Character guide

Hugh Stanbury

major

Also known as Mr. Hugh Stanbury, Stanbury, Mr. Stanbury, poor Hugh, young Stanbury

Hugh Stanbury earns his living by his pen, which places him awkwardly between the genteel Rowleys and his own proud, impoverished family in Devon. He is drawn to Nora but hesitates to propose, knowing that marriage on a journalist's income means genteel poverty and the disapproval of those who hoped she would marry a lord. His honest, impatient courtship — and his willingness to defy his formidable aunt Jemima — makes him the story's testing ground for whether love can survive without money.

Nora Rowley

major

Also known as Miss Rowley, Nora, Miss Nora Rowley, dear little Nora

Nora is the sister without fortune, dependent on the kindness of relatives and expected to marry well. She turns down the rich and amiable Mr. Glascock, scandalising her family, because her heart is fixed on Hugh Stanbury — a man who has not yet spoken. Her stubborn fidelity to her own feelings, set against her sister's practical warnings, makes her the moral centre of the novel's marriage plot.

Dorothy Stanbury

major

Also known as Miss Stanbury, Dorothy, Miss Dorothy, Dorothy Makes, Miss Dorothy Stanbury

Dorothy lives under the thumb of Miss Jemima Stanbury, who has decided that her niece shall marry the widowed clergyman Mr. Gibson. Gentle, dutiful, and without a shilling of her own, Dorothy nonetheless refuses to be managed, and her quiet defiance provokes her aunt's bewildered rage. Her story in Exeter — the small daily battles of a dependent woman asserting her will — runs alongside the London plot and gives the novel much of its domestic comedy and pathos.

Louis Trevelyan

major

Also known as Trevelyan, young Trevelyan, Louis, Poor Louis, Poor dear Louis

Louis Trevelyan is a man of principle and property who cannot bear the thought that his authority has been slighted. When his wife Emily refuses to break off a harmless acquaintance with Colonel Osborne, he demands submission rather than explanation, and his demand becomes a fixed idea. His refusal to admit the possibility of his own error — and his fatal decision to employ the ex-policeman Bozzle — drives the novel's central tragedy.

Emily Trevelyan

major

Also known as Mrs. Trevelyan, Emily, Dear Emily, Poor Emily Trevelyan

Emily Trevelyan is a woman of spirit who believes her innocence should be enough, and who resents being ordered to give up a friend on no evidence. Her refusal to apologise for conduct she does not consider wrong turns a domestic quarrel into an irreparable breach. As her husband's jealousy deepens, she becomes the novel's most sympathetic sufferer — cut off from her home, her husband, and eventually her son.

Miss Jemima Stanbury

major

Also known as old Miss Stanbury, Miss Stanbury, Jemima Stanbury, Jemima, dear Jemima, old Jemima

Miss Jemima Stanbury is a woman of strong opinions, generous impulses, and an ungovernable desire to manage other people's lives. She takes in her niece Dorothy, plans her marriage to Mr. Gibson, and writes furious letters when her schemes are thwarted. Her quarrels with her brother's family and her grudging affection for her nephew Hugh make her both a comic tyrant and a genuinely formidable presence in the Exeter chapters.

Sir Marmaduke Rowley

supporting

Also known as Sir Marmaduke, Sir Rowley, Marmaduke, excellent old Sir Marmaduke

Sir Marmaduke presides over a household of women in Manchester Street, his authority nominally absolute but practically besieged by daughters with opinions and suitors with insufficient incomes. His elder daughter's disastrous marriage and his second daughter's attachment to a penniless journalist force him to weigh respectability against affection. He is the weary patriarch whose decisions about whom his daughters may marry shape the novel's central romantic tensions.

Lady Rowley

supporting

Also known as Poor Lady Rowley, Rowley, poor Lady Rowley

Lady Rowley manages the practical machinery of her family's crises — receiving Hugh Stanbury's awkward proposal, arranging for a grandchild to be fetched from Italy, and tempering her husband's bluster. She is drawn to Stanbury's honesty yet recoils from his precarious income, and her heart still softens toward the son-in-law who has treated her daughter cruelly. Her mediating presence keeps the Rowley family from fracturing entirely under the weight of its romantic and financial pressures.

