Lorna Doone · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore.
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John Ridd
major
Also known as John, Master John Ridd, Ridd, Master John, dear John, Master Ridd, John Is Drained, Slow John Ridd, A Ridd, Maister Jan, Jan Ridd, Maister Ridd, Maister Jan Ridd, Sir John Ridd, Sir John, John Ridd cuffs, the plain John Ridd, Darling John, Cousin Ridd, Cousin
John Ridd measures his worth in wheat-ricks, sickles, and the plain decency of Exmoor yeomen, yet his heart has been snagged since boyhood by a girl whose very name makes guilt of her. He is strong enough to hoist a man by the neckcloth and gentle enough to fear his own love, and he knows it. When the Doones' shadow falls across his family, his slow patience and enormous loyalty become the hinge on which the whole valley turns.
Lorna Doone
major
Also known as Lorna, little Lorna, Doone, Lorna Growing Formidable Having, Mistress Lorna, Mistress Lorna Doone, young Mistress Lorna, Lady Lorna, my Lorna, The Lady Lorna Dugal, Lorna Dugal, the Lady Lorna, young Lady Lorna Dugal, Lady Lorna Dugal, Cousin Lorna, fair Cousin Lorna
Lorna lives among the Doones as a jewel they keep but do not understand, and her instinctive courtesy belongs to a world she has never seen. When John Ridd brings her eggs wrapped in clover-hay, she weeps at the scent of ordinary kindness, because she is not used to it. Her beauty and her helplessness pull John forward into danger, while her own judgment quietly refuses to be owned by anyone.
Annie Ridd
supporting
Also known as Annie, sister Annie, little Annie, Mistress Annie, Sister Annie, pretty Annie, Nanny, dear Annie, Dear Annie, Annie
Annie Ridd is the softest voice at the harvest-supper and the steadiest hand when her family is threatened. Married to the charming Tom Faggus, she defends him with tears and arguments even as his wildness endangers them both. When love and faith are moved, she proves that a woman's power can outrun her brother's strength, making herself ugly to walk straight into the Doone-gate.
Tom Faggus
supporting
Also known as Tom Deserves, Faggus, Tom, cousin Tom, poor Tom, Thomas Faggus, brave Tom Faggus, Mr. Faggus, Master Faggus, Squire Faggus, Squire, the Squire Faggus
Tom Faggus is the cousin every Ridd dinner-table both dreads and enjoys, a man who can rob a coach and call it public charity. His pardon should have made him respectable, but the delight of wildness keeps pulling him back into trouble that splashes onto Annie and the family name. John's blunt verdict that Tom has done wrong to himself and to his wife sets the moral weather for the household.
Jeremy Stickles
supporting
Also known as Master Jeremy Stickles, Jeremy, Master Stickles, Master Jeremy, Jerry, Stickles, Therefore Stickles, spy Stickles, poor Stickles, Colonel Stickles, poor Jeremy, Jeremy Stickles, Colonel Jeremiah Stickles, Captain Stickles, Stickles, Captain, Captain Stickles
Stickles arrives in the West Country with a signet, a commission, and a very high opinion of his own brains, which he is happy to explain to anyone he deems trustworthy. He binds John to secrecy about plots, dukes, and the public weal, treating the whole affair as a game only he can unravel. His night journeys and whispered politics drag the quiet Ridd farm into the larger dangers of the kingdom.
John Fry
supporting
Also known as John, young John, dear John, old John Fry, Jeremy John Fry, poor John, Fry
John Fry is the servant who sits down to dinner before the church clock strikes eleven and calls his master 'your worship' with a goose-leg in his mouth. He is loyal in his fashion, but his stories and his stomach often lead the family into trouble, especially where Tom Faggus is concerned. His comic presence grounds the novel's darker passages in the ordinary mud and mirth of West Country life.
Carver Doone
major
Also known as Carver, Carver Doone, the vile Carver, the Doone, Doone, the great Carver Doone, the Carver, Captain Carver
Carver Doone rules Glen Doone through violence and terror, and his claim on Lorna makes her a captive prize rather than a free woman. His cruelty is the dark counterweight to John Ridd's steady decency, and the mere threat of him shapes every plan John makes. When John weighs whether Lorna could ever escape, it is Carver's name that turns hope into caution, making him the shadow that hangs over the lovers' early happiness.
