# Miss Marple — The Murder at the Vicarage character guide > Miss Marple in The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Old Miss Marple, Marple, that funny old Miss Marple **First appearance:** 0001-the-murder-at-the-vicarage ## Snapshot An elderly spinster with a genius for noticing what everyone else overlooks, who can count seven people in the village glad to see Colonel Protheroe dead. ## Who they are She lives next door to the Vicarage, tends her garden, and observes the comings and goings of St. Mary Mead with unnerving precision. Colonel Melchett dismisses her as a wizened old maid who has never left the village, yet she is the one who swears Anne Protheroe carried no pistol and who quietly suggests the police are looking in the wrong direction. Her polite, gossipy manner conceals a ruthless logic that will prove more useful than any inspector's notebook. ## In the story ### [The Murder at the Vicarage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/the-murder-at-the-vicarage) Provides key timeline evidence and hints at an affair between Lawrence and Anne. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/i) Listed as one of the afternoon tea guests; the Vicar notes she has a sense of humour. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/ii) Observes everything, including Lettice passing through the garden; gently reproves Griselda for fabricating a story about Mrs. Lestrange; hints at a different romantic interest for Lawrence Redding. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/vi) Miss Marple discusses the arrest with Griselda and the Vicar, expressing doubt about Lawrence's guilt and emphasizing the need for proof. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/vii) Mentioned as possibly having heard the shot, but she did not report it. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned as having seen Anne entering or leaving the Vicarage. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/ix) Provides a detailed account of the evening's events, including the movements of Anne Protheroe and Lawrence Redding, and suggests a strategy to elicit the truth. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/x) Praised by the narrator for her sharp observation; her statement about Mrs. Protheroe's pistol is deemed reliable. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xi) Points out the oddity of Protheroe's note timing and suggests the clock was altered to create a false alibi. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xii) Her theory about the note's ink is mentioned and validated by Inspector Slack; her reliability is defended by the narrator. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xvi) Provides key observations about the path and the timing of the shot; suggests Lawrence question the women servants. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xvii) Summons the vicar to report seeing Gladys Cram with a suitcase at midnight. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xix) Referenced as the source of advice that led Lawrence to interview the servants at Old Hall. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxi) Reveals that Miss Cram visited her and that the man claiming to be Dr. Stone is an impostor, calling it 'another Peculiar Thing.' ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxiii) Suggests that the silver theft might have been covered up by copies, raising doubts about Dr. Stone's innocence in the murder. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxvi) Visits the Vicarage to share her theories about the murder and the note. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxvii) Mentioned as having earlier said the note was 'all wrong,' which now proves prescient. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxix) Arrives after overhearing the telephone call; insists the evidence is a frame-up by Lawrence Redding. ### [Miss Marple's Revelation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxx) Delivers a detailed and logical explanation of the murder, revealing her long-held suspicions and how she pieced together the evidence. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxxi) Proposes the trap and reveals her theory; reflects on the difference between theory and practice. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxxii) Her plan leads to the capture of Lawrence and Anne; she discreetly reveals knowledge of Griselda's pregnancy. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/characters/miss_marple - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/characters