's parents. "At a distance of about ten minutes walk from the village of Elmwood are two little thatched cottages, known in the neighbourhood, on account of their sequestered situation, as the Owlet Houses; or as the people express it, t'Hullett Houses." The only other hint we have on this point is the statement, "As the situation of the workhouse is on the opposite side of Elmwood, Amy was obliged in her journey to pass through the village."

Burlend is most particular about the geographical relationship of Elmwood to both Fleeceborough (the nearest large town and assumed to be Leeds) and Whitford, the home of Amy's uncle. From his directions it seems most probable that Whitford is the town of Castleford. Whitford is described as being "six or seven miles from Elmwood" and "containing nearly three thousand inhabitants. The staple support of this place is agriculture and a large colliery that exists just at the outskirts of the village."

Other interesting references include the character of Richard Lumby, the workhouse overseer who is involved in getting Amy a place at the workhouse and in making and later relinquishing her indenture as a "town prentice". This worthy mainly appears in connection with the Linton Arms, the only public house mentioned in Elmwood, and where he conducts most of his business, fortified with liberal supplies of rum and water! Burlend may have based this character on a real person as Lumb is an old village name.

The Linton Arms and the Gascoigne Arms seem to be one and the same since at the end of the novel Sam goes to work on Sir Cuthbert Linton's estate, probably the Gascoigne estate.

Amy's period at the workhouse is described in some considerable detail and it is clear that the account is based on the workhouse along Rakehill Road which was in operation between 1781 and 1872. We are told, "Amy wended her way by the side of the miry lane that led to her future residence". There are also references to "a little brook, about three yards wide" running along "the low side of the workhouse garden". This must surely be Rake Beck.

The description of the workhouse puts it in quite a different category to that described by Dickens in "Oliver Twist". Certainly the residents did not live in luxury but they were comparatively fairly treated and quite well fed, having meat and potatoes on three days each week and broth and dumplings on three days. Thursday was baking day when light yeast dumplings and treacle sauce were on the menu. This account agrees closely with Arthur Bantoft's research into the records of the Barwick Workhouse.

Discipline seems to have been generally firm and the children were sometimes "whipped" for misbehaviour or sent to bed without supper. Such punishments were often incurred due to the accidental breaking of windows when playing. Such punishments could be escaped if the broken windows were paid for, the money being raised by collecting soft clay and "red rud" or "ruddle" which was washed down the brook after heavy rain. This was sold in the village to masons for marking. The children voted to spend this money on a book for Amy when she left, demonstrating their high regard for her.

At the time of Amy's stay there were about twenty-five children, presumably orphans like Amy. This seems a large number by comparison with the records of the Barwick Workhouse. The adults seem to have been a motley collection of people including a young unmarried woman who had come in temporarily to have her baby, old Benjamin, the pauper schoolteacher, and Elizabeth Brancrust, a poor deranged woman with delusions of grandeur. She was in daily expectation of being rescued by her gallant lover and in daily fear of her ears burning off if she didn't manage to marry him soon! Burlend's humorous but touching account of Elizabeth is so detailed that it is tempting to think that he based her on a real character in the workhouse. Certainly a number of the inmates would have been of "unsound mind" as the records state. Burlend makes it clear that Elizabeth's behaviour was tolerated even though this included refusing to eat with the other residents and insisting on designating one of the other females as her "maid" to assist her to dress. "It would have been a very difficult task indeed, and one involving downright cruelty, to make her assist in any of the ordinary duties of the house."

We would now consider whipping children absolutely unacceptable but at the time the Elmwood workhouse regime would have been considered quite humanitarian. Nevertheless, the unfortunate woman responsible for Amy being wrongly accused of spreading gossip was punished by being shut up without food and this certainly hastened her probably inevitable death from consumption.

The reader of "Amy Thornton" will find the tribute on the inscription on Edward Burlend's tombstone well justified. The novel is a well-written, perceptive and often humorous account of village life, made all the more fascinating by being based on Barwick.

The author wishes to thank Tony Shinn who made this review possible.

There is a copy of the novel in the Reference Department of Leeds City Library.


J.Deacon


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