The Master of Ballantrae · Character

Lord Durrisdeer

The elderly father of the Master and Mr. Henry, head of the Durie family.

minor

Also known as Durrisdeer

First appearance: The Master of Ballantrae

Lord Durrisdeer's tie to The Master is one of the pressures that moves The Master of Ballantrae—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

The father of the brothers, he is indecisive and favors the Master, contributing to the family's division.

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With The Master (family): The aging father favors the Master as his firstborn, causing deep familial discord and neglect of Mr. Henry. With The Master (family): The aging father favors the Master as his firstborn,…

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Character Web

18 connections

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Relationship types

Family
Other

Character groups

Durrisdeer Household & Allies
Protagonist
Local Legal & Community Figures

+13 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak of the narrator's dread and the re…

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Relationships

The Master
family · ambivalent
The aging father favors the Master as his firstborn, causing deep familial discord and… How this plays out →
The Master
family · ambivalent
The aging father favors the Master as his firstborn, causing deep familial discord and… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Lord Durrisdeer in The Master of Ballantrae

In the story

Lord Durrisdeer appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Master of Ballantrae
The father of the brothers, he is indecisive and favors the Master, contributing to the family's division.
I: Summary of Events During the Master’s Wanderings
The aging father, who reads by the chimney and pressures Miss Alison to marry Mr. Henry for financial reasons after the Master's death.
II: Summary of Events (Continued)
Sits reading Livy; smooth-talking and pleasant; shares in the mourning for the Master; consoles Mrs. Henry.
IV: Persecutions Endured by Mr. Henry
Intervenes to protect the Master from exposure, showing parental partiality and weakness.
Account of All That Passed on the Night of February 27th, 1757
Confronted by Mackellar in his bed; initially defensive of the Master, but moved by Mackellar's plea for Mr. Henry.
XI: The Journey in the Wilderness
In Albany, keeps Mackellar busy with fabricated tasks; shows signs of heavy drinking and moral decline, hinting at his complicity in the plot against the Master.
XII: The Journey in the Wilderness (Continued)
Shows signs of severe mental instability, refuses to accept the Master's death, and dies of shock when the Master's corpse appears to briefly revive.

Chapter companion notes

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