# Master Richard Arden — The House of Arden character guide

> Master Richard Arden in The House of Arden by E. Nesbit.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Richard Arden, Mr. Arden, Mr. Richard, Master Richard, Arden

**First appearance:** 0007-viii-guy-fawkes

## Snapshot

An Arden ancestor from the tense years around the Gunpowder Plot, he embodies the family's perilous position between loyalty, faith, and survival.

## Who they are

Master Richard Arden belongs to an era when being an Arden meant navigating suspicion, divided loyalties, and the constant threat of political danger. He is a link in the long chain of boy-and-girl Ardens the children keep encountering, and his world feels darker and more precarious than their own. Through him, the siblings glimpse how much their ancestors risked — and how much of the family's fortune was shaped by choices made under pressure.

## Relationships

### [Edred Arden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters/edred_arden)

_family_

Master Richard Arden is an ancestor of Edred, encountered during time-travel journeys.

### [Elfrida Arden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters/elfrida_arden)

_family_

Master Richard Arden is an ancestor of Elfrida, encountered during time-travel.

### [Elfrida Arden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters/elfrida_arden)

_family_

Master Richard Arden is an ancestor of Elfrida, encountered during time-travel.

### [Edred Arden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters/edred_arden)

_family_

Master Richard Arden is an ancestor of Edred, encountered during time-travel journeys.

### [Elfrida Arden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters/elfrida_arden)

_family_

Master Richard Arden is an ancestor of Elfrida, encountered during time-travel.

### [Edred Arden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters/edred_arden)

_family_

Master Richard Arden is an ancestor of Edred, encountered during time-travel journeys.

## In the story

### [IV: The Landing of the French](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/chapters/iv-the-landing-of-the-french)

Appears as old Lord Arden, who has drilled the armed men, declares the French have landed, and later arms the village.

### [The Prisoners in the Tower](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/chapters/ix-the-prisoners-in-the-tower)

The 1605 Richard Arden, who participates in the escape and is sent to bed afterward.

### [May-Blossom and Pearls](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/chapters/xiii-may-blossom-and-pearls)

Refuses to travel to modern times, citing its cruelty and social inequality; accuses the children of neglecting their father's fate.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters/master_richard_arden
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_arden_se/characters