Who is Martha in The Secret Garden?

Martha is the young housemaid at Misselthwaite Manor who looks after Mary and gives her a friendly welcome. She comes from a large Yorkshire family on the moor.

How many brothers and sisters does Martha have?

Martha says there are twelve children in her family, with their parents making fourteen people in the cottage. Dickon is one of her brothers.

What does Martha tell Mary about the locked garden?

She says that one of the gardens has been locked and that no one has been in it for ten years. Later she explains it was Mrs. Craven’s garden and that Mr. Craven shut it up after she died.

From The Secret Garden

Martha Sowerby

Warm Yorkshire housemaid • Cheerful and kind

A cheerful Yorkshire housemaid who chatters, laughs and teaches Mary about kindness.

Who is Martha Sowerby?

Martha Sowerby is the friendly young maid who looks after Mary at Misselthwaite Manor. She comes from a cottage on the moor with eleven brothers and sisters, and she is chatty, honest and full of good humor. Martha is the first person to tell Mary about the locked garden, and she gently encourages Mary to do things for herself.

Martha Sowerby is a character in The Secret Garden, the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Martha Sowerby like?

Friendly
Honest
Cheerful

Martha Sowerby’s story

Martha is the housemaid at Misselthwaite Manor, and she is Mary’s first friend there. She speaks in broad Yorkshire dialect and has no patience for a child who wants to be waited on. When Mary expects to be dressed, Martha is plainly surprised and says so, and Mary slowly learns to look after herself.

Martha tells Mary about her big family, about her brother Dickon and the moor, and about the garden that has been locked for ten years. Mary is curious about it, and Martha explains that Mr. Craven locked it after his wife died. Martha’s stories make the lonely girl feel less alone, and she tells Mary to go outside and play.

Martha also brings a skipping rope that her mother bought for Mary. Through her, Mary learns about Susan Sowerby, the warm cottage on the moor and the way a big, happy family lives, and she starts to see that other people have feelings too.

“One of th’ gardens is locked up. No one has been in it for ten years.”

Martha Sowerby, telling Mary about the garden. From the original 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

A moment to remember

Martha brings Mary a skipping rope with bright red handles, a gift from her mother, and Mary skips until her pale cheeks turn rosy.

Mary Lennox: the girl she looks after
Dickon Sowerby: her younger brother
Susan Sowerby: her mother
Mrs. Medlock: her strict superior

Talk about it

Martha surprised Mary by asking why she didn’t put on her own shoes. What are some things you’ve learned to do all by yourself?

Questions about Martha Sowerby

Who is Martha in The Secret Garden?: Martha is the young housemaid at Misselthwaite Manor who looks after Mary and gives her a friendly welcome. She comes from a large Yorkshire family on the moor.
How many brothers and sisters does Martha have?: Martha says there are twelve children in her family, with their parents making fourteen people in the cottage. Dickon is one of her brothers.
What does Martha tell Mary about the locked garden?: She says that one of the gardens has been locked and that no one has been in it for ten years. Later she explains it was Mrs. Craven’s garden and that Mr. Craven shut it up after she died.