Mrs Martha Bardell is a fictional character in ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was the Debut novel, first novel serialised from March 1836 to November 1837 by English author Charles Dickens. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Bo ...

'' (1836-37), the first novel by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

. A widow and the

landlady A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...

of Mr Pickwick, a romantic misunderstanding between the two results in one of the most famous fictional legal cases in English literature, ''Bardell v. Pickwick'', Fitzgerald, Percy Hetherington
Full text of ''Bardell v. Pickwick''
(1902)

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a 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 oldest digital li ...

eBook leading to them both being incarcerated in the

Fleet Prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...

for debt.

Background

Mrs Martha Bardell is a widow, "the relict and sole executrix of a deceased custom–house officer ... a comely woman of bustling manners and agreeable appearance, with a natural genius for cooking, improved by study and long practice, into an exquisite talent." With her young son she lives on Goswell Street in London where she provides lodgings for two lodgers including retired businessman Mr Pickwick, the latter taking two rooms at the front of the house.Dickens' Characters: Mrs Bardell
The Charles Dickens Page Mrs Bardell develops an affection for Pickwick and regards him as a potential marriage partner. Having no servant, the hardworking landlady Mrs. Bardell looked after the needs of her young son Tommy Bardell and those of her two lodgers single-handed. Her Counsel, Mr. Serjeant Buzfuz, later described the services she provided for Pickwick: "She waited on him, attended to his comforts, cooked his meals, looked out his linen for the washer-woman when it went abroad, darned, aired, and prepared it for his wear when it came home, and, in short, enjoyed his fullest trust and confidence."

Bardell v. Pickwick

When Pickwick discusses with Mrs Bardell his idea of taking a servant ( Sam Weller), expressing the view that three may eat as cheaply as two, she mistakes this for a marriage proposal and accepting his 'offer', much to his dismay, faints into his arms, possibly deliberately, as his three friends Winkle, Snodgrass and Tupman walk through the door and witness the scene. Pickwick Papers Trial 1837

When Pickwick refuses to marry her Mrs Bardell is persuaded by the unscrupulous lawyers Dodson and Fogg into bringing a breach of promise to marry suit against Pickwick in ''Bardell v. Pickwick'', one of the most famous fictional legal cases in English literature. During the trial at the Guildhall Sittings in London before Mr. Justice Stareleigh, Mr. Serjeant Buzfuz prosecutes Pickwick and bullies the witnesses into giving incriminating testimony, leading to Pickwick being falsely convicted; he is imprisoned in the

for refusing to pay the fines awarded against him. Eventually Mrs. Bardell too is sent to the same prison by her attorneys for not paying their fees. Pickwick learns that the only way he can relieve her suffering is by paying her costs in the action against himself, thus at the same time releasing himself from the prison.

Legacy

Bardell Rock, south of Dickens Rocks in the Pitt Islands, northern

Biscoe Islands Mendez-Biscoe Islands is a series of islands, of which the principal ones are Renaud Island, Renaud, Lavoisier Island, Lavoisier (named ''Serrano'' by Chile and ''Mitre'' by Argentina), Watkins Island, Watkins, Krogh Island, Krogh, Pickwick Islan ...

, was named by the

UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee The UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (or UK-APC) is a United Kingdom government committee, part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, responsible for recommending names of geographical locations within the British Antarctic Territory (BAT) an ...

in 1971 after Mrs Bardell.

Notable portrayals

*Mrs Melville – '' Samuel Weller, or, The Pickwickians'' (1837) * Lottie Venne – in the

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

'' Pickwick'' (1889) * Jessie Bond – in a revival of the

'' Pickwick'' (1893–94)Moss, Simon
Programme and description of 1894 production
Gilbert & Sullivan, a selling exhibition of memorabilia * Laura Joyce Bell – ''Mr. Pickwick'' (1903) at the Herald Square Theatre and later the Grand Opera House. * Mary Brough – '' The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick'' (1921) * Hermione Baddeley – ''

'' (1952) * Edna Morris – ''Bardell V. Pickwick'' (1955)''Bardell V. Pickwick'' (1955)

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Database *Jessie Evans – in the West End musical '' Pickwick'' (1963) *

Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned sixty-six years. Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-o ...

– in the Broadway musical '' Pickwick'' (1965) * Hattie Jacques – '' Pickwick'' (1969) * Jo Kendall – ''

'' (1985)

References

External links

Percy Fitzgerald Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald (26 April 1830 – 24 November 1925) was an Anglo-Irish author and critic, painter and sculptor. Fitzgerald was born in Ireland at Fane Valley, County Louth, the son of Thomas FitzGerald (County Louth politician), ...

Full text of ''Bardell v. Pickwick''
(1902)

eBook {{DEFAULTSORT:Bardell, Mrs Charles Dickens characters The Pickwick Papers Fictional people from London Literary characters introduced in 1836 Female characters in literature Comedy literature characters Inmates of Fleet Prison Female characters in film Female characters in television Fictional landlords