Juliana Horatia Ewing (née Gatty, 3 August 1841 – 13 May 1885) was an English writer of

children's stories 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 ...

. 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 in Yorkshire, 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's magazine ''

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 ...

''. 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 ...

. 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, 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. Although her husband was sent overseas again, to Malta 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, and then in 1885 to

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, 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 appeared in 1961.

"Child-novels"

Roger Lancelyn Green 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 Carpente ...

'' (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 and Randolph Caldecott. 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'', and the monthly '' Aunt Judy's Magazine'' 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 Ada Vachell or Ada Marian Vachell or Sister Ada (27 December 1866 – 29 December 1923) was a worker for people with disabilities in Bristol. Life Vachell was born in Cardiff in 1866. Her mother was Mary Anne or Marian (born Fedden) and William ...

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 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 ookI 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. Another admirer of her work was E. Nesbit, herself a prominent children's author. In 1899 a stained-glass window by Charles Eamer Kempe in memory of Alexander and Juliana Horatia Ewing was installed in the Church of All Saints, Trull, overlooking their graves.

Notes

References

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External links