# Doctor Thorne > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Doctor_Thorne > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Doctor_Thorne.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Thorne > Source revision: 1350688771 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1858 novel by Anthony Trollope This article is about the novel. For the TV series, see [Doctor Thorne (TV series)](/source/Doctor_Thorne_(TV_series)). This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Doctor Thorne" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Doctor Thorne First edition title page. Author Anthony Trollope Language English Series Chronicles of Barsetshire Publisher Chapman and Hall Publication date 1858 Media type Print Preceded by Barchester Towers Followed by Framley Parsonage Text Doctor Thorne at Wikisource ***Doctor Thorne*** is a novel by the English author [Anthony Trollope](/source/Anthony_Trollope), published in 1858. It is the third book in his *[Chronicles of Barsetshire](/source/Chronicles_of_Barsetshire)* series, between *[Barchester Towers](/source/Barchester_Towers)* and *[Framley Parsonage](/source/Framley_Parsonage)*. The idea of the plot was suggested to Trollope by his brother Thomas.[1] Michael Sadleir places it as one of the five best of Trollope's novels and the best of the Barsetshire novels.[2] The novel is set in Greshamsbury, a village fifteen miles from the town of Barchester. Most of the narrative revolves round the three families of Gresham, Thorne and Scatcherd. The Greshams are commoners, but an old and respected family, based at Greshamsbury Hall and headed by Francis Newbold Gresham. His wife, Lady Arabella, is sister of the Earl de Courcy. Doctor Thorne lives in the village with his niece Mary. He and Gresham have become friends and he has helped Gresham by negotiating loans, mostly from Sir Roger Scatcherd, originally a stonemason in Barchester who has become wealthy and has purchased a large property between Greshamsbury and Barchester. ## Plot summary When their father dies, Doctor Thomas Thorne and his younger brother Henry are left little from the estate. Thomas begins to establish a medical practice, while Henry seduces Mary Scatcherd, the sister of stonemason Roger Scatcherd. When Roger finds out that Mary has become pregnant, he gives Henry a thrashing, but Henry dies from a blow to the head. Roger is found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six months in prison. While her brother is incarcerated, Mary gives birth to a girl. A former suitor offers to marry Mary and emigrate to America to start a new life, but not if she keeps the baby. Doctor Thorne persuades Mary to accept the offer, and she tells Roger that the baby has died. Thorne promises to raise his niece, naming her Mary Thorne. He keeps her parentage secret, and arranges for her to be looked after on a nearby farm and later to attend a boarding school. When Thorne becomes the family doctor to the Greshams, the preeminent family of the county, he also becomes advisor to the head of the family, squire Frank Gresham. About this time an heir is born at Greshamsbury Hall to much celebration. The aristocratic mother, Lady Arabella, engages a [wet nurse](/source/Wet_nurse) for her son, also named Frank. However, the girl proves to be too fond of brandy. Thorne knows that Mrs Scatcherd had been left in dire financial distress by her husband's imprisonment, so he arranges for her to take over the role. Time passes, and 12-year-old Mary Thorne came to Greshamsbury from her school in Bath. Soon she endears herself to the Greshams. Dr Thorne feels he has to inform Frank Gresham, in strictest confidence, of Mary's background to allow him to decide if he would object to her associating with his family. Lady Arabella some qualms but the squire overrules her. Mary's maternal uncle, Roger Scatcherd, has [risen from humble beginnings to great wealth and a knighthood](/source/Rags_to_riches) through his prodigious skills, not only as a mason but also as a contractor. Doctor Thorne, who had visited Scatcherd in prison and befriended him, becomes his financial advisor. Thorne persuades Scatcherd to lend increasing sums to Frank Gresham, who had impoverished himself by running for