Ruth Huckaback
supporting
Also known as little Ruth Huckaback, Ruth, Ruth Huckaback, little Ruth, darling Ruth, fair Ruth, Cousin Ruth, dear Ruth, little Ruth
Ruth Huckaback is the granddaughter of wealthy Uncle Reuben, a small woman whose plain looks and proud spirit make her an outsider in a household that measures worth by beauty and fortune. When John's mother carelessly insults her, Ruth answers with a dignity that shames the whole room, revealing a woman who refuses to be pitied. Her unspoken love for John and her complicated inheritance from her miserly grandfather give the early chapters a tender, melancholy undertow.
Uncle Reuben Huckaback
supporting
Also known as Uncle Reuben, Reuben, good Uncle Reuben, old Uncle Reuben, XIII Master Huckaback Comes In Mr. Reuben Huckaback, Mr. Huckaback, Mr. Reuben Huckaback, Master Huckaback, Master Reuben Huckaback, rich Master Huckaback, Old Master Huckaback, Master Huckaback, And Master Huckaback, Uncle Huckaback, your worthy Uncle Huckaback, Master Huckaback 's Secret Knowing Master Huckaback, Huckaback, Master Huckaback
Uncle Reuben Huckaback is a wealthy Dulverton merchant whose godliness and thrift make him both respected and faintly comic to his Exmoor relatives. His disappearance on the road near Watchett sets the household into a fluster and pulls John into the wider dangers of the region. Proud, cautious, and fond of a snug inn, he embodies the sober commercial world that keeps brushing against the wild lawlessness of the Doone valley.
Gwenny Carfax
supporting
Also known as Gwenny Carfax, Gwenny, little Gwenny, Little Gwenny, Carfax, little Gwenny Carfax
Gwenny Carfax serves Lorna Doone with a devotion that borders on ferocity, following her mistress out of the glen and into a world that treats her as a curiosity. Small in stature and large in spirit, she bristles at slights and guards Lorna's interests with a watchdog's tenacity. Her presence gives Lorna a companion in exile and gives the story a sharp, unsentimental voice at the edges of the romance.
Betty Muxworthy
supporting
Also known as old Betty, Eliza, Betty, Betty Muxworthy, Lizzie, little Eliza, little Lizzie
Betty Muxworthy has served the Ridds so long that she treats John as a boy to be scolded and poked with saucepan covers, even when he has grown into the master of the farm. She hates Uncle Ben, grins at misfortune, and speaks a broad Exmoor dialect that grounds the novel in its place and class. Her running commentary on the household's worries gives the early chapters their homely texture and quiet comedy.
Sir Ensor Doone
supporting
Also known as Sir Ensor Doone, Sir Ensor, the Doone, Ensor Doone, Ensor, Doone, a Doone, old Doone, the old Sir Ensor Doone, Old Sir Ensor
Sir Ensor Doone founded the outlaw colony in Glen Doone and rules it with a fear that even Carver respects, though age has made him a strange mixture of dignity and decay. He is Lorna's grandfather and the one power in the valley that can shield her from Carver's designs, which makes his health and temper matters of life and death. When he summons John by the signal of the missing rook's nest, the meeting becomes a test of courage that shapes the lovers' fortunes.
Counsellor Doone
supporting
Also known as Counsellor Doone, Counsellor, Sir Counsellor, Sir Counsellor Doone, reverend Counsellor
Within Glen Doone he is the calculating brain behind the family's plunder, dressing up brigandage in legal and reverend-sounding language while the brawn of Carver does the rest. His true gift is survival by rhetoric: he can argue any outrage into a precedent and any enemy into a fool, which makes him more dangerous than any pistol in the valley. When John Ridd begins to pry at the Doones' power and their hold on Lorna, the Counsellor becomes the quiet counterweight to every bold plan, the man whose words must be outwitted before anything can be won.
Simon Carfax
minor
Also known as Simon Carfax, Carfax, Simon, Captain Carfax, Sim, Captain Simon Carfax, Master Carfax, Carfax
Lorna's grandfather, a former soldier who was separated from her.
Lord Jeffreys
minor
Also known as Lord Justice Jeffreys, the Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys, the Lord Justice, Chief Justice Jeffreys, the Lord Chief Justice, the Lord Chief - Justice Jeffreys, the great Lord Jeffreys, Lord Jeffreys, Jeffreys, Judge Jeffreys
Infamous judge during the Bloody Assizes, encountered by John.
Marwood de Whichehalse
minor
Also known as young Marwood de Whichehalse, young Squire Marwood, Marwood de Whichehalse, Squire Marwood, Marwood, Squire Marwood de Whichehalse, Squire, de Whichehalse, De Whichehalse, the Baron de Whichehalse, The Baron, Baron de Whichehalse
Rival suitor to Lorna, a dissolute young squire.