Colonel Osborne

supporting

Also known as Osborne, Nuncombe Putney, Our Colonel, The Colonel, horrid Colonel

Colonel Osborne moves through Exeter society with the ease of a man who has always been welcomed and never questioned, paying calls on Mrs. Trevelyan at Nuncombe Putney with a casualness that scandalizes the neighborhood. Whether his intentions are genuinely improper or merely careless, his presence is the spark that Trevelyan's suspicious mind transforms into obsession. He embodies the social danger of a man whose reputation protects him while the woman he visits bears all the consequences.

Brooke Burgess

supporting

Also known as Mr. Brooke Burgess, Mr. Burgess, Brooke, Burgess, this Brooke Burgess

Brooke Burgess stands to inherit Miss Stanbury's money, a fact that makes his romantic interest in the humble Dorothy both a promise and a problem. He is decent, patient, and caught between his aunt's controlling generosity and his own desire for a life she may not sanction. His suit for Dorothy — conducted in whispers and glances while Miss Stanbury lies ill — forces the novel to ask whether love can survive the machinery of inheritance.

Mr. Glascock

supporting

Also known as Republican, poor Mr. Glascock, Glascock, the Honourable Glascock, the Republican Browning

Mr. Glascock moves through the novel as the ideal suitor everyone can see except the woman he wants — wealthy, well-connected, and generous enough to ride at dawn to retrieve a child for people who are nothing to him. His refusal by Nora stings less than his growing friendship with the Spaldings, whose American directness both baffles and attracts him. He represents the road not taken, and his eventual happiness suggests that the novel's rewards go to those who can adapt.

Priscilla Stanbury

supporting

Also known as Miss Priscilla Stanbury, Priscilla, Miss Stanbury, poor Priscilla Stanbury

Priscilla runs the practical affairs of the Stanbury household with an efficiency that borders on severity, editing her mother's letters and managing her sister's expectations with equal bluntness. She has accepted that marriage is not for her and channels her intelligence into protecting Dorothy from their aunt's caprices and their brother's fecklessness. Her skepticism about romance and her insistence on self-respect make her the moral anchor of the Nuncombe Putney chapters.

Camilla French

supporting

Also known as Miss French, Camilla, Miss Camilla, Miss Camilla French, Cammy, the French

Camilla French is one of Mrs. French's marriageable daughters at Heavitree, and she pursues the vacillating Mr. Gibson with a determination that scandalises Exeter. When he tries to withdraw his offer, she storms his lodgings, threatens to tear his gown and stab her own sister rather than lose him, and reduces the poor man to hiding his face in his hands. Her ferocity is both ridiculous and oddly magnificent, and it drives the comic subplot that shadows the novel's darker marital tragedy.

Mr. Gibson

supporting

Also known as Poor Mr. Gibson, poor Mr. Gibson, Gibson

Mr. Gibson is a comfortably established clergyman in Exeter, favoured by Miss Stanbury as a possible match and pursued by the French sisters with alarming energy. He lisped his refusals, dreads confrontation, and finds himself trapped between Arabella's hopes, Camilla's fury, and the old lady's sharp tongue. His cowardice and vanity make him the pivot of the novel's comic subplot, and his mishandling of a simple engagement shows how small weaknesses can produce very large scenes.

Arabella French

supporting

Also known as Arabella, Bella, Poor Bella, the unfortunate Arabella, Bella French

Arabella French is the elder and gentler of Mrs. French's daughters, and she has allowed herself to believe that Mr. Gibson means to marry her. When Camilla secures him instead, Arabella collapses in tears, calls her sister a treacherous vixen, and then submits to sit down to tea with the engaged pair. Her humiliated surrender is one of the novel's sharpest small comedies, and it deepens the portrait of a household where marriage is a contest and affection a casualty.

Caroline Spalding

supporting

Also known as Carry, Carry Spalding, Poor Caroline, Miss Spalding

Caroline Spalding is the niece of a New England senator, travelling in Europe with her fiercely republican friend Wallachia Petrie when she attracts the attention of the Honourable Charles Glascock. She is drawn to him but troubled by the gulf between his world of Monkhams and her own, and she consults Nora Rowley and the doctrinaire Wallachia before deciding anything. Her deliberation over whether to accept a good man she fears may be too easily led gives the novel one of its few portraits of a woman reasoning her way toward love.

Lady Milborough

supporting

Also known as Old Lady Milborough, old Lady Milborough, dear Lady Milborough, Milborough

Lady Milborough is an old family friend of the Trevelyans, kind, fussy, and entirely convinced that appearances must be preserved at any cost. Her well-intentioned cautions to Louis about Emily's acquaintance with Colonel Osborne give his jealousy a respectable voice, and he later recoils in horror at the thought that she has looked into the sacred shrine of his marriage. She means only good, but her meddling shows how easily respectable society can feed a husband's suspicion.

