The Chief Factor's Daughter: Touchwood Editions

by Vanessa Winn

Chief In the Hudsons Bay Company fur-trade monopoly, the title of chief factor was the highest rank given to commissioned officers, who were responsible for a major trading post and its surrounding district. Colonial Victoria in 1858 is an unruly mix of rowdy gold seekers and hustling immigrants caught in the upheaval of the fur trade giving way to the gold rush. Chief Factor John Work, an elite of the Hudsons Bay Company fur trade and husband to a country-born wife, forbids his daughters to go into the formerly quiet Fort Victoria, to protect them from its burgeoning transient population. Margaret, the eldest daughter, chafes at her fathers restrictions and worries that, at 23, she is fated to be a spinster. Born of a British father and Métis mother, Margaret and her sisters belong to the upper class of the fur-trade community, though they become targets of snobbery and racism from the new settlers. But dashing naval officers and Royal Engineers still host parties and balls, and Margaret and her sisters attend, dressed in the fashionable gowns they order from England. As happens the world over, these cultural tensions lead to love and romance. An elegant recreation of real events and people, The Chief Factors Daughter takes readers inside a now-vanished society, just as Pride and Prejudice does. Margaret Work, with her aspirations, hopes and dreams, is a recognizable and thoroughly appealing heroine.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Vanessa has lived in Victoria, B.C., for much of her life, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in English from the University of Victoria. Her second historical novel, Trappings, was recently released in 2020. Her debut novel, The Chief Factor's Daughter, was longlisted for the ReLit Awards and runner-up for Monday Magazine's Favourite Fiction award. It has been studied at BC universities, as will Trappings in 2021. Her non-fiction has appeared in Monday Magazine, and her poetry has been published in The Quilliad, Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, and Island Writer.

Beyond her love of the written word and historical research, Vanessa finds inspiration in dance and teaches Argentine Tango.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanessa Winn's The Chief Factor's Daughter successfully walks the thin line of historical fiction. Too often, historical fiction labours under its own weight of historical facts and anecdotes. Too seldom does historical fiction capture the essence of everyday life. Winn gets the balance just right.

The novel is set in 19C Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is located on the west coast of Canada, and served as hub for shipping, surveying, the Hudson Bay Company and the many people following the gold rush to the north. Within this fluid work lives the Work family, and the central focus of the family is Margaret Work. The novel follows the day-to-day life of Margaret. The central focus of the novel Traces Margaret's life as the world and her own youth seem to pass her by. Will she never find a husband as her sisters and other women in the community do? What are the social pressures placed upon a young lady who must conform to the niceties of convention while her private self fears the future?

Well written, effectively researched and of great topographical interest to those who enjoy Canadian history ( and especially those who live in British Columbia) this book offers much for the reader who is interested in historical fiction and family life in the 19C.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enlightening, intriguing, and dismaying. It does a good job of exploring what role the gold rush played specifically in Victoria's development. It completely changed the make-up of Victoria, and we see what it was like from the eyes of Margaret Work, a young lady who was accustomed to the days of Fort Victoria and the dominance of the Hudson's Bay Company.

There were so many times when this story reminded me of Pride and Prejudice. True, they involve very different times, places and circumstances, but there are some strong parallels. The most frustrating for my modern eyes was the women and the emphasis on finding a husband. Margaret, 24 at the beginning of the story, already fears that she will never receive a proposal, and many times she has to put up with pity or scorn from others around her. I hated the way that so many the women here treated each other as rivals, making thinly-veiled jabs or lording their proposal or marriage over other women (but in a socially acceptable way, of course, so that their victims have to grin and bear it). How horrible!! I cringe to think that all the ladies of the story were measuring their worth by marriage.

Interesting too was how the gold rush affect social values. Not that prejudice had not existed previously, but Victoria had been more of a melting pot. With the gold rush came stronger social prejudice, and formerly eligible young ladies were looked down upon for having indigenous blood.

I'm glad that I read this book, as it gave me a better sense of what my city was like as it transitioned from colonial Fort Victoria. I found the writing style engaging, though I couldn't quite get past the echoes of Jane Austen. A good read for anyone willing to learn about some interesting local history.

[Victoria Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think of it, Margaret… Dark skin, a country upbringing--
you would be a curiosity on a visit, but beyond that,
you would never be accepted.
-- from "The Chief Factor's Daughter"
by Vanessa Winn, Touchwood Editions, c. 2009

As Margaret Work fears herself rapidly approaching spinsterhood, her hopes for marriage and full acceptance into society begin to fade. Her Irish-Metis heritage is a source of insecurity she cannot overcome, despite a respectable social standing established by John Work, the family patriarch, as Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company outpost in Fort Victoria.

"A courtship with her, she was painfully aware, would be a one-way passage for Mr. _____. To marry her would also mean marrying the colony. She was born to the country, and to take her back to the Old World would be nearly unthinkable."

