The Last Chronicle of Barset · Character

Mr. Dobbs Broughton

A stockbroker whose Hook Court speculations and crumbling finances turn his household into a stage for ruin, gossip, and quiet catastrophe.

supporting

Also known as Dobbs Broughton, Mr. Broughton, poor Dobbs Broughton

First appearance: xxiv mrs dobbs broughton s dinner party

As a supporting figure in The Last Chronicle of Barset, Mr. Dobbs Broughton is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Co-owner of the business, avoids Mrs.

In the storyHook CourtOpen this moment free

See Mr. Dobbs Broughton in Hook Court Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Broughton presides over a household shadowed by debt and a wife, Maria, whose confidences to Mrs. Van Siever reveal how little she understood the man she married. His affairs in Hook Court entangle him with Musselboro and the Van Siever money, and the news of what happens there travels fast enough to reach drawing-rooms across Barsetshire. His collapse matters because it drags the commercial underworld of the novel into the open and forces those around him to reckon with the consequences of his fall.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Mr. Dobbs Broughton sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Mr. Dobbs Broughton in xxiv mrs dobbs broughton s dinner party

Character Web

5 connections

A slice of how Mr. Dobbs Broughton sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Extended cast and minor characters
Central plot characters
Protagonist

Explore ties, sentiment, and clusters while you read

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this chapter, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when John Eames, after years of unrequited love f…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

In the story

Mr. Dobbs Broughton appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Hook Court
Co-owner of the business, avoids Mrs. Van Siever, dismissive of her demands, leaves Musselboro to handle her.
Mr. Crosbie Goes Into the City
Returns to the office half-drunk and refuses Crosbie's request, insisting the bill must be paid.
Mrs. Dobbs Broughton Piles Her Fagots
Mentioned as coming home sullen and sometimes tipsy, contributing to the gloom in the household.
The End of Jael and Sisera
Mentioned as ruined and absent, having stayed in the City overnight; his drinking and financial collapse are central to the chapter's conflict.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mr. Dobbs Broughton unlock in the free preview.

See Mr. Dobbs Broughton in xxiv mrs dobbs broughton s dinner party

See Mr. Dobbs Broughton in Hook Court