Mr. Bozzle

supporting

Also known as Bozzle, this Bozzle, Samuel Bozzle, Mr. Samuel Bozzle

Mr. Bozzle is a retired policeman who now sells his services as an investigator, and Trevelyan employs him to spy on Emily and later to demand the return of the child. He loves power, loves tapping people on the shoulder with legal authority, and is thoroughly disconcerted when the mild clergyman Mr. Outhouse calls him a knave and threatens a real policeman. His grubby trade exposes how far Trevelyan's jealousy has descended, and his encounters with the Outhouse household measure the moral distance between the spy and his betters.

Mr. Outhouse

supporting

Also known as To Mr. Outhouse, Outhouse

Mr. Outhouse is the rector of St. Diddulph's, a man so suspicious of West-end clubs and fashionable connections that he refused even to dine at his niece Emily's house in Curzon Street. When the Trevelyan marriage breaks down, he offers her the parsonage but couples the offer with St. Paul's injunction that wives obey their husbands, and Emily storms out, refusing to be treated as a disgraced woman. His struggle between Christian duty and moral disapproval of a wife who will not submit makes him a quiet test of how the novel weighs obedience against self-respect.

Mrs. Outhouse

minor

Mr. Outhouse's wife, who reluctantly hosts Emily Trevelyan.

Bartholomew Burgess

supporting

Also known as old Mr. Burgess, Mr. Bartholomew Burgess, Barty, Barty Burgess, old Barty

Old Bartholomew Burgess is a banker in Exeter whose long-ago courtship of Miss Stanbury has curdled into a running feud, and he loses no chance to warn his nephew Brooke that the legacy dangling before him comes with a capricious, sharp-tongued benefactor attached. His accusations plant doubt in Brooke's mind just as Brooke is weighing whether to court Miss Stanbury's favour, and his cynical read on the old woman's motives shadows the courtship plot. He matters because he voices the suspicion that money and affection in Exeter are never quite separable.

Miss Wallachia Petrie

minor

Also known as Miss Petrie, Wallachia, Wallachia Petrie, poor Wallachia Petrie, the divine Wallachia

An eccentric American feminist who travels with the Spaldings.

Mrs. French

minor

Also known as Even Mrs. French, Whereupon Mrs. French

Mother of Camilla and Arabella, who schemes for their marriages.

Mrs. Spalding

minor

Also known as Poor Mrs. Spalding

Caroline's mother, an American lady traveling in Europe.

Olivia Spalding

minor

Also known as Miss Spalding, Olivia, Miss Olivia Spalding, Livy, Livy Spalding

Caroline's sister, who also travels with the family.

Mrs. Bozzle

minor

Also known as Bozzle

Mr. Bozzle's wife, who assists in his detective work.

Lord Peterborough

minor

Also known as Monkhams, the Monkhams, old Lord Peterborough, Peterborough

An elderly peer whose title eventually passes to Mr. Glascock.

Mrs. Fuller

minor

Also known as Whereupon Mrs. Fuller

A friend of the Outhouses who appears in their social circle.

Dr. Turbury

minor

Also known as Dr. Trite Turbury

A doctor who attends to Trevelyan during his illness.

Dr. Nevill

minor

A doctor who treats Trevelyan in England.

Rev. Oliphant Outhouse

minor

Also known as Oliphant, Oliphant Outhouse

Mr. Outhouse's brother, also a clergyman.

Martha

minor

A servant in the Trevelyan household.

Louey

minor

The young son of Louis and Emily Trevelyan.

Dolly Stanbury

minor

Also known as Dolly, dear Dolly, Dolly Stanbury, dear old Dolly

An elderly friend of Miss Stanbury in Exeter.

Mrs. MacHugh

minor

Also known as old Mrs. MacHugh

An elderly Exeter lady and friend of Miss Stanbury.

Mr. Bideawhile

minor

Also known as Old Mr. Bideawhile, old Mr. Bideawhile

The family solicitor for the Stanburys and Trevelyans.

Sir Peter Mancrudy

minor

Also known as Sir Peter

A friend of Sir Marmaduke who helps him with financial matters.

Lady Peterborough

minor

Also known as a Lady Peterborough, the future Lady Peterborough, old Lady Peterborough

Lord Peterborough's wife, who appears at Monkhams.