Even in her admirers, Margaret detects a disconcerting tendency to scrutinize her features and suspects they are trying to trace her bloodline in her face. It would be enough to make any chin-held-high heroine shy away from society, but Margaret surprises her company time and again with speech and manners that "endeavour to be worthy of the society she seeks."

Whether that society is worthy of her, author Vanessa Winn does not judge, but gives her characters plenty to keep them busy while they sort out the friendships, betrothals and marriages that will shape their lives to come. Along with riding parties, picnics and politics, there are moccasins to mend, fish to trade, taxidermy skills to practice...even a Pig War to settle.

Winn's is a convincing voice from a bygone era. In bringing colour and life to the very real families of colonial Victoria, she stays closely on the side of history. It takes all kinds to build a city, and Winn's research reveals the frivolous, the wanderers, the politicians and profligates, the sickly, the adventurous, the practical and persevering that built the Fort into what was to become a provincial capital of world renown.

Deftly done.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful imagining of the life of the daughter of one of Victoria's founding families.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared with the other two books about Vancouver Island this one falls right in the middle. It wasn't as annoying as Tea at the Empress, but it also wasn't as informative or cohesive a story as House of Crows. I had no idea what a "Chief Factor" was and the book gives you scant clues, so I had to turn to Wikipedia to help me out. Basically, he's just an administrator for a company - in this case the Hudson Bay Company, I guess, though again, it isn't exactly made clear.

The writing is okay - more descriptive with better character development than House of Crows - but the action was very stilted and lacking much substance, probably because everything is based on snippets from letters and diaries of men who lived at the time. There were some funny bits (particularly the Pig War on San Juan Island), but the last half of the book felt like the author took several Jane Austen novels and pulled ideas to try to cobble together a better story than had been developing. Sadly the effort really never came together and we were left with a bit of a muddled mess. The main takeaway is that if you try to create fiction from non-fiction it's a very difficult task. I admire the effort, but this one just didn't work for me.

[Doug Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

DOUG'S PICK
Read this for a travel Book Club to Victoria, BC.

Betsy: 2 1/2 stars
Wade: 2 1/2 stars
Kathy 2.75 stars
Doug: 2.73 stars

Overall, the book read like a romance novel, but nothing too exciting ever happened. Margaret was somewhat of a "little" character, in thought especially. Her sisters were much more interesting. The story did take place in 19th century Victoria, so it was interesting to read about what life was like during that time and place. The Royal Navy, the Fraser Gold Rush, the Hudson Bay Company, and many other events and characters in the book were based on fact. In the hand of a more accomplished author, this book may have made it big.

While in Victoria, we stayed at the Empress on the Gold Floor and enjoyed High Tea. We also walked around Victoria and saw some of the sights that were mentioned in the book.

[Book Club · Rating 2 out of 5]

DOUG'S PICK
Read this for a travel Book Club to Victoria, BC.

Betsy: 2 1/2 stars
Wade: 2 1/2 stars
Kathy 2.75 stars
Doug: 2.73 stars

Overall, the book read like a romance novel, but nothing too exciting ever happened. Margaret was somewhat of a "little" character, in thought especially. Her sisters were much more interesting. The story did take place in 19th century Victoria, so it was interesting to read about what life was like during that time and place. The Royal Navy, the Fraser Gold Rush, the Hudson Bay Company, and many other events and characters in the book were based on fact. In the hand of a more accomplished author, this book may have made it big.

While in Victoria, we stayed at the Empress on the Gold Floor and enjoyed High Tea. We also walked around Victoria and saw some of the sights that were mentioned in the book.

[Edeana Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pioneer Pride and Prejudice

I loved this book. It was a sweet read. People who like Jane Austen or history buffs will love it too.
This story is set in the 1850s in Victoria when it was growing from a fur-trading fort into a town, aided and abetted by the Fraser River Gold Rush. The main character, the daughter of a Hudson Bay fur trader and a Metis woman, attends the balls put on by the Naval officers at the nearby base of Esquimalt and the many weddings that result from them. But when will she have her own wedding?
The novel is well-researched and based on real characters and situations. Every chapter begins with a diary excerpt from one of Victoria's citizens or visitors.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Living in Victoria BC, I got a vivid picture of life during the gold rush. Hope and imagination make Margaret an engaging character.

The depictions of daily life make the time period and characters come to life.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading before visiting Victoria BC

Easy way to learn a bit of history of the area before visiting Victoria. Interesting story but background of area made worthwhile.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It transported my into mid 19th century Victoria, delving with the options (or lack there of) for young women then!

[Caroline Woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific historical novel about the early years in and around Victoria and the lives of the women who spent their time waiting to go to grand or modest balls with naval officers and surveyors and hoping for marriage proposals. But it is much more in-depth than this superficial description would suggest and it is no formulaic bodice-ripper, i.e., it is very well written.

The commentary for each chapter comes from quotes selecting from the writing of men in many different positions, most of them Englishmen in fairly exalted positions, and the attitudes toward the “colonies and rough colonialists, the half-breeds and quarter-breeds, the savages” serve as stark contrast to the hospitality shown to them by the Chief Factor’s family in particular. Racism and sexism are, of course, rampant but the truth is that many of the most powerful people in Victoria were of mixed heritage including James Douglas the Governor and his wife as well as the Chief Factor’s family. The scarcity of young women who were white or "passably so" in the tent city and Hudson's Bay fort that once was Victoria and the social and culinary skills of the matriarchs put the lie to both ‘isms’ many times over of course. The men left written accounts and from the women we have needlework and marriage, birth and death records kept by the Church. So the author has invented 3-D lives for the women and men as well of this rough and tumble era and thanks to her research and understanding of human nature, we have a great book to read.

It was gratifying to read the later quotes from several men who had gained a few years of experience in the Fraser Valley or further north on Vancouver Island upon returning to the ever-growing settlement of Victoria. These quotes reflected their changing attitudes and true appreciation of the gracious and unstinting hospitality received from the Chief Factor’s family in particular. The early colonial research seems painstaking and impeccable to my eye (I am no expert on this era) and best of all, it does not get in the way of a very good narrative as it tends to do in less capable hands than those possessed by this author. The main character, an intelligent young woman whose darker complexion has made her less desirable to some suitors than her fairer sisters is a complex and thoroughly believable human being caught in a vise of cultural and gender dynamics, aware of it and powerless to do much about it. The etiquette of that era meant that unmarried sisters always entered a room behind their married sisters and the descriptions of the status conferred by marriage and the triumphant entrances made by the young brides is enough to make a modern woman, okay, me, hurl a shoe at the young snobs and yell, "Take a look at what you married, you birdbrain! He's a drunk and a no-goodnik who married you for your father's money!"

A thoroughly enjoyable read with utterly memorable characters, male and female, adult and child, dogs and horses too. I very much appreciated the appendix which informed us what became of many of the characters who were once living breathing individuals, as in real life historical figures, and it quietly hit home, then as now, how tragically short some people’s lives are and how some who begin with great promise, fizzle for all sorts of reasons, while others, less well-thought of in their youth, become very successful in matters of career, political influence and/or a happy family life.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first saw this book at the Fort St. John North Peace Museum and assumed it was about Fort St. John. It was a delightful surprise to find out it was about Fort Victoria (as that is my home town). I really enjoyed reading this and learning more about the history of Victoria - I liked how each chapter started with a quote from a local at the time and then the chapter wove the essence of that quote into its story.

The only downfall for me was that I became distracted with wondering where all the farms and the fort were located. Because the names and city lay out are so familiar to me I found myself wondering where exactly were Hillside farm, the Finlayson's home, and the fort, especially because the ladies would walk between each of these locations.

One of the source's Winn cited, The Pioneer Women of Vancouver Island, is a book I borrowed from my Granny 30 years ago as a reference for a high school essay. I later inherited the book and The Chief Factor's Daughter has encouraged me to break open TPWoVI after so many years.

[Jenny Jaeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attention Jane Austen fans! And fans of historical fiction. Set in the mid-1800's, in Victoria, British Columbia, The Chief Factor's Daughter tells the fictionalized story of Margaret Work, one of the daughters of the Hudson Bay fur trading company's highest officer. Margaret's life is marked by all the drama of a young woman nearing the perilous end of "marriageable age", and loves and losses of her many siblings, further complicated by their mixed European and Native heritage. This is a beautifully written, fully absorbing story, grounded in detailed research of the era. It is at many times subtle, rather than sentimental, both romantic and real. A fantastic read!

[Kendra Stejskal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read, since I am a historic re-enactor at a Hudson Bay Company fort, Fort Nisqually in Washington state. This is a fictional account of the lives of people (mostly the Work family) that worked with the Hudson Bay Company in Washington and Canada, people from the past that I am very familiar with. At our history museum, we portray several of the people that are written about in this book. It was great fun to read their story from a fictional perspective! Winn definitely researched the history, and the book was filled with lots of great historical snippets as well.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book of particular interest, since I grew up in the Victoria area. The book captures the time when Victoria was transitioning from a Hudson Bay company fort to a city. You see the tensions that developed between the various groups of people and the challenges they faced.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - Victoria, BC street names have so much more meaning for me now. Thank you, Vanessa Winn, for bringing to life the people of Victoria's past. Your lovely writing style made it all the more enjoyable to read. This book is a gift to us and the people you wrote about.

[Julie Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful story of Victoria, BC, in the late 1850s. Recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction that is well grounded in research and with poignant characters living in a time of change on the outer edge of the British Empire.

[Nancy Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, and Alexander Caulfield Anderson is quite accurately portrayed (as far as I can possibly know). I love Jane Austen and so this book also pleases me as it combines a Jane austen type read with the fur trade of early Fort Victoria.

[Alexis]

Read for a review. Wasn't crazy about this.