# Miss Barbara Erskine — The Ladies Lindores character guide

> Miss Barbara Erskine in The Ladies Lindores by Margaret Oliphant.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** auld Miss Barbara, Aunt Barbara

**First appearance:** 0001-the-ladies-lindores

## Snapshot

John Erskine's proud, tart-tongued aunt, keeper of the family's name and its long memory of who is and isn't 'our kind.'

## Who they are

Miss Barbara Erskine holds court among the county's older ladies, defending the Erskine name with a fierceness that masks how much she has staked on her nephew's standing. She bristles at the Lindores as upstarts while insisting John needs no introduction but his own blood. Her loyalty gives John a home base and a conscience, and her sharp judgments color how the county reads every newcomer and every scandal.

## In the story

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

John's old grandaunt in Dunearn, a formidable figure who disapproves of making John too English.

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/iii)

Mentioned by Rolls as John's aunt, a well-regarded lady in the county, and a potential source of inheritance for the estate.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/viii)

John's aunt; lively and outspoken; warns John against the Lindores and criticizes Lord Lindores's ambitions.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xii)

Mentioned as the only person who partly divined Lord Lindores's intentions.

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

Takes John aside to warn him against binding himself hand and foot to the Lindores.

### [The Preparations at Dalrulzian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xxi)

Touched and pleased by her nephew's invitation to host; takes charge of preparations with dignity, but is humbled by Bauby's elaborate menu.

### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xxxii)

Confronts John in Dunearn, suspicious of his legal troubles and the officer accompanying him.

### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xxxiii)

Anxious and indignant, she seeks news of her nephew John Erskine and asks Rintoul to investigate at the Town-house.

### [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xlii)

Publicly supports John at the examination, inviting him to luncheon; later receives Lady Lindores and Edith with defiant confidence.

### [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xliii)

Hosts a celebratory luncheon at her house, triumphant at John's vindication and the prospect of his marriage to Edith.

### [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xliv)

Present in the background of John's thoughts, part of the domestic scene at Dalrulzian.

### [XLVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/chapters/xlvii)

Visits Lord Lindores to propose a settlement for John and Edith's marriage, but is only partially mollified by his polite reception.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/characters/miss_barbara_erskine
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_ladies_lindores_se/characters