# Mr. Chaffanbrass — Phineas Redux character guide

> Mr. Chaffanbrass in Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Chaffanbrass, old Chaffanbrass

**First appearance:** 0062-lxiii-mr-chaffanbrass-for-the-defence

## Snapshot

The Old Bailey's most feared cross-examiner, a shabby, sharp-eyed barrister whose brutal courtroom skill becomes Phineas Finn's last line of defence.

## Who they are

Chaffanbrass is a legend of the criminal courts — a man who has spent decades dismantling witnesses and whose very name makes the guilty and the innocent alike uneasy. He is not a gentleman in the drawing-room sense, but he is a master of the only arena that matters when a life is on the line. When Phineas stands accused, the old barrister's merciless technique is the difference between the gallows and freedom.

## In the story

### [Two Days Before the Trial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se/chapters/lx-two-days-before-the-trial)

Defense counsel who interviews Phineas and reflects on the nature of criminal law and evidence.

### [Lord Fawn's Evidence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se/chapters/lxii-lord-fawn-s-evidence)

Defense barrister; cross-examines Lord Fawn aggressively, exposing weaknesses in the identification.

### [Mr. Chaffanbrass for the Defence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se/chapters/lxiii-mr-chaffanbrass-for-the-defence)

The defense barrister who delivers a powerful, lengthy speech attacking the prosecution's circumstantial evidence.

### [Confusion in the Court](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se/chapters/lxiv-confusion-in-the-court)

Argues vigorously in court for the telegrams to be considered, insisting that justice and mercy demand the prisoner be informed.

### [The Verdict](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se/chapters/lxvii-the-verdict)

Collects his papers after the verdict, disregarding his junior counsel.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se/characters/mr_chaffanbrass
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phineas_redux_se/characters