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 The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

and show her keen interest in matters of public health and sanitation.

Life

Charlotte Mary Yonge was born in Otterbourne, Hampshire, England, on 11 August 1823 to William Yonge and Fanny Yonge, ''née'' Bargus. She was educated at home by her father, studying Latin, Greek, French,

Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Wikt:Εὐκλείδης, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the ''Euclid's Elements, Elements'' trea ...

, and algebra. Her father's lessons could be harsh:

He required a diligence and accuracy that were utterly alien to me. He thundered at me so that nobody could bear to hear it, and often reduced me to tears, but his approbation was so delightful that it was a delicious stimulus.... I believe, in spite of all breezes over my innate slovenliness, it would have broken our hearts to leave off working together. And we went on till I was some years past twenty.

Yonge's devotion to her father was lifelong and her relations with him seem to have set the standard for all other relations, including marriage. His "approbation was throughout life my bliss; his anger my misery for the time." Yonge was born into a religious family. Devoted to the

High church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

, she was much influenced by

John Keble John Keble (25 April 1792 – 29 March 1866) was an English Anglican priest and poet who was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Keble College, Oxford, was named after him. Early life Keble was born on 25 April 1792 in Fairford, Glouces ...

, Vicar of

Hursley Hursley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England with a population of around 900 in 2011. It is located roughly midway between Romsey and Winchester on the A3090. Besides the village the parish includes the hamlets of Standon and ...

from 1835, a near neighbour and one of the leaders of the

. Yonge was herself sometimes referred to as "the novelist of the Oxford Movement", as her work frequently reflects values and concerns of

Anglo-Catholicism Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

. She remained in Otterbourne all her life and taught for 71 years in the village

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

. Her house, 'Elderfield', became a Grade II listed building in 1984. Charlotte Mary Yonge

In 1868 a new parish was formed to the south of Yonge's home village of Otterbourne. This was to contain the villages of Eastley and Barton. Yonge donated £500 towards the Church of the Resurrection, the

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

, and was asked to choose which of the two villages the parish should be named after. She chose Eastley, but decided that it should be spelt ''

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...

'' as she perceived this as being more modern. Yonge died in her home village of Otterbourne on 24 May 1901. Her obituary in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' stated,

Her friends, and especially her poorer neighbours, knew both the strength and the winning charm of her character. Thus the late
Archbishop Benson Edward White Benson (14 July 1829 – 11 October 1896) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death. Before this, he was the first Bishop of Truro, serving from 1877 to 1883, and began construction of Truro Cathedral. He was previousl ...
noted in his diary her "odd majesty and kindliness, which are very strong." But it is of course as a writer that Miss Yonge will be remembered. She had an inventive mind and a ready pen, and a bare list of the books written or edited by her would probably occupy nearly a whole column of ''The Times''. She wrote chiefly for young people, especially young girls, and her books are the result not only of a strong ethical purpose, but also of her firm devotion to the High Church view of Christian doctrine and practice.

Literary career

Yonge began writing in 1848 and published in her long life about 160 works, chiefly novels. Her first commercial success, ''

The Heir of Redclyffe ''The Heir of Redclyffe'' (1853) was the first of Charlotte M. Yonge's bestselling romantic novels. Its religious tone is derived from the High Church background of her family and from her friendship with a leading figure in the Oxford Movement ...

'' (1853), provided the funding to put the schooner ''

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

'' into service on behalf of George Selwyn. Similar charitable works were done with the profits from later novels. Yonge was also a founder and editor for 40 years of ''

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 a ...

'', a magazine founded in 1851, with a varied readership, but targeted at British Anglican girls, though in later years it turned to a somewhat wider readership). Picture of Charlotte Mary Yonge

Among her other well-known works are ''Heartsease'', and ''The Daisy Chain''. ''A Book of Golden Deeds'' is a collection of true stories of courage and self-sacrifice. Other titles were ''Cameos from English History'', ''Life of

John Coleridge Patteson John Coleridge Patteson (1 April 1827 – 20 September 1871) was an English Anglicanism, Anglican bishop, missionary to the South Sea Islands, and an accomplished linguist, learning 23 of the islands' more than 1,000 languages. In 1861, P ...

: Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands'', and ''

Hannah More Hannah More (2 February 1745 – 7 September 1833) was an English religious writer, philanthropist, poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, who wrote on moral and religious subjects. Born in Bristol, she taught at a s ...

''. Her ''History of

Christian Names A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian nam ...

'' was described as "the first serious attempt at tackling the subject" and as the standard work on names in the preface to the first edition of

Betty Withycombe Elizabeth Gidley Withycombe (15 June 1902 – 12 November 1993) is best known as the compiler of ''The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Names'', first published by the Clarendon Press in 1945 and in multiple editions since. Her name appeared as "E. ...

's ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' (1944). Around 1859 Yonge created a literary group of younger girl cousins, to write essays and gain advice from Yonge on their writing. Together they created a private magazine, ''The Barnacle'', which continued until about 1871. This was valuable as they may have belonged to the last generation of girls educated at home. Her goddaughter,

Alice Mary Coleridge Alice Mary Coleridge (27 March 1846 – 12 February 1907) was a British promoter of girls' schools. She was the instigator of the former Abbots Bromley School for Girls. Life Coleridge was born in 1846 in the manor house of Ottery St Mary, East ...

, contributed as "Gurgoyle" to the first issue, drawing the covers and contributing translations, articles and verses. Yonge's personal example and influence on her goddaughter Alice Mary Coleridge were formative in her zeal for women's education, leading indirectly to the foundation of

Abbots Bromley School for Girls Abbots Bromley School (previously the School of S. Mary and S. Anne, Abbots Bromley before becoming Abbots Bromley School for Girls) was a coeducational boarding and day independent school in the village of Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, Engla ...

.Chancellor, V. (2004-09-23). Coleridge, Alice Mary (1846–1907), promoter of girls' schools. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 22 December 2017
link
After Yonge's death, her friend, assistant and collaborator,

Christabel Coleridge Christabel Rose Coleridge (25 May 1843 – 14 November 1921) was an English novelist and an editor of girls' magazines, sometimes in collaboration with the novelist Charlotte Mary Yonge. Her views on the role of women in society were conservativ ...

, published the biographical ''Charlotte Mary Yonge: her Life and Letters'' (1903).

Reputation

Yonge's work was widely read and respected in the 19th century. Among her admirers were

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wro ...

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the working ...

Christina Rossetti Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English writer of romantic, devotional and children's poems, including "Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well known in Brit ...

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

, and

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

and

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman Hun ...

read ''

'' aloud to each other while undergraduates at Oxford University and "took he hero, Guy Morville'smedieval tastes and chivalric ideals as presiding elements in the formation of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

." Yonge's work was compared favourably with that of Trollope,

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...

, and

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...

. Sir John Arthur Ransome Marriott called her:

... not only a prolific novelist, but a serious student of history, especially in its personal aspects. Having dealt in ''The Constable's Tower'' with
Hubert de Burgh Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Justiciar, Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John, King of England, John and of his son and successor Kin ...
, with his famous defence of
Dover Castle Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. Some sources say it is the ...
against Prince Louis of France (1213), and his still more famous victory at sea off Sandwich, and with
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
as a crusader (''The Prince and the Page''), Miss Yonge drew on the ''Vie de
Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' W ...
'' as well as on
Froissart Jean Froissart (Old and Middle French: ''Jehan'', – ) (also John Froissart) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meliador'', a long Arthurian ...
for her fascinating tale ''The Lances of Lynwood''. With characteristic modesty she expressed the hope that her sketch might "serve as an inducement to some young readers to make acquaintance with the delectable old Canon (Froissart) for themselves." The wise, of all ages, will fulfil her hope.

So popular were her works that

A
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...
was able to supply from memory a missing page in his ship's copy of ''The Daisy Chain''. An officer in the Guards, asked in a game of "Confessions" what his prime object in life was, answered that it was to make himself like Guy Morville, hero of ''
The Heir of Redclyffe ''The Heir of Redclyffe'' (1853) was the first of Charlotte M. Yonge's bestselling romantic novels. Its religious tone is derived from the High Church background of her family and from her friendship with a leading figure in the Oxford Movement ...
''.

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

thought highly of her, at one point bracketing her evocations of domestic life with those of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

and

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper (; ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist theologian and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upo ...

, who read ''The Heir of Redclyffe'' on the recommendation of his fiancé, Johanna Schaay, found it a moving experience. The novel was "next to the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

in its meaning for my life." Yonge was one of the favourite writers of

Barbara Pym Barbara Mary Crampton Pym FRSL (2 June 1913 – 11 January 1980) was an English novelist. In the 1950s she published a series of social comedies, of which the best known are ''Excellent Women'' (1952) and '' A Glass of Blessings'' (1958). In 1977 ...

, who mentions Yonge's novels favourably in several of her own novels. However, according to the critic Catherine Sandbach-Dahlström, Yonge's work has been "constantly be-devilled" by a "tendency to confuse the moral quality of erview of life with the quality of her literary expression". Her novels such as ''The Daisy Chain'', ''The Young Stepmother'', ''The Trial'', and ''The Three Brides'' encompass Victorian problems of urban pollution, sanitary reform, and epidemics of cholera and typhoid. She urged social, economic and medical reform of dirt-ridden Victorian cities. The dualism found in her writings, writes Alethea Hayter, "serves to illustrate the triumphs and mistakes of reforming zeal, to contrast selfish irresponsibility with courageous philanthropy, to balance tradition against progress." Yonge's work has been sparely studied, with the possible exception of ''The Heir of Redclyffe''.

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

used epigraphs from ''The Little Duke'' for each chapter of his 1943 novel ''

The Ministry of Fear ''The Ministry of Fear'' is a 1943 novel written by Graham Greene. It was first published in Britain by William Heinemann. It was made into the 1944 film '' Ministry of Fear'', directed by Fritz Lang and starring Ray Milland. The title is expl ...

''. In Chapter 1, the protagonist Arthur Rowe buys a copy of the book at a fête for sixpence. Long shot of the bench (OpenBenches 1923-1)

In 2015 a sculpture by

Vivien Mallock Vivien Mallock FRBS (born 8 May 1945) is an English sculptor who works mainly in bronze. Her career started at the Museum of Army Flying in Hampshire where she sculpted several celebrated World War II fighter pilots, including John Cunningham, ...

was installed outside

Eastleigh railway station Eastleigh railway station serves the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England. It is located on the South West Main Line and is the junction station for two other routes, the Eastleigh-Fareham Line and the Eastleigh-Romsey Lin ...

, as a tribute to Yonge for having effectively named the town. It shows her at the age of about 45, when she named Eastleigh parish. It shows her sitting on a bench with a book on her lap, with space for members of the public to sit alongside her.

Works

*''Abbeychurch; or, Self Control and Self Conceit'' (1844) *''Scenes and Characters, or, Eighteen Months at Beechcroft'' (1847) *''Kings of England: a History for Young Children'' (1848) *''The Railroad Children'' (1849) *''Langley School'' (1850) *''The Two Guardians, or, Home in this World'' (1852) *''The Heir of Redclyffe'' (1853) *''Heartsease; or, The Brother's Wife'' (1854) *''The Little Duke: Richard the Fearless'' (1854) *''The Lances of Lynwood'' (1855) *''The Daisy Chain, or Aspirations'' (1856) *''Marie Thérèse de Lamourous: Foundress of the House of la Misércorde, at Bourdeaux'' (1858) *''Countess Kate'' (1860) *''Friarswood Post-Office'' (1860) *''The Young Step-Mother; or a Chronicle of Mistakes'' (1861) *''History of Christian Names'' (1863) *''A Book of Golden Deeds of All Times and All Lands'' (1864) *''The Trial; or, More Links of the Daisy Chain'' (1864) *''The Clever Woman of the Family'' (1865) *''The Prince and the Page: A Story of the Last Crusade'' (1866) *''The Dove in the Eagle's Nest'' (1866) *''The Chaplet of Pearls; or, The White and Black Ribaumont '' (1868) *''Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II'' (1868) *''Little Lucy's Wonderful Globe and Other Stories'' (1871) *''Aunt Charlotte's Stories of Greek History'' (1873) *''The Pillars of the House: or, Under Wode, Under Rode'' (1873) *''Life of John Coleridge Patteson: Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands'' (1874) *''Aunt Charlotte’s Stories of French History for the Little Ones (1877)'' *''Young Folks' History of Rome'' (1878) *''Young Folks' History of England'' (1879) *''Young Folks' History of France'' (1879) *''Magnum Bonum; or, Mother Carey's Brood'' (1879) *''Unknown to History: A Story of the Captivity of Mary of Scotland'' (1881) *''History of France'' (1882) *''The Armourer's Prentices'' (1884) Historical novel set in the time of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

.Nield, Jonathan (1925), ''A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales''. G. P. Putnam's Sons, (p. 41 ) *''The Two Sides of the Shield'' (1885) – sequel to ''Scenes and Characters'', *''Hannah More'' (1888) *''A Reputed Changeling'' (1889) *''Two Penniless Princesses'' (1891) *''The Long Vacation'' (1895) *''Modern Broods'' (1900)

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * * * * * * *

External links

* * * * *
Works by Charlotte Mary Yonge
at

Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ho ...

Charlotte Mary Yonge Fellowship
– Links to all known online works; articles about Yonge's works; extensive bibliography; biography etc.
Works by Charlotte Mary Yonge
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 ...

John Keble 's Parishes

's Parishes – A History of

and Otterbourne. (1898) Edited by Charlotte M. Yonge * *
Charlotte Yonge letters, 1823-1901
held by the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature,

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yonge, Charlotte Mary 1823 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Anglicans 19th-century British novelists 19th-century English women writers 19th-century English writers Anglo-Catholic writers Eastleigh English Anglo-Catholics 19th-century English historians English translators English women novelists French–English translators Historians of England People from the City of Winchester Victorian novelists Victorian women writers British women historians English historical novelists Women historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period British children's writers