# Mr. Hoggins — Cranford character guide

> Mr. Hoggins in Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** videlicet Mr. Hoggins

**First appearance:** 0000-i-our-society

## Snapshot

Cranford's blunt, good-humored surgeon, whose plain name and plainer manners scandalize the town's genteel spinsters even as his skill keeps them alive.

## Who they are

As the village's resident medical man, Mr. Hoggins occupies an odd position in Cranford society: necessary, respected in emergencies, yet never quite forgiven for lacking pedigree. The ladies sniff at his surname, which they feel ought to be Piggins, and mourn the aristocratic Hoggins connection he cheerfully denies. His courtship of Lady Glenmire later rattles the town's rigid social code, but early on he simply embodies the friction between usefulness and gentility that Gaskell's comedy thrives on.

## In the story

### [XI: Samuel Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cranford_se/chapters/xi-samuel-brown)

Called upon to examine Samuel Brown; his medical opinion is trusted by the ladies.

### [XV: A Happy Return](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cranford_se/chapters/xv-a-happy-return)

Marries Lady Glenmire, now referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Hoggins.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cranford_se/characters/mr_hoggins
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cranford_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cranford_se/characters