Doctor Thorne

Doctor Thorne is a novel by Anthony Trollope, first published in 1858. It is the third novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, Trollope’s series depicting the moral, social, and financial tensions of English provincial life. The story begins with Doctor Thomas Thorne, a respectable country physician, whose quiet existence is shaped by a long-buried family scandal involving his brother Henry and Mary Scatcherd, the sister of the ambitious stonemason Roger Scatcherd.

After Henry Thorne’s death and Mary Scatcherd’s disgrace, Doctor Thorne raises Mary’s child as his own niece, naming her Mary Thorne while keeping her true parentage secret. As the years pass, Dr Thorne becomes closely connected to the Gresham family of Greshamsbury Hall, acting both as family doctor and trusted adviser. Young Mary Thorne grows up alongside Frank Gresham, the squire’s only son and heir, gradually forming a bond that deepens into love.

At the same time, Roger Scatcherd rises from humble origins to immense wealth through railway contracts, despite his violent temper and chronic alcoholism. His financial dealings entangle him with the Greshams, whose estate is heavily burdened by debt. Issues of inheritance, legitimacy, and financial dependence increasingly dominate the lives of all involved, while Lady Arabella Gresham and her aristocratic relatives work to prevent Frank from marrying a penniless girl of doubtful birth.

Through its interwoven stories of social ambition, concealed origins, and moral responsibility, Doctor Thorne offers a penetrating portrait of Victorian class structure and the power of money over personal happiness. Trollope contrasts inherited rank with earned integrity, building a quietly compelling narrative in which patience, professional honour, and steadfast affection are tested against pride and prejudice. The novel remains one of Trollope’s most admired works of Victorian social realism.