Juliana Ewing

Juliana Ewing

Juliana Horatia Ewing (nee Gatty) was born on August 3rd 1841. She was the second of the ten children of Doctor and Mrs Gatty. As she grew up she became the real life 'Aunt Judy' to the younger members of the family as they lived out an almost idyllic childhood in Ecclesfield Vicarage.

It was she who wrote and produced the 'Nursery Magazines' from about 1856. These featured all the children, their parents, and anyone else of their acquaintance as characters in the stories. Often these characters became members of some Royal Family, one quote says "The Princess Margaret [the eldest of the children] has...had one of her spasmodic fits, and has perambulated the Royal drawing room, putting everything she could lay her hands upon, under the sofa cushions...as she thought it probable that someone might call."

Juliana's first book appeared in 1862 when a number of stories she had written for The Monthly Packet, appeared under the title of Melchior's Dream & Other Tales. Some confusion has always existed as to which of Mrs Gatty and her daughter wrote what of their prodigious output. This confusion is not helped by the fact that the mother started the production of Aunt Judy's Magazine but editorship continued under Juliana after the death of her mother.

She married Alexander (Rex) Ewing, an army Captain, on June 1st 1867. She was 26 he was 35. Within the week they had sailed from Liverpool, bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Rex had been sent to Canada.