# Mrs. Dale — The Last Chronicle of Barset character guide

> Mrs. Dale in The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Dear Mrs. Dale

**First appearance:** 0015-xvi-down-at-allington

## Snapshot

Lily Dale's widowed mother at Allington, whose gentle authority and long memory of her daughter's heartbreak shape every suitor's chances.

## Who they are

Mrs. Dale is the quiet center of Allington's domestic life, a mother whose affection for Johnny Eames is genuine but whose first loyalty is to a daughter still scarred by Crosbie's desertion. She is spoken of as one whose good opinion matters, and her fondness for Johnny is weighed by others as a possible path to Lily's consent. Her steady, protective presence makes the question of Lily's future a family matter rather than a private romance, and gives the novel's marriage plot its moral gravity.

## In the story

### [Miss Lily Dale's Resolution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xxiii-miss-lily-dale-s-resolution)

Mrs. Dale receives Crosbie's letter and struggles with whether to show it to Lily, fearing the consequences of a renewed relationship.

### [A Hero at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xxvii-a-hero-at-home)

Mentioned as a friend of John Eames and the person Major Grantly intends to call upon.

### [Showing How Major Grantly Took a Walk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xxviii-showing-how-major-grantly-took-a-walk)

Receives Major Grantly at the Small House and listens to his proposal intentions; reflects on the contrast between Grace's good fortune and Lily's past misfortune.

### [Showing What Major Grantly Did After His Walk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xxx-showing-what-major-grantly-did-after-his-walk)

Mrs. Dale hosts Major Grantly at the Small House and leaves the room to allow the lovers privacy.

### [XXXI: Showing How Major Grantly Returned to Guestwick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xxxi-showing-how-major-grantly-returned-to-guestwick)

Listens to Lily's insights about Grace and the Major, agreeing to give Grace space.

### [Lily Dale Writes Two Words in Her Book](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xxxv-lily-dale-writes-two-words-in-her-book)

Mrs. Dale helps arrange the walk and later accompanies the group partway.

### [Grace Crawley Returns Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xxxvi-grace-crawley-returns-home)

Discusses with Lily the letter from Major Grantly and agrees to let him fight his own battle without interference.

### [XLIV: “I Suppose I Must Let You Have It.”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xliv-i-suppose-i-must-let-you-have-it)

Her 'freezing letter' to Crosbie is mentioned as an obstacle to his hopes for Lily.

### [Lily Dale Goes to London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/chapters/xlv-lily-dale-goes-to-london)

Mrs. Dale is present with Lily when the squire brings the news of Bernard's engagement; she expresses delight and discusses the match.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/characters/mrs_dale
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_chronicle_of_barset_se/characters