The Necromancers · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Maggie Deronnais
major
Also known as Maggie, Deronnais, Miss Maggie, Miss Deronnais, Maggy
A serene, competent young woman who manages everyone around her with quiet authority, and who alone sees the danger gathering around Laurie Baxter before it is too late.
Lady Laura Bethell
major
Also known as Lady Laura, Laurie, III Lady Laura Bethell, Dear Laurie, III Laurie
A fashionable London hostess whose drawing room becomes the stage for a séance she cannot control, and whose polite skepticism is tested by an old man's warning.
Amy Nugent
major
Also known as Amy, this Amy Nugent, poor Amy, Amy Nugent
A dead girl whose absence haunts the living, and whose grieving mother's matter-of-fact world is shattered by a terror that comes with the sound of trotting hooves.
Laurie Baxter
major
Also known as Laurie, Dear Laura, Master Laurie, Mr. Laurence, Mr. Laurie, Mr. Lawrence, Laurie’s, Laurie
A young, impetuous Catholic convert whose grief for a dead girl drives him into the arms of a medium who promises proof of the afterlife.
Mr. Vincent
supporting
Also known as IV, IV Mr. Vincent, Vincent, That man Vincent, Mr. Vincent
A solid, masterful medium whose quiet assurance and apparent power over the spirit world have made him the center of a young man's adoring faith.
Mr. James Morton
supporting
Also known as Mr. Morton, Morton, James Morton, Mr.  James Morton, Jim, Mr.  Morton
A competent, no-nonsense barrister whose friendship with Laurie Baxter is tested by the boy's growing obsession with Spiritualism, and who offers a skeptical counterweight.
Mr. Baxter
supporting
Also known as Dear Mr. Baxter, Baxter, young Mr. Baxter, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Baxter.
A Catholic young man who comes to Mrs. Stapleton torn between contempt for spiritualism and a desperate hope of truly reaching the dead.
Mrs. Baxter
supporting
Also known as dear Mrs. Baxter, Dear Mrs. Baxter, IV Mrs. Baxter, Mrs.  Baxter
A placid, sleepy household matriarch whose comfortable domestic routines form the quiet backdrop against which the novel's spiritual terrors gather.
Mrs. Stapleton
supporting
Also known as Mrs. Stapleton
A forty-year-old spiritualist with kittenish charm and an iron will, she flatters young seekers while steering them toward the séance room.
Father Mahon
supporting
Also known as II Father Mahon, II, Father
The local priest whose sudden, convenient absences leave the faithful without the sacramental help they most need in a crisis.
Mr. Cathcart
supporting
Also known as Cathcart, old Cathcart, a Mr. Cathcart, Mr. Cathcart, Mr. Cathcart, Mr.  Cathcart
A fierce old convert who storms out of Lady Laura's circle, warning that the medium Vincent is ruining a boy body and soul.
Mrs. Nugent
supporting
Also known as Mrs. Nugent
A practical, unsuperstitious housekeeper whose matter-of-fact errand in a dead girl's room becomes the novel's first brush with nameless terror.
Mr. Jamieson
minor
Also known as Mr. Jamieson
A character with a limited but distinct role in the narrative.
Mr. Nugent
minor
Also known as II, II Mr. Nugent, So Mr. Nugent
A character, likely a family member of Amy Nugent.
Mabel
minor
Also known as Mabel
A minor character with a few mentions.
Maud Stapleton
minor
Also known as Maud, dearest Maud
A minor character, possibly related to Mrs. Stapleton.
Auntie
minor
Also known as Auntie
A minor character, likely a relative of one of the main characters.
Mr. Parker
minor
Also known as Mr. Parker
A minor character with a few appearances.
Tom
minor
Also known as dear Tom
A minor character, possibly a friend or servant.
Charlotte
minor
Also known as Charlotte
A minor character with a few mentions.
Mr. Rymer
minor
Also known as Mr. Rymer
A minor character, possibly a professional or acquaintance.
Miss Baker
minor
Also known as Miss Baker
A minor character with a few mentions.
Mrs. Mayle
minor
Also known as Mrs. Mayle
A minor character with a few appearances.
Mrs. Martin
minor
Also known as Mrs. Martin
A minor character with a few mentions.
Susan
minor
Also known as Susan
A minor character, possibly a servant.
Paul
minor
Also known as Paul
A minor character, possibly a biblical reference or a person.
