little foxes
Lewis Carroll, although sometimes shy in adult company, was a natural storyteller and performer, and he acted out some of his stories (complete with different voices) when asked to entertain groups of children.

Like the vast majority of the stories he told, he never published even the most popular one, which was called "The Little Foxes."

Some sections of “The Little Foxes” do survive, though, and when read aloud it works brilliantly, with repetition, anticipation, suspense and a happy ending.

One of the places he performed the story was in Hatfield House, where he entertained Queen Victoria's grandchildren. As he jokingly remarked to a 13 year old girl, "Now that I have made friends with a real live little Princess, I don’t intend ever to speak to any more children that haven’t titles. In fact, I’m so proud, and I hold my chin so high, that I shouldn’t even see you if we met!"

Vanessa Woolf will be performing "The Little Foxes" in Hatfield House on the 27th October. She has added in a beginning (which has been lost) and has made the story more accessible to a modern audience. "The Little Foxes" was, of course, for Victorian children, so it contains things that could puzzle modern children, such as the Foxes' pinafores.

And, although Carroll was notably gentle and was always extremely kind to children, he lived in the age of "spare the rod, spoil the child," and his listeners, and their parents, would have expected that children should be whipped or beaten as a punishment for naughtiness. Carroll makes the whole idea ridiculous and non threatening - but perhaps the mere mention of a “big whip” is the reason why the story has never been reprinted in modern times.

A pity – and perhaps some brave illustrator will do it someday. Even without the big whip, modern children are intrigued and held by the bad behaviour of the naughty Little Foxes, so come and listen to it at Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop, Stable Yard, Hatfield House on Wednesday 27th October at 2pm.

It’s free, but places are limited, so to ensure a space please call 01707 258363 to book a ticket.

Pollock’s toyshop is famous for its traditional toys, and many of these are Alice inspired – tea sets, Alice in Wonderland paper masks, John Tenniel illustrated playing cards, and so on.