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At the Circulating Library

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

Author: Caroline Leigh Gascoigne

Author: Caroline Leigh Gascoigne (1813–1883)

Alternate Name(s): Smith (maiden name)

Biography: Caroline Leigh Gascoigne was born in 1813 in London, the daughter of John Smith, M.P. (1767–1842), and his third wife Emma Leigh (died 1851). Her father was a wealthy London banker and brother of Lord Carrington, and she spent her early life on her father's estate Dale Park in Sussex. In 1834 she married Lt.-Col. Ernest Frederick Gascoigne who served in the Peninsula campaign and took part in the taking of Washington during the war with America (where he was severely wounded). He served in Parliament for Liverpool, eventually rose to the rank of general and was the colonel of the 69th regiment when he died in 1876. The couple had three children. At an early age, Gascoigne devoted herself to literature, producing both fiction and poetry. Her poems include: Belgravia (1851), Recollections of the Crystal Palace (1852), and England's Heroes! (1855). Her novels include: Temptation; or, A Wife's Perils (1839) about a young wife who marries a much older earl; The School for Wives (1841) a society novel; Evelyn Harcourt (1847) about the rivalry of two women for one man; Spencer's Cross Manor House (1852) a children's book; The Next Door Neighbours (1855); and Doctor Harold (1866) about an eminent physician. She died in 1883.

References: Burke; Gentleman's Magazine (September 1834); Pall Mall Gazette (20 July 1876); Times (27 October 1883)

Fiction Titles:

  1. Temptation: or, A Wife's Perils.  3 vol.  London: Henry Colburn, 1839.
  2. The School for Wives.  3 vol.  London: Henry Colburn, 1841.
  3. Evelyn Harcourt: A Novel.  3 vol.  London: Henry Colburn, 1847.
  4. Spencer's Cross Manor House: A Tale for Young People.  1 vol.  London: Charles Westerton, 1852.
  5. The Next Door Neighbours.  3 vol.  London: Hurst and Blackett, 1855.
  6. Doctor Harold.  3 vol.  London: Hurst and Blackett, 1866.
  7. Aunt Prue's Railway Journey.  1 vol.  London: Frederick Warne, 1866.
  8. Dr. Harold's Note-Book.  1 vol.  London: Longman, 1869.