# Mr. Eldridge — Charlotte Temple character guide

> Mr. Eldridge in Charlotte Temple by Susanna Haswell Rowson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Eldridge

**First appearance:** 0004-volume-i-ii-domestic-concerns

## Snapshot

Lucy's aged father, a once-prosperous man reduced by misfortune, whose reunion with his daughter measures the cost of the years they lost.

## Who they are

Mr. Eldridge is the father of Lucy Temple (née Eldridge), and his long separation from her—through poverty, disgrace, and distance—gives the Temple family's story its emotional undertow. When father and daughter finally meet again, the scene's wordless grief and joy stand as the novel's picture of what Charlotte's own father will never get to feel. His frailty and endurance make him a quiet emblem of the domestic love the book keeps insisting is worth more than fortune.

## In the story

### [II: Domestic Concerns](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-i-ii-domestic-concerns)

A former captain imprisoned in the Fleet, maintaining dignity despite poverty; his primary concern is his daughter's future.

### [III: Unexpected Misfortunes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-i-iii-unexpected-misfortunes)

Narrates his tragic family history, including his imprisonment and the loss of his wife and son.

### [IV: Change of Fortune](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-i-iv-change-of-fortune)

Imprisoned for debt, recounts the tragic loss of his wife and son, and is freed through Temple's generosity.

### [Such Things Are](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-i-v-such-things-are)

Lucy's father, who retires with the couple to their cottage and lives peacefully.

### [VIII: Domestic Pleasures Planned](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-i-viii-domestic-pleasures-planned)

Mentioned as the person to whom the Temples present their birthday plan.

### [XIII: Cruel Disappointment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-i-xiii-cruel-disappointment)

Arrives joyfully to collect Charlotte, but is shattered by the news of her elopement.

### [XIV: Maternal Sorrow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-i-xiv-maternal-sorrow)

Returns home with the painful task of informing the Temples of Charlotte's elopement.

### [XXV: Reception of a Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxv-reception-of-a-letter)

Prays to see Charlotte restored to her parents before his death.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/characters/mr_eldridge
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/charlotte_temple_se/characters