Winnie
minor
Also known as Winnie, bright Winnie, sweet Winnie
Tom Faggus's clever and loyal mare, who helps John.
Mother Melldrum
supporting
Also known as Mother, Mother Melldrum, mother
She runs the Ridd homestead with love and blunt practicality, raising John and his sisters while nursing a long grudge against the Doones who killed her husband. Her counsel to John is a tangle of tenderness and realism: she warns him that stealing Lorna from Glen Doone would bring fire and slaughter on them all, yet she cannot quite hide her satisfaction when his loyalty to Lorna humiliates the scheming Reuben Huckaback. Her accidental cruelty to Ruth Huckaback exposes the class pride and temper beneath her kindness, making her one of the novel's most human presences in the early chapters.
Charleworth Doone
minor
Also known as Charleworth Doone
A younger Doone, involved in the clan's raids.
Kit Badcock
minor
Also known as Christopher Badcock, poor Kit Badcock, Kit Badcock, Kit, Poor Kit Badcock
A poor farmer wronged by the Doones, who seeks John's help.
Peggy Badcock
minor
Also known as Peggy, Mistress Margery Badcock, Margery, Mistress Margery, Margery Badcock
Kit Badcock's wife, who pleads for his release.
Lord Alan Brandir
minor
Also known as Lord Alan Brandir, Alan Brandir, Lord Brandir, Alan, Lord Alan, Cousin Alan, Alan Brandir of Loch Awe, Loch Awe
Lorna's cousin and a nobleman, who supports her claim.
Earl Brandir
minor
Also known as Earl Brandir of Lochawe, Earl Brandir, the Earl Brandir, the good Earl Brandir, The good Earl Brandir, Brandir
Lorna's grandfather, the Earl of Lochawe.
Benita
minor
Also known as Benita, this Benita, Madam Benita Odam, Mistress Benita, Benita
Lorna's former nurse, who reveals her true parentage.
Parson Bowden
minor
Also known as Parson, Parson Bowden, Bowden, Josiah Bowden
The local clergyman, a friend of the Ridd family.
Annie Ridd (younger)
minor
Also known as Dear Annie, Annie
John's younger sister, often conflated with the main Annie but distinct in some references.
Mistress Ridd
minor
Also known as Mistress Ridd
John's mother, also referred to by her married name.
Kickums
minor
Also known as Kickums, good Kickums, vile Kickums, LXVI Suitable Devotion Now Kickums
John's stubborn and strong horse.
Old Cop
minor
Also known as old Cop, Cop
An old horse on the Ridd farm.
Smiler
minor
Also known as Smiler, old Smiler, Old Smiler
A farm ox, known for its gentle nature.
Mr. Spank
minor
Also known as Mr. Spank, foul Spank, Spank, Master Spank, Mr. Spank
A cruel schoolmaster at Blundell's school.
Lord Churchill
minor
Also known as Lord Churchill
Historical figure, later Duke of Marlborough, mentioned in passing.
Bill Dadds
minor
Also known as Bill Dadds, Billy Dadds
A minor character, possibly a farmhand.
Nicholas Snowe
minor
Also known as Nicholas Snowe, Farmer Snowe, This Nicholas Snowe, Farmer Nicholas Snowe, Farmer Nicholas, neighbour Nicholas, old Nick, Master Snowe, Master Nicholas Snowe, Snowe
Neighbor farmer and father of Sally, a friend to the Ridds.
Sally Snowe
minor
Also known as Sarah, poor Sally Snowe, Sally, Sally Snowe, Cousin Sarah, Sarah, Sally
Daughter of Farmer Snowe, briefly courted by John.
King Charles II
minor
Also known as King Charles, the King, King Charles the Second, Charles the Second, King, Charles, Charlie, this Charlie, Charlie boy
The Merry Monarch, who sends Stickles on a mission and meets John.
Captain Bloxham
minor
Also known as Sergeant Bloxham, This Sergeant Bloxham, Captain Bloxham
A military officer involved in the siege of the Doones.
John Birch
minor
Also known as John Birch
A Parliamentarian officer, briefly mentioned in the war context.
Colonel Kirke
minor
Also known as Kirke, Colonel Kirke, the famous Colonel Kirke
A brutal military commander during the Monmouth Rebellion.
Major Wade
minor
Also known as Major Wade, Wade
A rebel officer in the Monmouth Rebellion.
Duke of Monmouth
minor
Also known as the Duke of Monmouth, Monmouth
Rebel leader whose uprising is a backdrop to the story.
Lord Feversham
minor
Also known as Lord Feversham
Royal commander at the Battle of Sedgemoor.
