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At the Circulating Library

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

Author: Alexander Charles Ewald

Author: Alexander Charles Ewald (1842–1891)

Alternate Name(s): Atholl de Walden (pseudonym)

Biography: Alexander Charles Ewald was born in 1842 in Malta, the son of Rev. F. C. Ewald, D.D. After university, he took a job in the Public Records Office where he worked thirty-one years and rose to be the senior officer. In 1868 he married Amelia Dudgeon. In addition to his work at the P.R.O., Ewald wrote copiously, including historical articles, guides to the civil service, historical reference books, and biographies of Prince Charles Stuart, Algernon Sydney, and Sir Robert Walpole. In acknowledgment, he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Ewald also found time to write two novels. Harry Disney: An Autobiography (1871), written under the pseudonym "Atholl de Walden," combines a satire on upper-class life with sensational aspects such as bigamy, adultery, and murder. A Friend at Court (1874) follows the fortunes of Kit Mowbray, an Oxford rower, who saves a lord's daughter from drowning. In reward, the lord guides him through the ranks of the civil service while Kit also becomes a successful journalist. Clearly the latter novel draws heavily from Ewald's own experiences as a civil servant and author. Ewald died suddenly at home in June 1891 stubbornly continuing to work despite his doctor's orders to rest.

Author Tags:

References: Pall Mall Gazette (10 June 1868); Times (25 June 1891)

Fiction Titles:

  1. Harry Disney: An Autobiography. Edited by Atholl De Walden.  3 vol.  London: Tinsley Brothers, 1871.
  2. A Friend at Court: A Novel.  3 vol.  London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874.