# Charlotte Stanhope — Barchester Towers character guide

> Charlotte Stanhope in Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Charlotte, Stanhope

**First appearance:** 0008-ix-the-stanhope-family

## Snapshot

The Stanhope family's cool, managing eldest daughter, who runs the household, indulges its follies, and plays a merciless game to marry her brother to Eleanor Bold's money.

## Who they are

Charlotte Stanhope is the practical intelligence behind the Stanhope household, encouraging her father's neglect of his livings, her mother's idleness, her sister's scandals, and her brother's uselessness, all so she may remain mistress and manager. She befriends Eleanor Bold with calculated warmth, engineering constant contact with Bertie and believing that familiarity will make retreat impossible. Her blindness to Eleanor's actual character—her assumption that no woman could be playful with Bertie and still be innocent—makes her a quietly dangerous force in the novel's middle.

## Relationships

### [Eleanor Bold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/eleanor_bold)

_social_

Charlotte Stanhope befriends Eleanor primarily to advance her brother Bertie's marriage prospects.

### [Bertie Stanhope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/bertie_stanhope)

_family_

Bertie and Charlotte are siblings, with Charlotte often scheming to manage Bertie's irresponsible behavior.

### [Bertie Stanhope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/bertie_stanhope)

_family_

Bertie and Charlotte are siblings, with Charlotte often scheming to manage Bertie's irresponsible behavior.

### [Eleanor Bold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/eleanor_bold)

_social_

Charlotte Stanhope befriends Eleanor primarily to advance her brother Bertie's marriage prospects.

### [Bertie Stanhope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/bertie_stanhope)

_family_

Bertie and Charlotte are siblings, with Charlotte often scheming to manage Bertie's irresponsible behavior.

### [Eleanor Bold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/eleanor_bold)

_social_

Charlotte Stanhope befriends Eleanor primarily to advance her brother Bertie's marriage prospects.

## In the story

### [The Stanhope Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/ix-the-stanhope-family)

The capable, managing eldest daughter who runs the household and controls her father and sister, but has used her influence to enable the family's idleness and folly.

### [The Widow's Suitors](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xv-the-widow-s-suitors)

Scheming sister who encourages Bertie to marry Eleanor Bold to secure his future.

### [Barchester by Moonlight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xix-barchester-by-moonlight)

Organizes the moonlit walk and manipulates the social dynamics to further family interests.

### [Mrs. Proudie Victrix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xxxiii-mrs-proudie-victrix)

Deliberately plans to entrap Eleanor into a marriage with Bertie, using familiarity and manipulation while pretending friendship.

### [Mrs. Bold Confides Her Sorrow to Her Friend Miss Stanhope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xli-mrs-bold-confides-her-sorrow-to-her-friend-miss-stanhope)

Offers sympathy and devises a plan to use Mr. Slope's misconduct to bring Bertie and Eleanor closer together.

### [Ullathorne Sports—Act III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xlii-ullathorne-sports-act-iii)

Orchestrates the courtship plot, arranging for Bertie to propose to Eleanor for her fortune.

### [Mrs. Bold at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xliv-mrs-bold-at-home)

Mentioned as a base, designing woman for her role in the scheme to secure Eleanor's fortune for Bertie.

### [The Stanhopes at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xlv-the-stanhopes-at-home)

Anxiously awaits news of Bertie's proposal; after its failure, she faces her father's anger and plans to secure money for Bertie's debts.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters/charlotte_stanhope
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barchester_towers_se/characters