# Colonel Pyncheon — The House of the Seven Gables character guide

> Colonel Pyncheon in The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** old Colonel Pyncheon, the Colonel

**First appearance:** 0002-i-the-old-pyncheon-family

## Snapshot

The iron-willed Puritan founder of the Pyncheon fortune, whose hunger for land and power laid the house's foundation on another man's stolen ground.

## Who they are

Colonel Pyncheon is the family's mythic ancestor, a man whose stern piety and ruthless ambition built both a mansion and a curse. He took the site from Matthew Maule and helped send the old wizard to the gallows, and the deed hangs over his descendants like the portrait on the wall. His legacy drives the novel's central question: whether inherited guilt can ever be paid off or escaped.

## Relationships

### [Matthew Maule](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/matthew_maule)

_rivalry_

Colonel Pyncheon, the family patriarch, wrongfully accused Matthew Maule of witchcraft and had him executed to seize his land.

### [Phoebe Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/phoebe_pyncheon)

_family_

Colonel Pyncheon is Phoebe's ancestor, and his ruthless ambition and curse continue to affect her family's present.

### [Matthew Maule](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/matthew_maule)

_rivalry_

Colonel Pyncheon, the family patriarch, wrongfully accused Matthew Maule of witchcraft and had him executed to seize his land.

### [Phoebe Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/phoebe_pyncheon)

_family_

Colonel Pyncheon is Phoebe's ancestor, and his ruthless ambition and curse continue to affect her family's present.

## In the story

### [The House of the Seven Gables](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/the-house-of-the-seven-gables)

Founder of the family fortune and builder of the house, whose death in the house's study is shrouded in mystery.

### [The Old Pyncheon Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/i-the-old-pyncheon-family)

Founder of the family's fortune, built the House of the Seven Gables on land disputed with Matthew Maule; his portrait remains in the house, symbolizing the family's curse.

### [II: The Little Shopwindow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/ii-the-little-shopwindow)

The ancestral founder of the house, whose dark portrait hangs in the parlor and whose legacy of pride and sin looms over Hepzibah's decision.

### [IV: A Day Behind the Counter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/iv-a-day-behind-the-counter)

His portrait dominates the back parlor, and Hepzibah sees in it the same harsh traits she perceives in Judge Pyncheon.

### [Maule's Well](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/vi-maule-s-well)

Referenced as the Puritan ancestor whose portrait hangs in the parlor and resembles the daguerreotype.

### [XII: The Daguerreotypist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xii-the-daguerreotypist)

Mentioned as the original founder of the house and the source of the family curse.

### [Alice Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xiii-alice-pyncheon)

The deceased founder of the house; his portrait is said to frown and gesture in disapproval during the negotiation.

### [Governor Pyncheon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/chapters/xviii-governor-pyncheon)

Appears in the ghostly vision of the Pyncheon ancestors inspecting the portrait.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters/colonel_pyncheon
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_the_seven_gables_se/characters