Character guide

Black Beauty

major

Also known as Beauty, Black Auster, Auster, Darkie

A handsome black horse with a white star and one white foot, he narrates his own passage through kind grooms, hard masters, and the crowded streets of London.

Ginger

major

Also known as VII Ginger, VIII Ginger, dear old Ginger, poor Ginger, XL Poor Ginger

Ginger arrives at Birtwick Park wary and quick to warn off strangers, the product of rough handling she refuses to forget. Paired with Beauty in double harness, she pulls her full share up every hill, and under John Manly's steady kindness her watchful defiance slowly softens into trust. Her recovery shows what good care can do, and her memory of what came before shadows the happier years at the orchard.

Merrylegs

supporting

Also known as IX Merrylegs Mr. Blomefield, poor Merrylegs, Mr. Blomefield

Merrylegs is the small, cheerful favorite of Birtwick Park, carrying Miss Jessie and Flora and the vicar's children about the orchard by the hour. He is careful as a cat with nervous little riders but firmly pitches the rougher boys off backward when they will not stop, insisting he is the best riding-master those children have. His blend of patience and self-respect makes him a quiet model of how a horse should be handled.

John Manly

major

Also known as John, Manly, Mr. Manly

John Manly runs the Birtwick stables with a quiet authority that horses and boys both respect, holding the reins rather than the whip. His famous 'Birtwick balls' — patience, gentleness, firmness, and petting mixed with common sense — are his prescription for nearly any troubled animal, and Ginger's slow transformation proves him right. He is the moral center of Beauty's early life, the standard against which later grooms and masters are measured.

James Howard

supporting

Also known as James, Jim, XIV James Howard

James Howard works alongside John Manly at Birtwick, brushing the horses' heads as carefully as if the eyes were his own and earning the trust of both Ginger and Beauty. Steady and pleasant in his way, he represents the kind of young handler the Birtwick method produces — competent, humane, and ready for greater responsibility. His growth from stable boy toward coachman shows the reader what good training and good example can make of a willing lad.

Joe Green

supporting

Also known as Little Joe Green, Joseph, Joe, Poor Joe, XX Joe Green Joe Green, Green

Joe Green comes to Birtwick as a boy small for his age, attentive and quick to learn, trusted by John Manly with small errands. His inexperience leads to a grave mistake in Beauty's care, and the lesson of ignorance — that good intentions are not enough — stays with the reader long after. Years later, grown into a fine young groom with black whiskers and a man's voice, he spots a white star and a threepenny-bit patch and knows his old friend at once.

Jeremiah Barker

major

Also known as Jerry, Jerry Barker, Barker, Mr. Barker

Jerry Barker drives his cab through London's crowded streets, known for keeping his horses clean, his cab smart, and his temper even. When a wealthy patron drops him for honoring the Sabbath, he takes the loss without bitterness, and when a neighbor's mother lies dying ten miles out, he sacrifices his one day of rest to drive her there. His blend of principle and good humor makes him the moral center of Black Beauty's London chapters, showing that kindness to horses and people comes from the same place.

Polly Barker

supporting

Also known as Polly, Mary

Polly Barker keeps the household running while Jerry drives his cab, greeting him at the yard with news and a lantern on dark evenings. When Dinah Brown needs a ride to her dying mother, Polly makes the case for going — not with guilt, but with plain reasoning about what she would want in Dinah's place. Her steady moral nudging and cheerful practicality shape the Barker household into the kind of home where a tired horse is made 'snug and happy' before supper.

Squire Gordon

supporting

Also known as young Gordon, Mrs. Gordon

Squire Gordon of Birtwick Park is the sort of master every horse hopes for — he examines eyes, mouth, and legs with care, and speaks of breaking a colt gently rather than roughly. His household is shadowed early by grief: his only son George dies in a hunting accident, a loss that hangs over the estate and colors the squire's later decision to leave for a warmer climate. His kindness establishes the standard against which Beauty measures every later home.

Mr. York

supporting

Also known as York

Mr. York runs the Earlshall stables with discipline and an eye for horseflesh, respected by the household and quietly aware of the small cruelties imposed by fashionable ladies' whims. He sees Reuben Smith's brilliance and his fatal weakness, and has twice shielded him from dismissal — a mercy that buys time but cannot erase the risk. His practical judgment and occasional compromises show how even a competent, well-meaning servant is bound by the whims of those above him.

Lady Anne

supporting

Also known as The Lady Anne, the Lady Anne, Annie, dear Annie

Lady Anne is gay, gentle, and confident in the saddle, choosing Black Auster as her mount and naming him with affection. When she insists on riding the skittish Lizzie despite her cousin Blantyre's warning, her bravado sets in motion a ride that will test both horse and rider. Her story shows how the vanity and high spirits of the gentry can put horses and people at risk — not through cruelty, but through careless confidence.

Reuben Smith

supporting

Also known as Reuben, Smith

Reuben Smith can drive four-in-hand, doctor a lame horse, and charm everyone in the stable yard — but he cannot reliably stay sober. York has twice hushed up his 'bouts,' and the earl has taken him back on a solemn promise. Trusted to drive Colonel Blantyre to town and ride Black Auster home, Smith's judgment falters when a loose nail in the horse's shoe goes unrepaired, and his old habits return at the worst possible moment.

Harry Barker

minor

Also known as Harry

Jerry and Polly's son, who helps with the cab and learns his father's values.

