Old Nurse’s Story

Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell

By Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell's first ghost story, "The Old Nurse's Story," was highly praised by Charles Dickens, who said the tale was "a very fine ghost-story indeed. Nobly told, and wonderfully managed.". The story is set in Furnivall Manor house near the Cumberland Fells, and follows the old nurse Hesther and her charge Miss Rosamond as they encounter strange and sinister events.

Listen to The Old Nurse’s Story presented by the Nashville Public Library

Read the four parts of The Old Nurse’s Story below

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (born 20 September 1810 – died 12 November 1865) was an English social novelist and short story writer. Her novels offer a picture of the lives of many strata of society, including the very poor, but she is perhaps best known for her realistic depictions of the lives of women in mid-19th-century industrial England. She also wrote non-fiction and poetry.

Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Gaskell: 1851 portrait by George Richmond