The Old Wives’ Tale · Character

Mr. Critchlow

The redoubtable elderly chemist of Bursley, blunt, knowing, and long acquainted with the Baines family's private business, who ends by marrying Maria.

supporting

Also known as Critchlow, Charles Critchlow, Charles, the redoubtable Charles

First appearance: i the square

As a supporting figure in The Old Wives’ Tale, Mr. Critchlow is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A local chemist and family friend, representing the older generation and provincial stability.

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Mr. Critchlow has watched the Baineses through births, deaths, and elopements, dispensing pills and unwelcome opinions from behind his counter with equal indifference. He is the town's memory and its acid, a man who teases and is not teased, and whose dry verdicts carry more weight than anyone admits. His late marriage to Maria closes one of the novel's long, quiet loops and confirms how thoroughly the old generation has settled into its endings.

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See Mr. Critchlow in i the square

Character Web

13 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Bursley shop and family
Next generation and friends
Minor and background characters
Sophia's Paris circle

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this excerpt, Sophia reaches an emotional and psychological low point of apathy and entrapment, loathing he…

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Relationships

Sophia Baines
social · negative
A gruff, elderly chemist and family friend who disapproves of Sophia's independence and… How this plays out →
Sophia Baines
social · negative
A gruff, elderly chemist and family friend who disapproves of Sophia's independence and… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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See Mr. Critchlow in i the square

In the story

Mr. Critchlow appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Old Wives’ Tale
A local chemist and family friend, representing the older generation and provincial stability.
Book I: Mrs. Baines
The elderly chemist and friend of the family, a frequent visitor who observes the household with a critical eye.
II: The Tooth
Takes charge of Mr. Baines's care on Thursday afternoons, accepts tea tray from Sophia, and is known for his peculiar habits.
III: Cyril
Leaves the party in high sardonic spirits with Jennie and Miss Insull.
VII: Bricks and Mortar
Mr. Critchlow brusquely proposes to buy Constance's shop and brick up the connecting doors, intending to run the business with his new wife, Maria Insull. He is pragmatic and decisive.
The Meeting
Sophia thinks of Mr. Critchlow, admiring his brutal force and his marriage to Maria, though she does not understand his past feelings.
IV: End of Sophia
Calls after Sophia's death; is not allowed to see Constance.
End of Constance
Now very old, he sells the Baines shop and his own to the Midland Clothiers Company and retires to a small house. His wife Maria Critchlow attempts suicide.

Chapter companion notes

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