Mrs. Clifford

minor

A friend of the Rowleys who appears at social gatherings.

Charles Glascock

minor

Also known as the Honourable Charles Glascock, Mrs. Glascock, Charles

Mr. Glascock's brother, who inherits the title.

Giles Hickbody

minor

Also known as Giles

Miss Stanbury's servant in Exeter.

Mrs. Crumbie

minor

Also known as Mr. and Mrs. Crumbie, Mr. Crumbie

A couple who are friends of the Stanburys in Exeter.

Mr. Crump

minor

Also known as the Crump, Mr. Gibson;—taking Mr. Crump

A clergyman who competes with Mr. Gibson for a living.

Mr. Julius Cropper

minor

Also known as Cropper, Mr. Cropper

A business associate of Brooke Burgess in the banking firm.

Mrs. Powel

minor

A friend of the Rowleys who appears in London society.

Mr. Jennings

minor

Also known as Jennings

A lawyer consulted by the Trevelyans during their separation.

Major Magruder

minor

A military friend of Sir Marmaduke who helps with his affairs.

Mr. Martin

minor

Also known as Martin

A friend of Hugh Stanbury in London.

Mrs. Ellison

minor

Also known as Mrs. Ellison of Lessboro, the Lessboro

A friend of the Rowleys who appears in the London social scene.

Mr. Gore

minor

Also known as Mr. H. H. G. Gore

A colleague of Hugh Stanbury at the newspaper.

Mrs. Fairfax

minor

Also known as a Mrs. Fairfax

A friend of the Rowleys who appears in society.

Augustus Poole

minor

Also known as Poole

A friend of Hugh Stanbury in London.

Jane Marriott

minor

Also known as Jane

A friend of Nora Rowley who appears in the London social circle.

Mrs. Merton

minor

A friend of the Rowleys who appears at social events.

Lord Cantrip

minor

A politician who employs Hugh Stanbury as a correspondent.

Mrs. Crutch

minor

A friend of Miss Stanbury in Exeter.

Mrs. Clegg

minor

A friend of Miss Stanbury in Exeter.

Harry Burgess

minor

Also known as the Rev. Harry Burgess

A clergyman and relative of the Burgess family.

Dr. Ball

minor

Also known as old Dr. Ball

A doctor in Exeter who attends to Miss Stanbury.

Frederic Osborne

minor

Also known as Fred Osborne

Colonel Osborne's son, briefly mentioned.

Count Buonarosci

minor

Also known as Buonarosci

An Italian acquaintance of the Trevelyans in Siena.

Mrs. Peacock

minor

A friend of the Rowleys who appears in London society.

Mr. Soames

minor

Also known as the late Mr. Soames

A deceased friend of Miss Stanbury mentioned in her will.

Lady Banbury

minor

A friend of the Rowleys who appears in London society.

Lord Bowles

minor

Also known as Bowles

A politician mentioned in connection with Hugh Stanbury's work.

Uncle Jonas

minor

An uncle of the Stanbury sisters, mentioned in passing.

Uncle Oliphant

minor

Also known as Oliphant

An uncle of the Outhouse family, mentioned briefly.

Wally

minor

Also known as Poor Wally, Poor dear Wally

A friend of the Rowley family, possibly a suitor of Nora.

Lucy and Sophy

minor

Also known as Lucy, Sophie, Poor Sophie

Two young friends of the Rowley sisters.

Richard

minor

A servant in the Trevelyan household.

Miss Sophia

minor

Also known as Sophy, Sophia

A friend of the French sisters in Exeter.

Florence

minor

A friend of Nora Rowley mentioned in the London social circle.

George Glascock

minor

Also known as the Honourable George Glascock

Mr. Glascock's younger brother, who inherits the title.

Mary

minor

Also known as Aunt Mary, Maryanne

A servant or relative of the Stanbury family.

May

minor

Also known as Molly

A friend of the Rowley sisters.

Poulter

minor

A servant or tradesman mentioned in the Exeter storyline.

Gregg

minor

A friend of Colonel Osborne mentioned in passing.

Jones

minor

A generic name used for a servant or minor character.

Mr. Thomas

minor

Also known as Thomas

A friend of Hugh Stanbury in London.

Thomas Gibson

minor

A relative of Mr. Gibson mentioned in the Exeter storyline.

Mr. Trewillian

minor

Also known as Trewillian

A friend of the Trevelyans who appears in the London social scene.