Dolly Barker

minor

Also known as Dolly, little Dolly

Jerry and Polly's young daughter, who loves the horses and her family.

Sir Oliver

minor

Also known as old Sir Oliver

An old horse at Birtwick Park who tells Beauty about the cruelty of docking tails.

Hotspur

minor

A high-spirited horse at Earlshall Park who is paired with Beauty.

Peggy

minor

Also known as Poor Peggy

A cab horse with a peculiar trot who works alongside Beauty in London.

Captain

minor

Also known as XLIV Old Captain, poor Captain, a Captain Langley, Langley, old Captain

An old war horse who shares his tragic story with Beauty in the cab stables.

Seedy Sam

minor

Also known as Samson, Sam, poor Seedy Sam

A poor, overworked cab horse owner who dies from exhaustion and cruelty.

Jakes

minor

Also known as IV XLVI Jakes

A carter who overloads Beauty and uses a bearing rein cruelly.

Mr. Thoroughgood

supporting

Thoroughgood moves through the horse-fair world as a man who knows a ruined animal when he sees one, yet buys on trial rather than on pity, insisting the young groom prove himself fair. His judgment is practical, not sentimental: he reads Beauty's star, scarred knees, and threepenny-bit patch as evidence of a good horse badly used, and he trusts his own eye over the dealer's word. In the story's closing arc he becomes the hinge between Beauty's suffering and his restoration, the quiet proof that kindness and good sense can undo years of cruelty.

Willie Thoroughgood

minor

Also known as Willie

Farmer Thoroughgood's grandson who helps nurse Beauty back to health.

Max

minor

Also known as Old Max

An old horse at the Gordon farm who gives Beauty advice about breaking in.

Bill Starkey

minor

Also known as Bill, Willie

A cruel boy who torments horses and later becomes a cab driver.

Thomas Green

minor

Also known as Thomas, Tom Green, Tom

A groom at Birtwick Park who helps care for the horses.

Mr. Barry

minor

Also known as Barry

A gentleman who briefly owns Beauty but is cheated by dishonest grooms.

Nicholas Skinner

minor

Also known as old Colin, Skinner

A cruel London cab owner who works his horses to death.

Miss Ellen

minor

Also known as Nelly

A kind young woman who rides Beauty at Birtwick Park.

Sir Clifford Williams

minor

A gentleman who hires Beauty for hunting at Earlshall Park.

Mr. Grant

minor

Also known as Grant, Governor Grant

A horse dealer who sells Beauty to various owners.

Wright

minor

A groom at Earlshall Park who helps care for the horses.

Rob Roy

minor

Beauty's half-brother who is killed in a hunting accident.

Larry

minor

A cab driver who works alongside Jerry in London.

Colonel Blantyre

minor

Also known as Blantyre

A gentleman who rides Beauty during the Lady Anne runaway incident.

Lord W⸺

minor

Also known as the Lord W⸺, W⸺

The wealthy owner of Earlshall Park who buys Beauty from Squire Gordon.

Alfred Smirk

minor

Also known as Alfred

A vain, cruel groom at Earlshall who mistreats the horses.

Dick Towler

minor

Also known as Dick, Towler

A boy who throws stones at horses and is punished by Squire Gordon.

Lizzie

minor

Also known as Betsy

A nervous mare at Earlshall Park who bolts with Lady Anne.

Miss Jessie

minor

A young woman who rides Beauty at Birtwick Park.

Miss Flora

minor

Also known as Flora

A young woman who rides Beauty at Birtwick Park.

Dr. White

minor

The veterinarian who treats Beauty and other horses.

Mrs. Briggs

minor

A lady who hires Jerry's cab and appreciates his kindness to horses.

Mr. Briggs

minor

Mrs. Briggs' husband, who also hires Jerry's cab.

Lord George

minor

A young nobleman who rides Beauty roughly during a hunt.

Jack

minor

Also known as Poor old Jack

An old horse at the Gordon farm who is retired to pasture.

Dinah Brown

minor

Also known as Dinah

A servant in the Barker household who helps with the children.

Rory

minor

A cab horse who works alongside Beauty in London.

Robert

minor

A groom at Birtwick Park who helps with the horses.

Mr. Smith

minor

Also known as Smith

A horse dealer who sells Beauty to Mr. Barry.

Mr. B

minor

A gentleman who hires Beauty for hunting and rides him hard.

Old Norman

minor

Also known as Norman

An old horse at the Gordon farm who teaches Beauty about farm life.

Mr. Clay

minor

A farrier who shoes horses and gives advice on their care.

Mr. Bond

minor

A horse dealer who buys Beauty from Mr. Barry.

Governor Gray

minor

A horse dealer who sells Beauty to Squire Gordon.

Braydon

minor

A groom at Earlshall Park who is kind to the horses.

Justice

minor

A horse at Birtwick Park who is a friend to Beauty.

Liberty

minor

Also known as VI Liberty

A horse at Birtwick Park who enjoys freedom in the field.

Martha Mulwash

minor

A poor woman who hires Jerry's cab and receives his kindness.

Ned

minor

A groom at Earlshall Park who is careless with the horses.

Ladybird

minor

A gentle pony at Birtwick Park ridden by the children.

Skye

minor

A dog belonging to the Barker family.

Susan

minor

A horse at the cab stables who is a friend to Beauty.