# Mr. Peter Jenkyns — Cranford character guide

> Mr. Peter Jenkyns in Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Peter, Poor Peter, Peter Marmaduke Arley Jenkyns

**First appearance:** 0005-vi-poor-peter

## Snapshot

Miss Matty's long-lost brother, a mischievous schoolboy turned wandering soldier, whose youthful prank shattered the Jenkyns family and left a lifelong absence.

## Who they are

As a boy, Peter was the family's brilliant, irreverent spirit, forever teasing his stern sister Deborah and delighting the quieter Matty with his jokes. One reckless impersonation of Deborah, witnessed by their father, drove him from home and into a life of roving and soldiering abroad, leaving a wound in the household that never fully healed. His memory haunts Miss Matty's story, shaping her loneliness and her tender, forgiving love for the brother she lost.

## In the story

### [Poor Peter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cranford_se/chapters/vi-poor-peter)

The subject of the story; his childhood prank of cross-dressing led to a public flogging and his running away to sea.

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

Returns to Cranford after many years, surprising Miss Matty in her shop.

### [XVI: Peace to Cranford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cranford_se/chapters/xvi-peace-to-cranford)

Mr. Peter orchestrates the reconciliation, arranges the magic show, tells tall tales to Mrs. Jamieson, and successfully brings the community together.

## Links

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