The vicar of Bullhampton

by Anthony Trollope, H Woods · 1869

Set in the quiet Wiltshire town of Bullhampton, Anthony Trollope’s 1870 novel follows the compassionate Broad‑church vicar as he navigates three intertwined dramas. Young Carry Brattle is courted by two very different suitors, while the vicar becomes embroiled in a bitter feud with a Low‑church nobleman, a conflict inflamed by a zealous Methodist minister. At the same time, he strives to rescue Mary Lowther, a ‘fallen’ woman, from social ruin, confronting the era’s rigid moral codes. Through these threads Trollope explores love, religious intolerance, and the limited choices available to women, offering a nuanced portrait of Victorian life that balances romance, social critique, and quiet moral courage.