Mr. Scarborough's Family

Mr Scarborough is an ill, elderly man with a dilemma. Father of two sons, his eldest son and heir Mountjoy is a debt-ridden gambling addict and wastrel. His younger son Augustus is a lawyer and by far the more responsible of the pair - but can he be trusted? Old Mr Scarborough must find a way to override the law and ensure the future safety and prosperity of Tretton Park, the family estate. With echoes of ‘King Lear’ Mr Scarborough pits his sons against each other as he tries to decide who his true heir should be. This entertaining story following the fortunes of this dysfunctional family was one of Anthony Trollope’s later novels, published after his death in 1882.

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.