Short Fiction · Character

Wicked Captain Walshawe

A bloated, spiteful old captain who hated nearly everyone, died without a will, and left his heirs a house full of missing leases and uneasy shadows.

supporting

Also known as Captain Walshawe, the gay Captain Walshawe, old Captain

First appearance: Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Wicked Captain Walshawe is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Referred to as 'the wicked Captain Devereux' by Major Vandeleur's mother; the ghostly figure associated with the ruined house and a tragic love story.

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Captain Walshawe is a man whose wealth has dwindled and whose temper has curdled into a general loathing of nearly everyone around him, including his own heir-at-law, Mr. Watson. His death brings his relatives to Wauling not for grief but for the funeral and the anxious business of the estate, where the missing leases and the absence of a will turn inheritance into a moral and legal quagmire. His malignity outlives him, and the house he leaves behind becomes the stage for a haunting that tests the conscience of the living.

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Character Web

8 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Diverse ghostly witnesses
Dark bargains and omens
Supernatural encounters

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak of the narrator's horror and the r…

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In the story

Wicked Captain Walshawe appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Spectre Lovers
Referred to as 'the wicked Captain Devereux' by Major Vandeleur's mother; the ghostly figure associated with the ruined house and a tragic love story.
Some Gossip About Chapelizod
Mentioned in the context of local ghost stories and the supernatural atmosphere of Chapelizod.
Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling
The titular wicked captain, whose cruel and dissolute life leads to his haunting after death.
I: Peg O’Neill Pays the Captain’s Debts
The scampish Captain who eloped with Peg O'Neill, spent her fortune, and broke her heart.
II: The Blessed Candle
Drunkenly disrupts his wife's wake, confiscates the blessed candle, and shows a mix of rage and superstitious reverence.
III: My Uncle Watson Visits Wauling
The deceased captain, whose long, sinful life and bloated corpse are described.
IV: In the Parlour
The deceased Captain whose will and leases are missing, his enmities shifting perpetually.
Conclusion
The phantom exhibited a grotesque but unmistakable resemblance to him in various stages of his life.
Madam Crowl's Ghost
Referenced as Dame Crowl's grandson, Squire Chevenix Crowl, who owned the estate at the time.

Chapter companion notes

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See Wicked Captain Walshawe in Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling

See Wicked Captain Walshawe in The Spectre Lovers