Trollope conceived the idea for The Warden (1855), the first of the Chronicles of Barsetshire, whilst wandering one mid-summer evening around the purlieus of Salisbury Cathedral. One of the most topical of his books, it tells the story of Mr Harding, an elderly clergyman, warden of an almshouse for old men, who faces a major crisis when his Church sinecure becomes the centre of public controversy. In it Trollope reveals his special genius for satirizing the Church of England. Yet while he wishes to expose an abuse of privilege, he is also vehement in his attack on the reformers - zealous John Bold, Dr Pessimist Anticant and Mr Popular Sentiment.
But at the heart of the novel is Mr Harding's private drama of conscience and in contrasting his moral honesty with the worldliness of his fellow cleric, Archdeacon Grantly, and the hypocrisy of Tom Towers, editor of the crusading Jupiter, Trollope illustrates his belief in the value of individual integrity.
