Ralph the Heir

One of Anthony Trollope’s lesser known novels, ‘Ralph the Heir’ is nevertheless a fascinating and dramatic tale. The novel follows the story of two intertwined Ralphs and the future of the estate of Newton Priory. Owned by Gregory Newton, he is keen to leave the property to his natural though illegitimate son, Ralph Newton. The law dictates however that the property will pass to his nephew, also named Ralph Newton. Will Gregory find a way to leave the estate to his son before it is too late? A riveting tale of property, inheritance, and illegitimacy.

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.