Colonel Harding
minor
Also known as Colonel Harding
A royalist officer who assists Stickles.
Squire Maunder
minor
Also known as Squire Maunder
A local magistrate and landowner.
Bill Blacksmith
minor
Also known as Bill Blacksmith, Bill, Blacksmith
A local blacksmith and wrestler.
Robin Snell
minor
Also known as Robin Snell, Bob Snell, Robin, Bob
A friend of John's from the neighborhood.
Jim Slocombe
minor
Also known as Jim Slocombe, Jem, Jem Slocombe, James
A local man who helps John in various tasks.
Sam Fry
minor
Also known as jumps young Sam Fry, Sam Fry, Sam, Samson
Son of John Fry, a young farmhand.
Jack Ridd
minor
Also known as Jack Ridd, Jack, Johnny, Cousin Jack, Johnny, Nephew Jack, Jack Whale
John's cousin, a sailor who visits occasionally.
Old Watch
minor
Also known as Watch, old Watch, poor Watch
The Ridd family's loyal sheepdog.
Master Peter Blundell
minor
Also known as Master Peter Blundell, Blundell
Founder of the school John attends briefly.
Thomas Hooper
minor
Also known as Thomas Hooper, old Tom
An old man who tells stories of the Doones.
Dick Vellacott
minor
Also known as Dick Vellacott, Dick, Dick the wrestler
A local wrestler and friend of John.
Widow Fisher
minor
Also known as Widow Fisher
A neighbor who helps nurse John after an injury.
Sir Richard Blewitt
minor
Also known as Sir Richard Blewitt
A local knight and magistrate.
Sir Robert Bampfylde
minor
Also known as Sir Robert Bampfylde, Sir Robert
A nobleman involved in the Doone conflict.
Lord William Russell
minor
Also known as Lord William Russell, Lord Russell, poor Lord Russell
A historical figure executed for treason, mentioned in the plot.
Mr. Algernon Sidney
minor
Also known as Mr. Algernon Sidney, Master Algernon Sidney, Sidney
A historical republican executed for treason.
Master Dryden
minor
Also known as Master Dryden
The poet John Dryden, briefly mentioned.
Master William Shakespeare
minor
Also known as Master William Shakespeare, Mr. William Shakespeare, Shakespeare
The playwright, quoted by characters.
King James II
minor
Also known as King James
Successor to Charles II, mentioned in the political context.
Earl of Devon
minor
Also known as Devon, the Earl of Devon
A local nobleman, mentioned in the story.
Lord Dugal
minor
Also known as Lord Dugal, the Earl of Dugal, the Countess of Dugal, Dugal
Lorna's father, a deceased nobleman.
Countess of Dugal
minor
Also known as the Countess of Dugal, Dugal
Lorna's mother, deceased.
Master Odam
minor
Also known as Master Odam, Odam
Husband of Benita, a minor character.
Mistress Odam
minor
Also known as Mistress Odam
Wife of Master Odam, another name for Benita.
Squire Thom
minor
Also known as Squire Thom
A local landowner, mentioned in passing.
Master Ramsack
minor
Also known as Ramsack, Master Ramsack
A minor official or tradesman.
Mr. Pooke
minor
Also known as Mr. Pooke, Master Pooke, Pooke
A lawyer or clerk involved in legal matters.
Thomas Cockram
minor
Also known as Thomas Cockram, Master Cockram, Master Thomas Cockram
A minor character, possibly a servant or farmer.
Will Watcombe
minor
Also known as this old Will Watcombe, Will Watcombe
An old man who gives John information.
Red Jem Hannaford
minor
Also known as Red Jem Hannaford, Red Jem, Jem
A local ruffian or Doone associate.
Betsy Paramore
minor
Also known as Betsy Paramore, Betsy, Eliza
A servant or neighbor girl.
Dolly
minor
Also known as Dolly, darling Dolly
A young girl, possibly a servant or relative.
Polly
minor
Also known as Polly, Molly, old Molly
An old servant or neighbor.
Sabina
minor
Also known as Sabina, Aunt Sabina
An aunt of John Ridd.
Ensie Doone
minor
Also known as Ensie, little Ensie, little Ensie Doone
A young Doone child.
Jasper Kebby
minor
Also known as Jasper Kebby
A minor character, possibly a servant.
Lynn
minor
Also known as Lynn, Master Charlie, Charlie, Charles
A young boy, possibly a relative of the Ridds.
Little John Faggus
minor
Also known as Little John Faggus, John
Son of Tom Faggus and Annie.
