Character guide

Evelina Anville

major

Also known as Evelina, Miss Anville, Anville, Evelina Belmont, Evelina Berry Hill

A gentle, unacknowledged girl raised in rural seclusion, she steps into London's glittering cruelty and must guard her heart while learning who she truly is.

Lord Orville

major

Also known as Orville, noble Lord Orville, Lord Orville—the happy Orville

A nobleman whose unfailing courtesy and quiet attention make him seem the one virtuous man in a corrupt world — and the standard Evelina measures everyone against.

Madame Duval

major

Also known as Duval, Madame, poor Madame Duval

Evelina's coarse, hot-tempered French grandmother, who claims authority over her granddaughter's future while brawling openly with anyone who crosses her.

Sir Clement Willoughby

major

Also known as Willoughby, Clement, Clement Willoughby, Sir Clement

A titled, charming, and utterly unscrupulous pursuer whose gallantry curdles into menace whenever Evelina tries to escape his attentions.

Captain Mirvan

supporting

Also known as the Captain, Captain, Mirvan, Captain Mirvan

A bluff, mocking sea captain who turns every drawing-room encounter into a skirmish and reserves his cruelest sport for Madame Duval.

Mrs. Selwyn

supporting

Also known as the sarcastic Mrs. Selwyn, Mrs. ¬ÝSelwyn

A sharp-tongued, independent widow whose satirical wit strips the pretensions from everyone around her — and whose protection of Evelina is as bracing as it is genuine.

Mrs. Mirvan

supporting

Also known as Mrs. and Miss Mirvan, poor Mrs. Mirvan, the amiable Mrs. Mirvan

Mrs. Mirvan opens her household to Evelina and treats her with a warmth approaching maternal tenderness, insisting she stay in town rather than be left to Madame Duval's company. Yet her kindness is shadowed by a marriage to the boorish Captain Mirvan, whose constant raillery and disputes cause her silent, unremitting pain. Her steady good-breeding against his brutality gives Evelina's London season its moral anchor and shows the young heroine what grace under pressure looks like.

Miss Mirvan

supporting

Also known as Maria, Moll, Miss Mirvan, Poor Miss Mirvan

Maria Mirvan is the sweet-tempered daughter of Captain and Mrs. Mirvan, and the confidante Evelina leans on as she stumbles through her first assemblies, shopping expeditions, and hair-dressings. She reassures Evelina that there is nothing to fear in a ball, and her easy familiarity with fashionable life contrasts with Evelina's wide-eyed astonishment. Her friendship gives the early London letters their warmth and makes Evelina's entry into society feel shared rather than solitary.

Rev. Mr. Villars

major

Also known as the Rev. Mr. Villars, Mr. Villars, Arthur Villars, O Villars

Mr. Villars has raised Evelina as his own, cherishing her guileless nature while dreading the snares of fashionable society and the unprincipled father who abandoned her. His letters to Lady Howard and Evelina reveal a man torn between protecting her innocence and securing the birthright she deserves, a conflict he admits has left him in perpetual perplexity. His voice frames the novel's moral stakes, and his counsel is the standard against which Evelina measures every temptation London throws at her.

Lady Howard

supporting

Also known as Lady Howard Berry Hill, Lady Howard Paris

Lady Howard is the noblewoman whose household at Howard Grove becomes Evelina's gateway into society, and whose judgment mediates between Mr. Villars's caution and Madame Duval's vehemence. When Madame Duval threatens to drag Evelina abroad, Lady Howard firmly refuses to surrender her until Villars consents, absorbing the older woman's rage with steady authority. Her interventions keep Evelina's fate from being decided by the loudest voice in the room, and her deference to Villars shows the network of care surrounding the heroine.

Sir John Belmont

supporting

Also known as Sir John, John Belmont, Belmont

Sir John Belmont is the man whose abandonment of Evelina's mother and rejection of their child hangs over the entire novel, a stranger to parental feeling who has never once inquired into his daughter's existence. His letter to Lady Howard, disclaiming Evelina with contempt and derision, wounds her more deeply than the loss of fortune itself. His refusal fixes the central question of the plot: whether the orphan can ever claim the name and justice that are rightfully hers.

M. Du Bois

minor

Also known as Du Bois, Monsieur Du Bois, poor M. Du Bois

A Frenchman traveling with Madame Duval, secretly in love with her.

Mr. Branghton

minor

Also known as young Mr. Branghton, young Branghton

A vulgar London tradesman and Madame Duval's nephew, part of her low-class relations.

Miss Polly Branghton

minor

Also known as Polly, Miss Polly Branghton, Miss Polly, Poll

A flirtatious and silly cousin of Evelina, one of the Branghton daughters.

Mr. Smith

minor

Also known as Yesterday Mr. Smith

A young man lodging with the Branghtons who shows interest in Evelina.

Mr. Lovel

minor

Also known as Lovel, this Mr. Lovel, Poor Mr. Lovel

A foppish, affected gentleman who is publicly humiliated by Captain Mirvan.

Lady Louisa Larpent

minor

Also known as Larpent, Lady Louisa, Louisa

Lord Orville's proud and haughty sister who initially snubs Evelina.

Mr. Macartney

minor

Also known as poor Mr. Macartney, the unhappy Mr. Macartney

A melancholy Scottish poet who lodges near the Branghtons and befriends Evelina.

Lord Merton

minor

Also known as the incorrigible Lord Merton, Merton

A dissolute nobleman who pursues a bet with Mr. Coverley and later marries Lady Louisa.

Mrs. Beaumont

minor

Also known as Mrs.  Beaumont

A fashionable hostess in Bristol who entertains the nobility.

Mr. Coverley

minor

Also known as Coverley, the witty Mr. Coverley, Jack Coverley

A young rake who engages in a drunken bet with Lord Merton.

Lady Belmont

minor

Also known as the late Lady Belmont, the unfortunate Lady Belmont

Evelina's deceased mother, secretly married to Sir John Belmont.

Caroline Evelyn

minor

Also known as Miss Evelyn, Caroline, Evelina

Evelina's mother, who died shortly after her birth, leaving her in Mr. Villars' care.

Mr. Brown

minor

Also known as Brown, young Brown, the simple Mr. Brown

A simple young man who works for the Branghtons and is smitten with Miss Polly.

Mrs. Clinton

minor

Also known as the worthy Mrs. Clinton, the good Mrs. Clinton

A loyal servant of the Belmont household who helps reveal Evelina's identity.

Monsieur Du Bois

minor

Also known as Monseer, Monseer Slippery, poor Monseer Doleful

A Frenchman traveling with Madame Duval, often mocked by Captain Mirvan.

Mr. Garrick

minor

Also known as The celebrated Mr. Garrick

The famous actor, briefly mentioned as a performer Evelina sees at the theater.

Dame Green

minor

A local woman in Berry Hill who assists Mr. Villars with household matters.

Miss Belmont

minor

Also known as The Miss Belmont

An imposter raised as Sir John Belmont's daughter, later revealed to be a fraud.

Biddy

minor

Also known as Miss Biddy

A young woman in the Branghton circle, possibly a servant or acquaintance.

Tom

minor

A servant or young man mentioned in passing in the Branghton household.

Justice Fielding

minor

Also known as Fielding

A magistrate briefly consulted regarding a legal matter involving Evelina.