''The Richleighs of Tantamount'' is a children's historical novel written by British author

Barbara Willard Barbara Mary Willard (12 March 1909 – 18 February 1994) was a British novelist best known for children's historical fiction. Her "Mantlemass Chronicles" is a family saga set in 15th to 17th-century England. For one chronicle, ''The Iron Lily'' ...

. It was originally published in the United Kingdom in 1966 by the publishers,

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

, before being published in the United States by Harcourt, Brace & World in June 1967. C. Walter Hodges drew the line illustrations and painted the cover portrait for the original edition.

Chapters

#To Be a Richleigh... #Toy Sunday #The Travellers #The Arrival #Tantamount #Strangers on the Shore #The Castaways #Nancy and Dick #The Wonderful Day #Wreckers' Castle #The Grand Idea #Pursuit #Home from the Sea #An End... #...or a Beginning

Synopsis

The book tells the story of four young siblings—Edwin, Angeline, Sebastian and Maud—who live together in a London

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

society (c. the 1870s), along with their wealthy parents. These four children have been longing all their lives for their maiden visit to Tantamount, a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

on the Cornish coast, built by their great-great-great-grandfather. From time to time, the children wonder about its mysterious past as they look at the gigantic painting of the castle that dominates a wall in their drawing room. Their lives are changed one fateful, unforgettable July when their father contracts a serious illness. The children are sent to stay at the castle while their parents go on a sea voyage to repair his health. Only when the children begin to explore do they realize that despite being built and furnished in magnificent style, the castle is suffering from decades of neglect. The tutor and governess are shocked by the condition of the place and leave abruptly. Soon the recently engaged servants do the same, but the children decide to stay on alone. Regarding themselves as castaways, they enjoy their freedom despite the hardships. They make friends with two local children, Nancy and Dick, and are worried when they disappear. They begin to suspect that the castle is being used for

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

and even wrecking. Tantamount is destroyed by fire, but when the parents arrive at last they are relieved to find their children have survived.

Characters

The Richleigh four

*Edwin Richleigh, 16: the eldest and most educated of the siblings, and

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

to the family's fortune. *Angeline Richleigh, 14: rebellious but innocent in appearance. *Sebastian Richleigh, 11: the big question-asker who always remembers the answers better than his older brother. *Maud Richleigh, 8: treated by everyone except older Angeline as the baby of the family; she is the prettiest among the four.

Their parents

*Major Sir Rautboy Richleigh (pronounced ''Raw-bee''), England's third-richest man. *Lady Daisy, his wife, heiress and earl's daughter.

Inside the London house

*Mr. Gaunt, Edwin's English tutor. *Miss Venus, the

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

; teacher of Angeline, Sebastian and Maud. *Old Nurse and New Nurse, the caretakers responsible for the house's upkeep. They both make their first appearances when the book begins. *Lance, the pageboy, “ready to answer the door if need be”. He also appears at the start of the book.

Mentioned by the family

*Lady Augusta, Queen Victoria's cousin, who lives across the square near which the Richleighs live. *Uncle Charles, Sir Rautboy's stern, serious, long-faced brother, whom the four children all dread.

At Tantamount and vicinity

*Mr. Devine, an agent from

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

who takes to the castle's upkeep and reports on its conditions annually. *Mrs. Pengelly, a visitor from England's southern region who assists in helping the four children and company upon their arrival at Tantamount. *(Mr.) Pengelly, her husband. *Betsy Pengelly, the Pengellys' daughter. *Nancy Treloar and her brother Dick Treloar, two local children whom the Richleighs discover during the first day of their visit. *Kate Treloar, their aunt, who lives miles away from Tantamount at a place called Penwellow. *Mr. John Pascoe, a kind man who owns a farm called Treligger. *Mrs. Pascoe, his sour and unjust wife. *William Treloar, Nancy and Dick's father.

Customs

*''Wif'', short for ''What would you do if—?'', the Richleigh children's favourite game. *Toy Sunday, a toy-distribution spree occurring twice yearly; only one of them, the last Sunday in May, is mentioned in the book. *Councils of Tantamount: Edwin holds meetings for three of them at various times during the siblings' visit to the ruined castle. {{DEFAULTSORT:Richleighs of Tantamount 1966 British novels Children's historical novels Novels set in Cornwall British children's novels Constable & Co. books Fiction set in the 1870s 1966 children's books