A Journal of the Plague Year · Character

John Hayward

A well-travelled sea captain whose letters and talk bring word of plague abroad before London has any printed newspapers to spread it.

supporting

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

First appearance: a journal of the plague year

As a supporting figure in A Journal of the Plague Year, John Hayward is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

John is described stepping out of a tent with a gun, pretending to be a sentinel to frighten a constable and the people with him.

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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.

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See John Hayward in a journal of the plague year

Character Web

15 connections

A slice of how John Hayward sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Social
Other

Character groups

Narrator's acquaintances
Protagonist
Diverse plague participants
Authority and expertise

+10 more in the full Character Web

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Relationships

Lord
professional · ambivalent
John Hayward and the Lord collaborate on enforcing plague regulations and managing public… How this plays out →
Thomas
social · ambivalent
Sir Robert Clayton
professional · positive
Constable
professional · ambivalent
Thomas
social · ambivalent
Lord
professional · ambivalent
John Hayward and the Lord collaborate on enforcing plague regulations and managing public… How this plays out →
Lord
professional · ambivalent
John Hayward and the Lord collaborate on enforcing plague regulations and managing public… How this plays out →
Sir Robert Clayton
professional · positive

Lord
John Hayward and the Lord collaborate on enforcing plague regulations and managing public health measures.
Thomas
John Hayward and Thomas are acquaintances who meet in the context of H.F.'s household or neighborhood affairs.
Sir Robert Clayton
John Hayward and Sir Robert Clayton work together on administrative and financial responses to the plague.
Constable
The Constable and John Hayward coordinate enforcement of plague regulations and watch over infected houses.
Thomas
John Hayward and Thomas are acquaintances who meet in the context of H.F.'s household or neighborhood affairs.
Lord
John Hayward and the Lord collaborate on enforcing plague regulations and managing public health measures.
Lord
John Hayward and the Lord collaborate on enforcing plague regulations and managing public health measures.
Sir Robert Clayton
John Hayward and Sir Robert Clayton work together on administrative and financial responses to the plague.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See John Hayward in a journal of the plague year

In the story

John Hayward appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Endnotes

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for John Hayward unlock in the free preview.

See John Hayward in a journal of the plague year

See John Hayward in Endnotes