# Mrs. Manson Mingott — The Age of Innocence character guide

> Mrs. Manson Mingott in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** old Mrs. Mingott, Granny Mingott, Mingott

**First appearance:** 0001-i

## Snapshot

A vast, unwrinkled matriarch who installed her bedroom on the ground floor in flagrant defiance of propriety and has ruled her family ever since.

## Who they are

Old Mrs. Mingott is the Mingott clan's commanding center of gravity, a woman whose blameless life is staged in rooms that look, to Newland Archer's amused eye, like the setting for adultery. She champions the engagement of May and Newland with brisk approval, and her fondness for novelty makes her the one relative likely to tolerate the Countess Olenska. When catastrophe strikes the Beauforts, her stroke shows how deeply the family's fortunes run through her.

## Relationships

### [Newland Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/newland_archer)

_family_

A matriarchal, pragmatic relationship where the formidable old lady wields family power and approves his marriage to May.

### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska)

_family_

A protective yet conditional bond, with the matriarch supporting Ellen's independence but ultimately prioritizing family reputation.

### [Newland Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/newland_archer)

_family_

A matriarchal, pragmatic relationship where the formidable old lady wields family power and approves his marriage to May.

### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska)

_family_

A protective yet conditional bond, with the matriarch supporting Ellen's independence but ultimately prioritizing family reputation.

## In the story

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

The family matriarch, described as bold and thrifty; her audacity in building a cream-colored house above Thirty-fourth Street and her foreign connections are recalled.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/iv)

Hosts the betrothal visit, approves the ring, urges an early wedding, and welcomes Julius Beaufort with eager gossip.

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

Teases Newland about his engagement and praises Ellen's independence.

### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxi)

Receives Archer and May warmly, jokes about May's blushes, and sends Archer to fetch Ellen.

### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxvii)

Suffers a slight stroke after learning of Beaufort's disgrace; insists on telegraphing for Ellen.

### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxix)

Ellen is on her way to Granny Mingott's house, and Archer reassures her about her grandmother's health.

### [Chapter XXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxx)

Recovering from her illness, she declares her support for Ellen and asks Archer to help fight the family's opposition.

### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxxi)

Ellen's grandmother, who has summoned Ellen to New York and is recovering from an illness.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/mrs_manson_mingott
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters