# Nicholas Bulstrode — Middlemarch character guide > Nicholas Bulstrode in Middlemarch by George Eliot. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mr. Bulstrode, Bulstrode, Brother Bulstrode, Nicholas **First appearance:** 0013-x ## Snapshot A pious banker whose public righteousness conceals a compromised past, he wields power in Middlemarch while his conscience quietly festers. ## Who they are Nicholas Bulstrode is the wealthy, evangelical banker who dominates Middlemarch's affairs with an air of stern piety and generous patronage. Beneath his upright manner lies a hidden history and a growing hypochondria that betrays a conscience ill at ease, and his coldness toward Lydgate's marriage hints at private calculations. His entanglement with Lydgate's fortunes makes him a slow-burning engine of the novel's moral reckoning. ## Relationships ### [Tertius Lydgate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/characters/tertius_lydgate) _professional_ Bulstrode is a wealthy banker and hospital board member who financially supports Lydgate's medical work, but later manipulates him. ### [Tertius Lydgate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/characters/tertius_lydgate) _professional_ Bulstrode is a wealthy banker and hospital board member who financially supports Lydgate's medical work, but later manipulates him. ### [Tertius Lydgate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/characters/tertius_lydgate) _professional_ Bulstrode is a wealthy banker and hospital board member who financially supports Lydgate's medical work, but later manipulates him. ## In the story ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/xiii) Defends his refusal to provide the letter, discusses hospital reforms with Lydgate, and reveals his religious motives. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/xiv) Mentioned as the author of a letter denying rumors about Fred borrowing money; Featherstone dismisses his fine language. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/xvii) Mentioned as Farebrother's opponent in the hospital chaplaincy dispute; Lydgate considers him a useful ally for his hospital plans despite religious differences. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/xviii) The banker and hospital patron, whose support for Tyke and expectation of loyalty pressure Lydgate's decision. ### [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/xli) His letter is used by Raffles to wedge his flask, hinting at a secret connection between Bulstrode and Raffles. ### [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/xliv) Mentioned as the founder and funder of the New Hospital, facing unpopularity and opposition. ### [XLV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/xlv) Mentioned as a figure Lydgate should avoid close ties with; associated with the hospital board. ### [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/liii) Tormented by Raffles' reappearance and blackmail; owner of Stone Court; fears disgrace. ### [LX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lx) Not present at the sale due to health, but asks Will Ladislaw to attend on behalf of Mrs. Bulstrode to judge a painting. ### [LXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxi) Bulstrode confesses his connection to Will's family and offers restitution; he is deeply shaken by Will's scorn and weeps after Will leaves. ### [LXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxvii) Receives Lydgate's request coldly, advises bankruptcy, and shows little sympathy. ### [LXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxviii) Tormented by Raffles' return and the threat of exposure; he prays and plans to remove Raffles, while also agreeing to Caleb Garth's proposal for Fred Vincy to lease Stone Court. ### [Chapter LXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxix) Summons Lydgate to treat Raffles, concealing his past connection; stays at Stone Court to oversee the patient. ### [Chapter LXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxx) Bulstrode struggles with guilt and desire for Raffles' death, administers opium as prescribed, and gives Lydgate a loan to secure his goodwill. ### [LXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxxi) Bulstrode is publicly shamed at the meeting, his secret exposed; he leans on Lydgate for support, reinforcing the link between them. ### [LXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxxiii) Bulstrode is the source of Lydgate's moral dilemma; Lydgate suspects him of tampering with Raffles's treatment but also feels bound by gratitude and refuses to denounce him. ### [LXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxxiv) Awaits his wife's reaction in anguish; is withered and shrunken, and weeps when she offers comfort. ### [LXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxxvi) Referenced as the source of Lydgate's loan and the hospital matter; Lydgate does not wish to bear hard on him. ### [LXXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxxix) Bulstrode is implicated in the scandal involving Raffles, and his offer of money to Will is referenced. ### [LXXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/chapters/lxxxv) Withers under the weight of his secret regarding Raffles's death; proposes placing Fred at Stone Court as a way to assist his wife's family. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/characters/nicholas_bulstrode - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/middlemarch_se/characters