# Miss Minchin — A Little Princess character guide > Miss Minchin in A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Miss Amelia, Amelia, the elder Miss Minchin **First appearance:** 0001-a-little-princess ## Snapshot The seminary's calculating headmistress, who flatters wealth and punishes poverty with the same brisk efficiency, turning a child's grief into household labor. ## Who they are Miss Minchin runs her select seminary as a business, and Sara is her showpiece — paraded before visiting parents as proof of the school's grandeur. When the money vanishes, her calculation hardens into something colder: she tells Miss Amelia the girl "must begin as she is to go on," stripping Sara's room, seat, and lessons in a single morning. Her refusal to soften, even as Sara works harder and speaks less, makes her the story's engine of injustice. ## Relationships ### [Sara Crewe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/sara_crewe) _professional_ Miss Minchin is Sara's headmistress and legal guardian after Captain Crewe's death, treating her cruelly and exploiting her as a servant. ### [Becky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/becky) _professional_ Becky is Miss Minchin's underpaid and overworked scullery maid, treated with contempt and harshness. ### [Mr. Carrisford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/mr_carrisford) _professional_ Miss Minchin interacts with Mr. Carrisford as a former guardian of Sara, but their relationship is tense and adversarial. ### [Captain Crewe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/captain_crewe) _professional_ Captain Crewe is Miss Minchin's wealthy client who pays generously for Sara's education, but she secretly despises his indulgence. ### [Mr. Barrow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/mr_barrow) _professional_ Miss Minchin interacts with Mr. Barrow, a lawyer, regarding Captain Crewe's financial affairs and Sara's fate. ### [Sara Crewe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/sara_crewe) _professional_ Miss Minchin is Sara's headmistress and legal guardian after Captain Crewe's death, treating her cruelly and exploiting her as a servant. ### [Sara Crewe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/sara_crewe) _professional_ Miss Minchin is Sara's headmistress and legal guardian after Captain Crewe's death, treating her cruelly and exploiting her as a servant. ### [Becky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/becky) _professional_ Becky is Miss Minchin's underpaid and overworked scullery maid, treated with contempt and harshness. ### [Becky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/becky) _professional_ Becky is Miss Minchin's underpaid and overworked scullery maid, treated with contempt and harshness. ### [Captain Crewe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/captain_crewe) _professional_ Captain Crewe is Miss Minchin's wealthy client who pays generously for Sara's education, but she secretly despises his indulgence. ### [Mr. Carrisford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/mr_carrisford) _professional_ Miss Minchin interacts with Mr. Carrisford as a former guardian of Sara, but their relationship is tense and adversarial. ### [Mr. Carrisford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/mr_carrisford) _professional_ Miss Minchin interacts with Mr. Carrisford as a former guardian of Sara, but their relationship is tense and adversarial. ## In the story ### [A Little Princess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/a-little-princess) The stern headmistress of the seminary who favors Sara due to her father's wealth. ### [Sara](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/i-sara) Head of the seminary; described as tall, dull, and ugly with a large, cold, fishy smile; flatters Captain Crewe due to his wealth and Sara's promise. ### [A French Lesson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/ii-a-french-lesson) Miss Minchin introduces Sara to the class, assumes she knows no French, and becomes mortified and resentful when Sara proves fluent. ### [Ermengarde](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/iii-ermengarde) Miss Minchin scolds Ermengarde for her inattentive behavior during the French lesson. ### [Lottie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/iv-lottie) Miss Minchin privately dislikes Sara but publicly praises her to keep her as a pupil. She is frustrated by Lottie's tantrum and leaves the room in anger. ### [Becky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/v-becky) Referenced indirectly as someone who would be cross if she found Becky asleep in Sara's room. ### [The Diamond-Mines Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/vii-the-diamond-mines-again) Leads the birthday celebration with a speech about Sara's fortune, but later reveals her cruelty by banishing Sara to the attic after Captain Crewe's death. ### [In the Attic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/viii-in-the-attic) Immediately imposes harsh new duties on Sara, removes her from her seat at the table, and instructs the staff to treat her as a servant. ### [Ram Dass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/xi-ram-dass) Boxes Sara's ears in a rage; is unsettled by Sara's unchildlike composure and bold declarations. ### [One of the Populace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/xiii-one-of-the-populace) Punishes Sara by depriving her of dinner and sending her on errands in bad weather. ### [What Melchisedec Heard and Saw](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/xiv-what-melchisedec-heard-and-saw) Described as an evil woman who treats Sara like a pariah and neglects her comfort. ### [The Magic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/xv-the-magic) Scolds Sara for being out late and accuses her of lying; dismisses her without dinner. ### [The Visitor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/xvi-the-visitor) Miss Minchin is agitated and suspicious of Sara's unexplained well-being and the mysterious parcels, worrying about a possible powerful benefactor. ### [I Tried Not to Be](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/xviii-i-tried-not-to-be) Miss Minchin confronts Mr. Carrisford and is humiliated by the revelation of Sara's fortune; she attempts to regain control but fails. ### [Anne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/chapters/xix-anne) Observes Sara and Becky from her window with irritation as they depart in the carriage. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters/miss_minchin - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_little_princess_se/characters