Reading order · 6 books · 1855 to 1867 · Set in the fictional Barchester, England
Barsetshire Books in Order
The Chronicles of Barsetshire are gently satirical novels about the clergy and gentry of an imaginary English cathedral county, full of ambition, money worries, marriages and quiet kindness.
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Series facts
- Books
- 6
- Published
- 1855 to 1867
- First book
- The Warden
- Latest
- The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Barchester, England
The reading order
Every Barsetshire book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
6 books · Set in the fictional Barchester, England
- 1The Warden1855With Septimus HardingMr Septimus Harding, the gentle warden of an almshouse for old men in Barchester, is accused by a young reformer of taking more than his fair share of the charity’s income.Buy on Amazon
- 2Barchester Towers1857With Eleanor BoldA new bishop arrives in Barchester, with his domineering wife and an ambitious chaplain, and war breaks out among the clergy, while Mr Harding’s widowed daughter Eleanor attracts suitors.Buy on Amazon
- 3Doctor Thorne1858With Mary ThorneMary Thorne, the doctor’s niece of uncertain birth, loves Frank Gresham, the heir to an estate deep in debt, whose family insists he must marry money.Buy on Amazon
- 4Framley Parsonage1861With Mark RobartsMark Robarts, a young vicar, gets into money trouble after helping a dishonest friend, while his sister Lucy falls in love with a lord.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Small House at Allington1864With Lily DaleLily Dale falls in love with an ambitious young man from London, while faithful Johnny Eames loves her from afar.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Last Chronicle of Barset1867With Josiah CrawleyThe proud, poor curate Josiah Crawley is accused of stealing a cheque, and all of Barsetshire takes sides.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Warden. Barchester Towers is the most loved.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Septimus Harding | Eleanor Bold | Josiah Crawley | Lily Dale | Mary Thorne | Mark Robarts | Archdeacon Grantly | Mrs Proudie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Warden | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||||
| 2 Barchester Towers | MMajor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 3 Doctor Thorne | LLead | |||||||
| 4 Framley Parsonage | ·Minor | ·Minor | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 5 The Small House at Allington | LLead | ·Minor | ||||||
| 6 The Last Chronicle of Barset | MMajor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
Characters in the Barsetshire books
11 characters from Anthony Trollope’s chart, with the number of Barsetshire books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Septimus HardingGentle warden of Hiram's Hospital | 4 | The Warden 1855 |
| Eleanor BoldHarding's widowed daughter | 2 | The Warden 1855 |
| Josiah CrawleyProud, poor curate | 2 | Framley Parsonage 1861 |
| Lily DaleJilted young woman | 2 | The Small House at Allington 1864 |
| Mary ThorneDoctor's niece | 1 | Doctor Thorne 1858 |
| Mark RobartsAmbitious young vicar | 1 | Framley Parsonage 1861 |
| Archdeacon GrantlyHarding's forceful son-in-law | 4 | The Warden 1855 |
| Mrs ProudieThe bishop's domineering wife | 4 | Barchester Towers 1857 |
| Johnny EamesClerk in love with Lily | 2 | The Small House at Allington 1864 |
| Obadiah SlopeScheming chaplain | 1 | Barchester Towers 1857 |
| Plantagenet PalliserPolitician, later Duke of Omnium | 1 | The Small House at Allington 1864 |