Parliament three times. Eventually, much of the Gresham estate is put up as [collateral](/source/Collateral_(finance)) for these loans. As young adults, Mary and the younger Frank Gresham—the only son and heir of the squire—fall in love. However, his parents need him to marry wealth. As Mary is penniless and of suspect birth, such a marriage is inconceivable to his mother and to her relatives, the aristocratic de Courcys. They wish Frank to marry the eccentric 30-year-old heiress Martha Dunstable instead. Frank reluctantly visits Courcy Castle in order to meet Miss Dunstable, and they become friends. He foolishly and playfully proposes, but she wisely demurs, knowing that he does not love her. Sir Roger Scatcherd is a chronic drunkard, and Doctor Thorne tries in vain to get him to curtail his drinking. In his will, Scatcherd leaves the bulk of his estate to his only son, the dissolute Louis Philippe. However, he leaves Doctor Thorne in control of the inheritance until Louis Philippe reaches the age of 25. Should Louis die before then, Scatcherd stipulates that the estate goes to his sister Mary's eldest child. Thorne, knowing that Scatcherd is thinking of the children Mary had in America, is forced to divulge Mary's parentage to Scatcherd, but Scatcherd leaves the will unchanged. Roger Scatcherd eventually dies of drink. The son proves just as much an alcoholic as the father, and his weaker constitution quickly brings him to the same end. After consulting with lawyers, Doctor Thorne confirms that his niece Mary is the heiress, now wealthier than even Miss Dunstable. Unaware of these developments, the still resolute Frank finally persuades his doting father to consent to his marriage to Mary. When all is revealed, the rest of his relations heartily congratulate him. ## Characters ### The Thornes - **Dr Thomas Thorne**, the uncle of Mary Thorne, who works as a doctor and [apothecary](/source/Apothecary). He is the confidant of both Squire Gresham and Sir Roger. - **Mary Thorne**, the niece of Dr. Thorne and Sir Roger ### The Scatcherds - **Sir Roger Scatcherd**, a poor stonemason with a talent for business, who later becomes a very wealthy building contractor - **Lady Scatcherd**, wife of Sir Roger, mother of Louis Philippe, and Frank Gresham's [wet nurse](/source/Wet_nurse) - **Sir Louis Philippe Scatcherd**, the only son of Sir Roger Scatcherd ### The Greshams - **Mr Francis Newbold Gresham**, senior, the squire of Greshamsbury - **Lady Arabella**, his wife, née de Courcy, who is most anxious for Frank to "marry money" - **Francis "Frank" Newbold Gresham**, junior, the squire's eldest child, only son and heir - **Augusta Gresham,** the eldest of Frank's sisters, who is jilted by Mr. Moffat and who then turns down a propsal from Mr Gazebee - **Beatrice Gresham**, Frank's next sister, and best friend and confidante of Mary ### The de Courcys - **The Earl de Courcy**, Lady Arabella Gresham's brother - **Lady de Courcy**, wife of the Earl, who schemes to set Frank Gresham up with the wealthy Martha Dunstable - **Lord Porlock**, eldest son and heir to the Earl de Courcy - **Lords George** and **John**, younger sons of the de Courcys, who hope to make an advantageous marriage to Martha Dunstable - **Lady Amelia,** the eldest daughter, who dissuades Augusta from marrying the attorney Gazebee, going on to marry him herself - **Ladies Rosina, Margaretta,** and **Alexandrina**, their daughters, all as yet unmarried ### The Oriels - **Caleb Oriel**, a clergyman who later marries Beatrice Gresham - **Patience Oriel**, Caleb's sister, and a close friend of Beatrice ### Others - **The Duke of Omnium**, an extremely wealthy and debauched bachelor who figures in a number of Trollope's Barsetshire and [Palliser novels](/source/Palliser_novels) - **Martha Dunstable**, a kind-hearted, wealthy heiress of the "oil of Lebanon" business - **Mr. Moffat**, one-time suitor of Miss Augusta Gresham, who later withdraws his proposal in order to seek a more advantageous match, and is horsewhipped by Frank for it - **Mr. Gazebee**, an attorney, who proposes first to Augusta Gresham and then to Lady Amelia de Courcy - **Dr. Fillgrave**, a Barchester doctor who detests Dr Thorne ## Adaptations An [ITV](/source/ITV_(TV_network)) adaptation, *[Doctor Thorne](/source/Doctor_Thorne_(TV_series))*, starring [Stefanie Martini](/source/Stefanie_Martini) as Mary Thorne and [Harry Richardson](/source/Harry_Richardson_(actor)) as Frank Gresham aired on 6 March 2016.