CHAPTER I Hiram\'s Hospital
The Rev. Septimus Harding was, a few years since, a beneficed
clergyman residing in the cathedral town of ---; let us call it Barchester.
Were we to name Wells or Salisbury, Exeter, Hereford, or Gloucester, it
might be presumed that something personal was intended; and as this tale
will refer mainly to the cathedral dignitaries of the town in question, we
are anxious that no personality may be suspected. Let us presume that
Barchester is a quiet town in the West of England, more remarkable for the
beauty of its cathedral and the antiquity of its monuments than for any
commercial prosperity; that the west end of Barchester is the cathedral
close, and that the aristocracy of Barchester are the bishop, dean, and
canons, with their respective wives and daughters.