Character guide

H.F.

major

Also known as Unknown, thou, your, thee, Himself, mine, myself, thy, themselves, their, Our, our, ourselves

H.F. is a tradesman of middling fortune who stays behind when neighbours scatter, recording the plague's creep from St. Giles's parish toward his own street near Aldgate. His stubborn curiosity and appetite for exact numbers—burials, bills, concealed deaths—pull him constantly toward the infected districts even as the city seals itself shut. His account matters because he is the eyes and conscience of the book: a witness who insists on counting what everyone else is trying to hide.

John Hayward

supporting

Also known as this John Hayward, John, Hayward, honest John Hayward, Captain John

Hayward moves through the early chapters as a trusted friend and source of foreign intelligence, carrying reports of Holland's outbreak from merchants' correspondence and dockside gossip. His knowledge arrives by letter and word of mouth, making him both useful and unreliable—rumour dressed as news, which the narrator must weigh against the official bills. He matters because he embodies the fragile information network of 1664, when a city learned of its own danger only as fast as ships and friends could tell it.

Thomas

supporting

Also known as Brother Tom, Tom

Thomas is family—Brother Tom—whose decision to leave the city sets him in quiet opposition to H.F.'s determination to stay and observe. His departure raises the question that haunts the whole book: whether survival is a duty to one's household or a betrayal of the neighbours left behind. He matters because his absence gives the narrator's stubborn presence its moral weight, turning a saddler's curiosity into a deliberate choice.

John Cock

minor

Also known as One John Cock

A man who dies of the plague after being shut up in his house.

Sir Robert Clayton

minor

Also known as Robert

A wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London during the plague.

Master of the House

minor

Also known as the master of the house, The master of the house

The head of a household where the narrator lodges during the plague.

A Doctor

minor

Also known as the doctor

An unnamed physician who treats plague patients and advises the narrator.

Lord

minor

A nobleman who issues orders for plague containment in London.

The Officers

minor

Also known as the proper officers, the parish officers

Parish officials who enforce quarantine and burial orders.

Constable

minor

A parish constable who enforces plague regulations.

Giles

minor

Also known as St. Giles

A parish in London heavily affected by the plague.

Andrew

minor

Also known as St. Andrew

A parish in London mentioned in plague statistics.

Dr. Heath

minor

Also known as Heath

A physician consulted by the narrator about plague remedies.

Richard Nay

minor

Also known as Richard, Richard the joiner

A joiner who helps bury the dead and later falls ill.

Solomon Eagle

minor

A Quaker who walks through London prophesying doom with a pan of fire.

Sir Charles Doe

minor

A gentleman who provides accounts of plague deaths in his parish.

Captain Richard

minor

Also known as Richard

A ship captain who brings goods from Holland during the plague.

My Master

minor

The narrator's employer, a saddler, who leaves London early in the plague.

Mr. ⸻

minor

A merchant and friend of the narrator who stays in London during the plague.

Our Travellers

minor

A group of people fleeing London who are described collectively.

Servants

minor

Domestic servants who care for the sick and die in large numbers.

The Quakers

minor

A religious group noted for their calm response to the plague.

The Dutch

minor

Dutch traders who bring goods to London during the plague.

Forsooth

minor

A character who appears in a comic anecdote about a plague victim.

Rachel

minor

A woman who loses her family to the plague and is mentioned briefly.

Ford

minor

A man who dies of the plague and is mentioned in a list of victims.

King James

minor

Also known as King James, our late Sovereign King James, of happy memory

The former king of England, mentioned in historical context.

Bride

minor

Also known as St. Bride

A parish in London mentioned in plague statistics.

Providence

minor

Also known as Divine Providence

A personification of divine guidance mentioned by the narrator.