# Mr. Swancourt — A Pair of Blue Eyes character guide > Mr. Swancourt in A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mr. Swancourt Percy Place, a Swancourt, Here Mr. Swancourt, Mr. Swancourt , flushed , grieved , and stern, Parson Swancourt, Pa'son Swancourt, Papa, papa, O papa **First appearance:** 0004-i ## Snapshot Elfride's gout-ridden father, a vicar whose social climbing and sharp temper make him both comic and quietly menacing. ## Who they are Christopher Swancourt is a widowed clergyman on the sea-swept edge of Lower Wessex, ambitious for the family name and quick to take offense when his dignity is touched. He dotes on Elfride in his way but treats her future as a matter of connections and appearances, and his snobbery toward Stephen Smith is one of the first obstacles the young lovers must face. His household — and the secret of his own past — set the social terms Elfride spends the novel trying to escape. ## Relationships ### [Stephen Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/stephen_smith) _social_ Mr. Swancourt initially welcomes Stephen Smith as a guest but later disapproves of him as a suitor due to class differences. ### [Elfride Swancourt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/elfride_swancourt) _family_ Mr. Swancourt is Elfride's father, a vicar who is loving but socially ambitious and controlling regarding her marriage. ### [Elfride Swancourt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/elfride_swancourt) _family_ Mr. Swancourt is Elfride's father, a vicar who is loving but socially ambitious and controlling regarding her marriage. ### [Stephen Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/stephen_smith) _social_ Mr. Swancourt initially welcomes Stephen Smith as a guest but later disapproves of him as a suitor due to class differences. ### [Elfride Swancourt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/elfride_swancourt) _family_ Mr. Swancourt is Elfride's father, a vicar who is loving but socially ambitious and controlling regarding her marriage. ### [Stephen Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/stephen_smith) _social_ Mr. Swancourt initially welcomes Stephen Smith as a guest but later disapproves of him as a suitor due to class differences. ## In the story ### [The Persons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/the-persons) Identified as a clergyman, father of Elfride. ### [A Pair of Blue Eyes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/a-pair-of-blue-eyes) Elfride's father, the vicar of Endelstow, who hosts Stephen and observes the budding relationship. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/i) The vicar, a red-faced, handsome man of forty, suffering from gout and irritable, but gives Elfride instructions for the visitor. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/ii) Indisposed and unable to receive Stephen immediately; later asks to speak with him. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/iii) Laid up with gout but converses with Stephen about church restoration and his family history. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/iv) Boasts about his manual work on the church roof, discusses church restoration and dissenters, and shares Elfride's secret with Stephen. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/v) Arranges the visit to Endelstow House to search for Lord Luxellian's documents; invites Stephen to return in August; jokes about family prayer. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/vi) Mr. Swancourt is warmly taken with Stephen, insisting he return in August. He dozes in the carriage and later expresses astonishment at his own fondness for the young man. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/viii) Mr. Swancourt is briefly seen in his study and later heard talking to someone in the garden, but does not interact directly with Stephen or Elfride in this chapter. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/ix) Furious upon learning Stephen's parentage, he forbids the relationship and hints at a beneficial scheme for Elfride. ### [The Secret Pact](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/x) Mr. Swancourt is the obstacle to the lovers' happiness; he has forbidden the engagement and refuses to reconsider, driving Stephen and Elfride to secret measures. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xi) Rises early, makes an early breakfast, and sees Mrs. Troyton off. Later he drives to Stratleigh, and jokingly responds to Elfride's hypothetical question. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xii) Mr. Swancourt has remarried Mrs. Troyton (now Mrs. Swancourt) and is affectionate toward Elfride, though he admits to having kissed his new wife on the lawn. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xiv) Mr. Swancourt has moved with the family to Kensington and enjoys the social status brought by his marriage to Mrs. Swancourt. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xvi) Initially supports Elfride's plan to write to the critic but loses enthusiasm; recalls Stephen Smith but chooses not to mention it. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xvii) Welcomes Knight from a distance and begins a conversation about Knight's family name and lineage. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xviii) Encourages the chess game between Elfride and Knight, having forgotten a similar game with Stephen Smith the year before. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xix) Attempts to tell a story but stops himself on Sunday; invites Knight to stay longer. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xx) The vicar moralizes during the seaside outing and participates in the picnic. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxvii) Questions Elfride about her promise and the telegram; advises her to tell Knight the truth but reassures her. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxix) Present during the journey, initially worried about the route through London's docks. ### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxxv) Arrives at Knight's chambers, angrily takes Elfride away, misinterpreting the situation. ### [XXXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxxix) Seen as part of the funeral procession, looking much older, and identified as the father of the deceased lady. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/mr_swancourt - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters