Juliana Horatia Ewing (née Gatty, 3 August 1841 – 13 May 1885) was an English writer of children's stories. Her writings display a sympathetic insight into children's lives, an admiration for things military, and a strong religious faith.

Life

Known as Julie, she was the second of ten children of the Rev. Alfred Gatty, Vicar of

Ecclesfield Ecclesfield is a village and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Sheffield City Centre. Ecclesfield civil parish had a population of 32,073 at the 2011 Census. Ecclesfield wards ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and

Margaret Gatty Margaret Gatty ( Scott; 3 June 1809 – 4 October 1873) was an English children's author and writer on marine biology. In some writings she argues against Charles Darwin's ''Origin of Species''. She became a popular writer of tales for young pe ...

, who was herself a

children's author Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

. Their children were educated mainly by their mother, but Julie was often the driving force behind their various activities: drama, botany and so on. Later she was responsible for setting up a village library in Ecclesfield and helped out in the parish with her three sisters. Early stories of hers appeared in

Charlotte Mary Yonge Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823–1901) was an English novelist, who wrote in the service of the church. Her abundant books helped to spread the influence of the Oxford Movement and show her keen interest in matters of public health and sanitation. ...

's magazine '' The Monthly Packet''. On 1 June 1867, Julie married Major Alexander Ewing (1830–1895) of the

Army Pay Corps The Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) was the corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992. History The first "paymasters" have existed in the army before t ...

. A musician, composer and translator, he was also a keen churchgoer and shared his wife's interest in literature. Within a week of their marriage, the Ewings left England for

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada, where he 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 () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

. Although her husband was sent overseas again, to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in 1879 and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in 1881, Ewing's poor health precluded her from accompanying him. On her husband's return in 1883, the Ewings moved to

Trull Trull is a village, electoral ward and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near Taunton. The parish which includes Dipford has a population of 2,288. History The name Trull is thought to derive from the word ''Trendle'' meaning circl ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, and then in 1885 to Bath, in the hopes that the change of air would do her good. However, her health continued to decline. After two operations, she died in Bath on 13 May 1885. She was given a military funeral at

three days later. Julie's sister Horatia Katharine Frances Gatty (1846–1945) published a memorial of her life and works, which includes a publication history of her stories. A later selection includes some of Julie's letters and drawings about Canada. A biography of her by

Gillian Avery Gillian Elise Avery (30 September 1926 – 31 January 2016) was a British children's novelist, and a historian of childhood education and children's literature. She won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972, for ''A Likely Lad.'' It ...

appeared in 1961.

"Child-novels"

Roger Lancelyn Green Roger Gilbert Lancelyn Green (2 November 1918 – 8 October 1987) was a British biographer and children's writer. He was an Oxford academic who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkie ...

calls Ewing's works the "first outstanding child-novels" in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. They show notably sympathetic insight into child life, admiration for things military, and a reflection of Ewing's strong

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

faith. They include ''

Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances ''Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances'' (1869) is the first children's book published by author Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841-1885). The book was published by George Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden, London, and had illustrations by J.A. Pasqu ...

'' (1869), ''

A Flat Iron for a Farthing ''A Flat Iron for a Farthing'' (1872) is a book by Juliana Horatia Ewing (1842–1885) and consists of childhood reminiscences of the only child of a widowed father. It was one of the author's most popular books. References * Humphrey Carpent ...

'' (1873), ''Six to Sixteen'' (1875), ''Jackanapes'' (1884), ''Daddy Darwin's Dovecot'' (1884), and ''The Story of a Short Life'' (1885). A talented artist herself, Ewing's works were frequently illustrated by such notable figures as

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) 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, reache ...

and

Randolph Caldecott Randolph Caldecott (; 22 March 1846 – 12 February 1886) was a British artist and illustrator, born in Chester. The Caldecott Medal was named in his honour. He exercised his art chiefly in book illustrations. His abilities as an artist were pro ...

. She was also the editor of a number of magazines which published short stories for children, such as the ''Nursery Magazine'' from 1856 onwards, the ''

Monthly Packet ''The Monthly Packet'' was an English magazine published between 1851 and 1899, founded by members of the Oxford Movement to counter Anglo-Catholic extremism. It was strongly influenced by its first editor, the novelist Charlotte Mary Yonge, with ai ...

'', and the monthly ''

Aunt Judy's Magazine ''Aunt Judy's Magazine'' was a British magazine for young people founded in 1866 by Margaret Gatty. After her death in 1873, publishing was continued by her daughter Horatia Eden until 1885. The magazine is named after Gatty's daughter, Juliana ...

'' from 1866.

Legacy

''The Story of a Short Life'' inspired

Grace Kimmins Dame Grace Mary Thyrza Kimmins, (''née'' Hannam; 6 May 1870 – 3 March 1954) was a British writer who created charities that worked with children who had disabilities. Biography Kimmins was born in Lewes, Sussex, the eldest of four children bo ...

to start the Guild of the Brave Poor Things to help children with disabilities in London. Grace and later Ada Vachell took their motto ''Laetus sorte mea'' (Happy in my lot) from Ewing's book. Her ''Madam Liberality'' (1873) has been taken to be autobiographical.Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy: ''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present Day'' (London: Batsford, 1990), p. 349.

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

declared he knew Ewing's novel ''Jan of the Windmill'' (1872–1873, 1876) almost by heart. He wrote in his autobiography, ''Something of Myself'': "One

ook Ook, OoK or OOK may refer to: * Ook Chung (born 1963), Korean-Canadian writer from Quebec * On-off keying, in radio technology * Toksook Bay Airport (IATA code OOK), in Alaska * Ook!, an esoteric programming language based on Brainfuck * Ook, th ...

I have still, a bound copy of ''Aunt Judy's Magazine'' of the early 'seventies, in which appeared Mrs. Ewing's "Six to Sixteen". I owe more in circuitous ways to that tale than I can tell. I knew it, as I know it still, almost by heart. Here was a history of real people and real things." Her story ''The Brownies'' (1865) gave the Baden-Powells the idea and the name for the junior level of the

Girl Guides Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

. Another admirer of her work was

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

, herself a prominent children's author. In 1899 a stained-glass window by

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lichg ...

in memory of Alexander and Juliana Horatia Ewing was installed in the

Church of All Saints, Trull The Church of All Saints in Trull, Somerset, England has a tower dating from the 13th century; the rest is 15th-century. The building has been designated as a Grade I listed building. The church was served by the monks of Taunton Priory until 13 ...

, overlooking their graves.

Notes

References

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External links

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Juliana Horatia Ewing and her books
by Horatia K. F. Eden, 1896, from

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a Virtual volunteering, volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the ...

*
Juliana Horatia Ewing
books with full images of all pages, covers, and spines in the

University of Florida Digital Collections The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) 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 (UFDC) comprise a ...