# Miss Thorne — Barchester Towers character guide

> Miss Thorne in Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Thorne

**First appearance:** 0021-xxii-the-thornes-of-ullathorne

## Snapshot

Ullathorne's kind-hearted spinster hostess, who stages an Elizabethan sports day for the whole county and frets over bullrings, quintains, and clerical feuds.

## Who they are

Miss Thorne invites all the country round to a breakfast on the lawn at Ullathorne—tents, archery, fiddlers, races, and every game she can trace to the good days of Queen Elizabeth—and the party becomes the novel's great social collision. She is mortified when the Signora Neroni demands to bring Mr. Slope, fearing Mr. Arabin will be offended, and apologizes almost in tears, only to be reassured that Arabin will meet his rival with pleasure. Her anxious hospitality gathers every faction of Barchester onto one lawn, where the plot's tensions flare into the open.

## Relationships

### [Eleanor Bold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/eleanor_bold)

_friendship_

Eleanor and Miss Thorne are friendly acquaintances, with Miss Thorne acting as a kind and hospitable hostess.

### [Eleanor Bold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/eleanor_bold)

_friendship_

Eleanor and Miss Thorne are friendly acquaintances, with Miss Thorne acting as a kind and hospitable hostess.

### [Eleanor Bold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/eleanor_bold)

_friendship_

Eleanor and Miss Thorne are friendly acquaintances, with Miss Thorne acting as a kind and hospitable hostess.

## In the story

### [The Thornes of Ullathorne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xxii-the-thornes-of-ullathorne)

Mr. Thorne's sister, an elegant old woman who romanticizes the past, dresses richly, and is proud of her appearance.

### [Mr. Arabin Reads Himself in at St. Ewold's](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xxiii-mr-arabin-reads-himself-in-at-st-ewold-s)

Hosts the party at Ullathorne, keenly observes Arabin, and discusses local matters.

### [Miss Thorne's Fête Champêtre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xxxv-miss-thorne-s-f-te-champ-tre)

In great perturbation and glory, overseeing the fête; she is determined to include traditional sports like the quintain, relying on Harry Greenacre to lead the youth.

### [The Lookalofts and the Greenacres](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xxxix-the-lookalofts-and-the-greenacres)

Hosts the fête and is toasted by Sir Harkaway Gorse; her treatment of the Lookalofts is scrutinized by Mrs. Greenacre.

### [Miss Thorne Shows Her Talent at Matchmaking](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xlviii-miss-thorne-shows-her-talent-at-matchmaking)

Acts as matchmaker, inviting Eleanor to Ullathorne and arranging Mr. Arabin's visit; delighted but surprised by the rapid engagement.

### [The Beelzebub Colt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xlix-the-beelzebub-colt)

Learns of Eleanor's engagement and congratulates her.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/miss_thorne
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters