Dr. Wortle's School

Scholar Mr Peacocke has recently moved to Broughtonshire to live as schoolmaster with his beautiful American wife. When the brother of Mrs Peacocke’s abusive first husband appears at the school with a secret to reveal, scandal and gossip envelope the respectable parish of Bowick. Mr Peacocke, aided by the trusting Dr. Wortle, must defend his reputation and uncover the truth once and for all. Anthony Trollope’s fortieth novel, ‘Dr. Wortle’s School’ deals with a variety of themes; from marriage and bigamy to trust and friendship, in this gripping exploration of 19th century morality.



Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882) was a Victorian writer and author of 47 novels. He also wrote an autobiography, short stories and plays, travel articles, reviews and lectures. A prolific writer, he made no secret of the fact that money was his motivation for writing – an admission which raised eyebrows among his literary contemporaries at the time. The amount of works Trollope authored are testament to his belief in hard work. His first successful novel was The Warden followed by its sequel, Barchester Towers. The Chronicles of Barsetshire are perhaps his most well-known series of novels, though many of his works have been adapted for TV and radio, starring many familiar faces such as Alan Rickman, David Tennant, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander. Alongside his literary career, Trollope also worked for some time for the Post Office and is credited with the introduction of the iconic post box to Britain. A memorial to Anthony Trollope was unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1993.