# Squire Dornell — Short Fiction character guide

> Squire Dornell in Short Fiction by Thomas Hardy.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Dornell

**First appearance:** 0002-destiny-and-a-blue-cloak

## Snapshot

A squire whose willful nature causes family strife, a man whose prosperity and pride leave wreckage in the lives of those around him.

## Who they are

Squire Dornell is a figure of local power in Hardy's Wessex, a man whose successful courtship of Lady Cicely and grand nuptials mask the collateral damage of his earlier life. His willfulness and the enmity it generates ripple outward, touching the vulnerable and the vengeful alike. He matters because his story illustrates how the exercise of privilege, however celebrated, can seed consequences that outlast the celebration.

## Relationships

### [Mistress Betty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/characters/mistress_betty)

_family_

Mistress Betty and Squire Dornell are husband and wife, with a dynamic of mutual dependence and conflict.

### [Mistress Betty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/characters/mistress_betty)

_family_

Mistress Betty and Squire Dornell are husband and wife, with a dynamic of mutual dependence and conflict.

### [Mistress Betty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/characters/mistress_betty)

_family_

Mistress Betty and Squire Dornell are husband and wife, with a dynamic of mutual dependence and conflict.

## In the story

### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters/xvii)

Not present in this chapter.

### [The Waiting Supper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters/the-waiting-supper)

Represents traditional authority and the pressures of social duty.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters/v)

Referred to as Squire Everard; writes a bitter letter offering Christine to Nicholas out of desperation.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters/i)

The cruel and proud Squire who pursues and terrifies a child for trespassing, leading to her severe illness.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters/ii)

Now elevated to the peerage, he continues his relentless pursuit of wealth and status, purchasing an Abbey, constructing a false pedigree, and later demolishing the village and Abbey to suit his tastes.

### [Dame the First](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters/dame-the-first)

Squire Dornell takes a dangerous gout remedy to confront Reynard, but later dies after learning of Betty's rebellious flight.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/characters/squire_dornell
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_53_se/characters