# Mr. Kay — The Head of Kay’s character guide

> Mr. Kay in The Head of Kay’s by P. G. Wodehouse.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Kay

**First appearance:** 0000-i-mainly-about-fenn

## Snapshot

The housemaster of Kay's, a restless ferret of a man who hunts down his boys' mildest misdeeds and hauls his Head over the coals for them.

## Who they are

Mr. Kay rules his house by keyhole and indignation, bursting into Kennedy's study with sensational tales of fags misbehaving and mice in lockers, like a dog proudly bringing a rat into a drawing-room. His ragging is so relentless that Fenn and Kennedy keep a betting book on it, wagering shillings on whether each week's record will be beaten. His peculiar methods are the comic pressure that makes Kay's nearly ungovernable and gives the house its reputation for changing Heads every two terms.

## In the story

### [An Evening at Kay's](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/ii-an-evening-at-kay-s)

Fussy and abrasive housemaster; orders Fenn and Kennedy inside, punishes the fags, and publicly criticizes Fenn.

### [III: The Final House-Match](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/iii-the-final-house-match)

Mentioned as having a row with Fenn, resulting in Fenn's late arrival to the match.

### [Harmony and Discord](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/iv-harmony-and-discord)

Punished Fenn for rudeness, is the target of groans from his own house, and attempts to restore order during the concert riot.

### [VIII: A Night Adventure: The Dethronement of Fenn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/viii-a-night-adventure-the-dethronement-of-fenn)

Requested Kennedy's transfer to his house to help keep order.

### [The Sensations of an Exile](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/ix-the-sensations-of-an-exile)

Housemaster who requested Kennedy to reform his house.

### [Further Experiences of an Exile](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/x-further-experiences-of-an-exile)

Housemaster of Kay's, irritable at breakfast and blamed by Fenn for the house's poor food and management.

### [XIV: Fenn Receives a Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/xiv-fenn-receives-a-letter)

Mentioned as the head of Kay's; Fenn plans to use the prefects' dinner to avoid detection.

### [Down Town](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/xv-down-town)

Seen by Fenn in a theatre box, causing Fenn to panic and flee.

### [What Happened to Fenn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/xvi-what-happened-to-fenn)

Mr. Kay is the housemaster of Kay's. He discusses Kennedy's shortcomings with Mr. Mulholland, is suspicious of noises in the garden, and is tricked by Fenn's cat diversion. He has bolted Fenn's study window, inadvertently trapping him outside.

### [Fenn Hunts for Himself](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/xvii-fenn-hunts-for-himself)

The housemaster who investigates the noise and searches for a supposed burglar, unknowingly interacting with Fenn.

### [Kay's Changes Its Name](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/chapters/xxii-kay-s-changes-its-name)

Leaves Eckleton for a headmastership; his eccentric complaints become a source of amusement for Kennedy and Fenn.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/characters/kay
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_head_of_kay_s_se/characters