Facts About Miss Marple

We've chosen some of our favourite facts about Agatha Christie's character, Miss Jane Marple.

1. The character was, in part, based on Agatha Christie’s own grandmother, and her grandmother’s friends.

2. Miss Marple first appeared in six short stories, written in 1927-1928. The first full-length novel, written and published in 1930, is called The Murder at the Vicarage.

3. Miss Marple features in 12 novels, and 20 short stories written by Agatha Christie.

4. Jane Marple is described as an attractive, thin, old lady, with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

5. Although now a spinster, Miss Marple does hint at beaux from her past in the books.

6. She has an unusual background for a sleuth, with no background in criminology or the police force.

7. Miss Marple’s hobbies include gardening, knitting and, of course, gossiping.

8. She lives in St Mary Mead, a small English village with a local pub, a handful of shops, the vicarage as well as the Gossington Hall estate.

9. Miss Marple’s unique understanding of human nature and wickedness comes from her careful observance of village life and, at times, becoming a busybody.

10. Jane Marple is house-proud, and has had a host of different housemaids, many of whom she takes in from an orphanage and trains in housekeeping skills.

11. A caring employer with a passion for justice, Miss Marple seeks revenge when a former maid is murdered in A Pocket Full of Rye.

12. She is an independent spirit who enjoys travelling to visit friends in the UK and further afield.

13. However, almost all of the Miss Marple mysteries are set in an English village or country house, with a handful of exceptions.

14. Not an optimist, Miss Marple has learnt to expect the worst, from everything and everyone.

15. Miss Marple’s nephew appears in several Agatha Christie’s stories, Raymond West, a writer, is very fond of his aunt, but is prone to underestimate her.

16. Never one to sit idle, Miss Marple enjoys being busy (much like her creator).

17. At times limited by her old age, Jane Marple enlists the help of others to solve crimes, utilising knowledge from a network of friends and relatives, servants, police offers and locals.

18.The only time we read from Miss Marple’s own point of view is in the short story ‘Miss Marple Tells A Story’.

What do you like most about Agatha Christie's inimitable sleuth? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #MyMarple.