[3] The script was written by [Julian Fellowes](/source/Julian_Fellowes), the creator and scriptwriter for *[Gosford Park](/source/Gosford_Park)* and *[Downton Abbey](/source/Downton_Abbey)*. ## See also - [Novels portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Novels) - [Illegitimacy in fiction](/source/Illegitimacy_in_fiction) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Rendell, Ruth. "Introduction", *Doctor Thorne*, London: Penguin Books, 1991, p. viii 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Sadleir, Michael (1961). *Trollope: a commentary*. Oxford: Oxford paperbacks. p. 416. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-TeleThorne_3-0)** Radford, Ceri (6 March 2016). ["Doctor Thorne review: Fellowes and Trollope is a happy marriage"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/03/04/doctor-thorne-review-fellowes-and-trollope-is-a-happy-marriage). *Telegraph Online*. Retrieved 8 March 2016. ## External links English [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has original text related to this article: **[Doctor Thorne](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en:Doctor_Thorne)** - *[Doctor Thorne](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/anthony-trollope/doctor-thorne)* at [Standard Ebooks](/source/Standard_Ebooks) - [Anthony Trollope](https://web.archive.org/web/20160129171822/http://www.anthonytrollope.com/) – Comprehensive summaries of all of Trollope's plots and characters as well as information on all things Trollopian. - [*Doctor Thorne*](https://librivox.org/search?title=Doctor+Thorne&author=Trollope&reader=&keywords=&genre_id=0&status=all&project_type=either&recorded_language=&sort_order=catalog_date&search_page=1&search_form=advanced) public domain audiobook at [LibriVox](/source/LibriVox) - [Project Gutenberg edition of *Doctor Thorne*](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3166) v t e The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope Novels The Warden (1855) Barchester Towers (1857) Doctor Thorne (1858) Framley Parsonage (1861) The Small House at Allington (1864) The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867) Adaptations The Barchester Chronicles (1982 TV series) Doctor Thorne (2016 TV series) Related Barsetshire Angela Thirkell v t e Works by Anthony Trollope Novels The Macdermots of Ballycloran (1847) The Kellys and the O'Kellys (1848) La Vendée: An Historical Romance (1850) The Three Clerks (1858) The Bertrams (1859) Castle Richmond (1860) Orley Farm (1862) The Struggles of Brown, Jones & Robinson (1862) Rachel Ray (1863) Miss Mackenzie (1865) The Belton Estate (1866) The Claverings (1867) Nina Balatka (1867) Linda Tressel (1868) He Knew He Was Right (1869) The Vicar of Bullhampton (1870) Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite (1871) Ralph the Heir (1871) The Golden Lion of Granpère (1872) Harry Heathcote of Gangoil (1874) Lady Anna (1874) The Way We Live Now (1875) The American Senator (1877) Is He Popenjoy? (1878) John Caldigate (1879) An Eye for an Eye (1879) Cousin Henry (1879) Ayala's Angel (1881) Doctor Wortle's School (1881) The Fixed Period (1882) Kept in the Dark (1882) Marion Fay (1882) Mr. Scarborough's Family (1883) The Landleaguers (1883) An Old Man's Love (1884) Novel series Chronicles of Barsetshire The Warden (1855) Barchester Towers (1857) Doctor Thorne (1858) Framley Parsonage (1861) The Small House at Allington (1864) The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867) Palliser novels Can You Forgive Her? (1865) Phineas Finn (1869) The Eustace Diamonds (1873) Phineas Redux (1874) The Prime Minister (1876) The Duke's Children (1880) Magazines Co-founder, The Fortnightly Review Authority control databases MusicBrainz work Open Library --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Doctor Thorne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Thorne) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Thorne?action=history)). 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