Character guide

Cedric Errol

major

Also known as Ceddie, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Lord Fauntleroy, Captain Cedric Errol, Captain Cedric, Cedric Errol, Captain Errol, Master Ceddie

Cedric grows up in a modest New York side street, befriending a grocery-man and a bootblack, before a lawyer reveals he is heir to the Earl of Dorincourt. What makes him remarkable is not his new title but his unshakable habit of thinking of others, which he carries into a castle full of cold formality. His open heart becomes the test the old Earl never expected to face, and the story's early arc turns on whether a child's goodness can soften a bitter man.

Earl of Dorincourt

major

Also known as the old Earl, the Earl, Earl, Lord Dorincourt, VIII Lord Dorincourt

The Earl of Dorincourt is staggeringly wealthy, widely feared, and estranged from the son whose American marriage he never forgave. When that son dies and the title passes to a New York child, the Earl summons the boy out of duty and spite, expecting to be disgusted. Instead, Cedric's trust and his mother's quiet dignity start working on him, and the novel's middle arc watches a hard old man discover, uneasily, that he can still love.

Mr. Hobbs

supporting

Also known as Hobbs, Mr. В Hobbs

Mr. Hobbs runs the corner grocery where Cedric spends his happiest hours, and he regards earls as a personal insult to democracy. When his small friend is suddenly claimed by England, Hobbs writes indignant letters, follows him across the Atlantic, and tours the castle with comic bewilderment. His grudging admission that he wouldn't have minded being one of them himself measures how thoroughly Cedric's world has unsettled everyone who loves him.

Mr. Havisham

supporting

Also known as Havisham, Mr. В Havisham, Gradually Mr. Havisham

Mr. Havisham arrives in New York expecting to inspect a claimant and instead meets a child so straightforward that the lawyer's professional caution keeps slipping into fondness. He becomes the bridge between two worlds, managing the Earl's demands while shielding Cedric and his mother from the worst of them. His patient investigations and unshowy decency make him the story's steady hand whenever the family's fortunes threaten to spin out of control.

Dick

supporting

Also known as Professor Dick Tipton, Perfessor Dick Tipton

Dick earns his living shining shoes on a city street, but his real talent is loyalty, and he and Mr. Hobbs form Cedric's ragtag American family. When Cedric's fortune changes, Dick writes him a defiant, misspelled letter promising backup against any 'ole theves' who might take advantage. His streetwise nerve and willingness to stand by his friend make him unexpectedly useful when the story's later troubles require someone who knows how to spot a fraud.

Mrs. Errol

supporting

Also known as Errol, Mrs. В Errol, first Mrs. В Errol, little Mrs. Errol

Mrs. Errol raised Cedric in cheerful poverty after her husband's death, and she teaches him the courtesy and kindness that make him beloved wherever he goes. The Earl refuses to receive her at the castle, so she lives nearby in quiet exile, never letting bitterness touch her son's affection for his grandfather. Her patience and self-respect gradually win over the estate's tenants and, more slowly, the Earl himself, making her the story's quiet counterweight to aristocratic pride.

Mary

supporting

Also known as Bloody Mary

Mary is one of the first villagers to greet Cedric and his mother at church, bobbing a courtesy and calling down God's blessing on the boy who will one day own the soil. Her easy warmth toward the American widow cuts against the Earl's cold formality, quietly testing whether the great house will accept its new heir's humble origins. In these early scenes she helps establish the village's watchful, hopeful mood around Fauntleroy.

Reverend Mr. Mordaunt

supporting

Also known as Mr. Mordaunt, Mordaunt, The Reverend Mr. Mordaunt

Mr. Mordaunt serves the parish around Dorincourt, and on the first Sunday after Cedric's arrival his churchyard fills with tenants and farmers eager to see the boy who will inherit the estate. The Earl's rare appearance in the family pew, with Fauntleroy at his side, turns the service into a public reckoning between old pride and new blood. Mordaunt's quiet ministry frames the community's first impressions of the heir and the mother the Earl refuses to acknowledge.

Thomas

minor

Also known as Mr. Thomas, Tom

A footman in the Earl's household.

Wilkins

minor

Also known as wilkins

A groom or servant at the castle.

Lady Lorridaile

minor

Also known as degrees Lady Lorridaile

A kind noblewoman who visits the Earl and befriends Cedric.

Mrs. Dawson

minor

Also known as Dawson, Miss Dawson

The housekeeper at Dorincourt Castle.

Ben

minor

Also known as XV Ben

A tenant farmer on the Earl's estate.

Bridget

minor

A servant in the Earl's household.

Benjamin Tipton

minor

Also known as Ben

Dick's brother, a young man in New York.

Newick

minor

Also known as Mr. Newick

The head gardener at Dorincourt Castle.

Miss Vivian Herbert

minor

Also known as Miss Vivian, Miss Herbert

A young lady who visits the castle and interacts with Cedric.

Captain Errol

minor

Also known as the Captain

Cedric's deceased father, remembered fondly.

Michael

minor

A servant or tenant on the estate.

Higgins

minor

Also known as Mr. Higgins, Higgins of Edge Farm

A tenant farmer who receives help from Cedric.

Mrs. Dibble

minor

A tenant's wife on the estate.

Billy Williams

minor

Also known as Billy

A young boy from the village who interacts with Cedric.

Mrs. Mellon

minor

A tenant's wife on the estate.

Dougal

minor

A Scottish servant at the castle.

Mrs. Higgins

minor

Also known as poor Higgins

The wife of tenant farmer Higgins.

Bevis

minor

A boy from the village who plays with Cedric.

James

minor

Also known as Jim

A servant in the Earl's household.

Jake

minor

A young boy from the village.

Jerry

minor

A servant or worker on the estate.

John Arthur Molyneux Errol

minor

Also known as Molyneux

Cedric's deceased father's full name, mentioned in legal contexts.

Sir Harry Lorridaile

minor

Also known as Sir Harry, Harry, Henry

A nobleman who visits the Earl.

Queen Mary

minor

Also known as Minna

Historical figure mentioned in passing, not a character.

Jane Shorts

minor

Also known as Jane

A servant in the Earl's household.

Constantia

minor

A minor servant or tenant mentioned briefly.

Lady Fauntleroy

minor

The title held by Cedric's mother in courtesy.