# John Fry — Lorna Doone character guide > John Fry in Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** John, young John, dear John, old John Fry, Jeremy John Fry, poor John, Fry **First appearance:** 0000-i-elements-of-education ## Snapshot The Ridds' slow, hungry, and gloriously unreliable farmhand, whose appetite and tall tales keep the harvest-supper in an uproar. ## Who they are 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. ## Relationships ### [Lorna Doone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/characters/lorna_doone) _professional_ John Fry is a servant on the Ridd farm, and he is devoted to protecting and serving Lorna. ### [Lorna Doone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/characters/lorna_doone) _professional_ John Fry is a servant on the Ridd farm, and he is devoted to protecting and serving Lorna. ### [Lorna Doone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/characters/lorna_doone) _professional_ John Fry is a servant on the Ridd farm, and he is devoted to protecting and serving Lorna. ## In the story ### [An Important Item](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/ii-an-important-item) Family servant who arrives at the school gate with a message and horses; encourages John to fight and observes the bout. ### [The Warpath of the Doones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/iii-the-warpath-of-the-doones) Guides John home, fearful of the Doones and cautious in the fog. ### [Necessary Practice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/vi-necessary-practice) Farm hand whose blunderbuss John borrows for his journey. ### [IX: There Is No Place Like Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/ix-there-is-no-place-like-home) John's companion on the farm; John confides in him (except about Lorna) and keeps him to praise his shooting. ### [A Brave Rescue and a Rough Ride](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/x-a-brave-rescue-and-a-rough-ride) Farm hand who witnesses the events and takes a pick to keep safe during John's ride. ### [Tom Deserves His Supper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xi-tom-deserves-his-supper) Laughs at John's fall and later is caught trying to steal a keg of Holland cordial. ### [Quo Warranto?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xv-quo-warranto) John Fry is considered as an escort but deemed insufficient; later John Ridd avoids his prying. ### [Lorna Growing Formidable](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xvi-lorna-growing-formidable) Mentioned in John's thoughts as a man of smaller stature whom John could lift with one hand, contrasting with John's own size. ### [John Is Bewitched](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xvii-john-is-bewitched) John Fry spreads the rumor that John Ridd was bitten by a mad dog, leading to a thrashing from John. ### [A Long Spring Month](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxii-a-long-spring-month) Farm worker; mentioned among those John struggles to keep in line during hoeing. ### [Reaping Leads to Revelling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxix-reaping-leads-to-revelling) Caught eating dinner early during the reaping; John Ridd scolds him. ### [John Fry's Errand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxxi-john-fry-s-errand) Farmhand; sent by Annie and the others to follow Uncle Reuben, he rides across the moor and observes him entering a gully before being interrupted. ### [A Good Turn for Jeremy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxxviii-a-good-turn-for-jeremy) Laborer who betrays John Ridd's confidence by telling Jeremy Stickles about the Wizard's Slough incident for payment. ### [A Troubled State and a Foolish Joke](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxxix-a-troubled-state-and-a-foolish-joke) John Fry tells a lengthy, dramatic tale about a gathering of armed men waiting to ambush Tom Faggus, embellishing his own role. ### [XLI: Cold Comfort](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xli-cold-comfort) Reluctantly joins John Ridd to dig out the sheep in the snowstorm. ### [The Great Winter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xlii-the-great-winter) Assists in the rescue but complains about the difficulty and fears for his life. ### [L: A Merry Meeting a Sad One](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/l-a-merry-meeting-a-sad-one) Blamed by John for spreading news about Lorna attending church. ### [A Long Account Settled](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lxxi-a-long-account-settled) Stationed on the heights to fire a signal musket; initially thought to have fallen asleep but eventually fires, starting the assault. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/endnotes) Referenced in a note about his underrating of Devonshire magistrates' erudition. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/characters/john_fry - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/characters