Farms and the National Trust

Because of the success of my little books, I found myself with a great sum of money large enough to purchase my own farm. I bought Hill Top in 1905, but was not able to live there year round as I would have wished. You see, dear reader, women who had not married during this time, were not allowed to be on their own (there was not a law against it, but to do so would be looked down upon by everyone), and my mother was no exception. She made it clear to me that she needed me at home, so I had to make do with visiting my farm as much as possible.

To take care of my land since I could not be there year round, I employed Mr. and Mrs. Cannon. My farm offered great inspiration to me- I loved to paint and draw the land, the gardens, and the home. I loved to go for walks around the area- it was so beautiful and peaceful.

As the years past, I bough more land, and as I bought more land, I became more and more involved in environmental conservation. Do you know what that means? That means that I prevented the land in my beloved Lake District from being ruined by railways, forestry (in which all the trees would have been chopped down), and turning the whole area into a city like London. Since we already had one London, we did not need another. Instead, we needed to preserve farmland, a way that kept the land as close to nature as possible.

I eventually donated 4,000 acres of farmland to England’s National Trust, which preserves land so that people for years to come may it enjoy it as I do.

Source
Lane, Margaret. The Magic Years of Beatrix Potter. Frederick Warne Publishers: London, 1978, pp.140-141.

Mackey, Margaret. The Case of Peter Rabbit, Changing Conditions of Literature for Children. Garland Publishing: New York, 1998, pp. 130-131.

“The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Beatrix Potter.” Film, 2002.

Book Inspirations

A common question I am asked is where I get my inspiration for my characters. The answer is that I am inspired from many different things! But if you are seeking something more specific, you may read the following:

Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny were both pets I kept.

The Tailor of Gloucester was a real tailor in Gloucester! (and a true story, except that the tailor’s assistants helped him out, and not mice. But mice are so enchanting, do you not think so?)

Hunca Munca, of The Tale of Two Bad Mice fame, was another pet had at the time, as was Mrs. Tiggy-winkle.

Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit and the kittens (including Tom) are based from little kitties that ran about at my farm in the Lake District called Hill Top.

Jemima Puddle-duck as a duck at Hill Top. And because ducks often forget to sit on their eggs to help them hatch, the farmer’s wife would take the duck eggs and place them under the chickens. But Jemima really did try hard to keep track of them and found a nest quite far from the farm eventually.

And, many of the settings were based from Hill Top and the village of Sawrey- a lovely place to be!


Sources
Lane, Margaret. The Magic Years of Beatrix Potter. Frederick Warne Publishers: London, 1978, pp. 49, 72, 82, 132, 152, 155, 181.