One of my favorite female characters lives the charming town of Candleford, on the edge of the small community of Lark Rise. Her name is Dorcas Lane and she runs the Post Office.
Dorcas is a romantic, a meddler with tact, and a woman who loves every one of her too-many-to-count “one weaknesses” (hot baths, lavender soap, fresh-made pies, spring mornings, etc). Someone who does not “always” abide by the rules of the Post Office in favor of kindness, Dorcas can find a way to bring the community together, resolve differences without losing her temper too much (she does let people have it now and again), and deliver the mail on time. She handles the busybody Miss Pratts, owners of the local dress shop and haberdashery, with a smile, she keeps her ultra-religious employee in line, and she alongside the teenage protaganist Laura Timmins “muddles her way through” various misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and opportunities.
The story opens with Laura leaving her country home to live in town with Dorcas. She soon adapts to and loves working for the post office, but in her innocence, also makes a lot of mistakes. “Oh, Laura,” Dorcas sighs after one incident has caused a mess, “you remind me of myself sometimes.” And it’s true, both of them meddle. Rather a lot. And are not always aware of the bruising they do to others’ pride—especially with Laura’s father, the bull-headed, overly-sensitive, always-ready-to-get-offended Robert Timmons, who is a militant do-gooder in the community with too much pride. His wife often stomps all over it, in her efforts to keep them all fed.
Each episode stands alone, though entire arcs (romances, for example) carry the seasons forward. Laura falls in and out of love, as does Dorcas, who spends the first season attempting to sever ties with a man from her past—now married, he still prefers her company to that of his wife. Dorcas, after an agonizing look into herself, must remind him his place is “by her side, not mine.” She tangles with a wealthy businessman and winds up raising a child not her own, out of the goodness of her heart and her fondness for her “little man,” Sydney. There are other memorable characters, from a local woman who won’t pay her tavern bills, to the irresponsible old man who believes in all sorts of good and bad luck, to the children who run in and out of Lark Rise, but Dorcas seems to be the soul of the community, as the Post Mistress.
In the 1800s, letters were the only way to communicate other than telegrams for those who lived distant from each other. Letters passed in and out of many hands before they reached their intended recipients. Dorcas has romanticized her role, but there is also truth to it—she has a responsibility and the great honor of “bringing the news.” Word from home passes through her—of births, deaths, anniversaries, announcements. She sees herself as part of a communication system and takes it seriously. Dorcas is not perfect. She mis-communicates. She makes mistakes. She prematurely judges others. But what I love most about her is—she sees when she was wrong, she apologizes, and she makes it right. Dorcas learns she’s not always right, her instincts aren’t always right, and that sometimes she has to learn to bite her tongue rather than interfere—and in the process she is wonderfully, blissfully human.
Ah, one of my favorite characters from my favorite TV series! Sorry, I just found your blog and was happy to see a post about Dorcas Lane (nice to meet you, by the way, Charity!)
Nice to meet you too, Lillian! And yes, Dorcas is absolutely fabulous. I’m so glad the actress played her that did, so now I don’t have to remember her as the ditzy Lydia Bennett for the rest of my life!
Oh cool, I didn’t realize the actress had been in a Jane Austen movie (definitely got to see that one lol.)
You haven’t seen the longer Pride & Prejudice, the Colin Firth movie that launched his career in the hearts of women? You must! 😉
Then duly noted! *rushes off to find the film*
Yes! They’re heroines but they make mistakes and learn from them. They’re not perfect. I agree about Dorcas’ eventual husband. He wasn’t a bad man…but I didn’t think they suited one another. I would have preferred Dorcas to have remained single, but if she had to marry someone, that school master who scandalized the area, I liked them together.
i have only seen the first 3 or 4 eps of LRTC, but I liked them so much, I bought the whole series on DVD to enjoy at my leisure, since I didn’t want to trust a streaming service not to drop the show when i was partway through. It really does have a friendly, cozy, homey feel to it!
Good idea! They’re a lot of fun to watch on a snowy afternoon and perfectly clean minus the occasional innuendo between married couples. I’ve seen them all about six times.
I’m rewatching Lark Rise to Candleford yet again. I think when I first watched the show, Laura was my favorite because I was closer to her age. Now that I’m older, I totally get Dorcas Lane and she’s my favorite. Such a brilliantly written character, and beautifully acted. I hate that the show ended.
I like Laura and how the writers allow her (and Dorcas) to really make big mistakes and mess things up — just like actual people, rather than having little saints who are always right. But some of her errors, like accusing that girl of cheating on Alf, make me cringe so hard, haha.
I feel like Dorcas deserved a better man than she wound up with; he was all right, but she’s just so fabulous, nobody can quite live up to her. 😉