# Mrs. Mendham — The Wonderful Visit character guide > Mrs. Mendham in The Wonderful Visit by H. G. Wells. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mendham, the Mendham **First appearance:** 0025-xxiv-the-angel-explores-the-village ## Snapshot The Curate's sharp-eyed wife, she runs the parish in practice, keeps a fire burning even in summer, and knows exactly what is due to her. ## Who they are Mrs. Mendham hears the Angel story from her husband over bootlaces and firelight and immediately begins turning it into something usable, weighing whether the Vicar is mad, whether the Curate should write to the Bishop, and whether Hilyer could dismiss him anyway. She is not cruel so much as managerial: she sees the parish as a machine she operates and the Angel as grit in it. Her gossip is the mechanism by which private strangeness becomes public scandal. ## Relationships ### [The Angel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_angel) _rivalry_ Mrs. Mendham is suspicious and hostile toward the Angel, viewing him as a disruptive and improper presence in the village. ### [The Vicar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_vicar) _social_ Mrs. Mendham is a parishioner who frequently criticizes the Vicar's decisions, especially regarding the Angel. ### [The Curate from Iping Hanger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_curate_from_iping_hanger) _social_ Mrs. Mendham and the Curate share a gossipy alliance, reinforcing each other's disapproval of the Angel. ### [Lady Hammergallow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/lady_hammergallow) _social_ Lady Hammergallow and Mrs. Mendham are allies in social conservatism, united in their disdain for the Angel. ### [The Angel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_angel) _rivalry_ Mrs. Mendham is suspicious and hostile toward the Angel, viewing him as a disruptive and improper presence in the village. ### [The Vicar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_vicar) _social_ Mrs. Mendham is a parishioner who frequently criticizes the Vicar's decisions, especially regarding the Angel. ### [The Vicar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_vicar) _social_ Mrs. Mendham is a parishioner who frequently criticizes the Vicar's decisions, especially regarding the Angel. ### [The Angel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_angel) _rivalry_ Mrs. Mendham is suspicious and hostile toward the Angel, viewing him as a disruptive and improper presence in the village. ### [The Curate from Iping Hanger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_curate_from_iping_hanger) _social_ Mrs. Mendham and the Curate share a gossipy alliance, reinforcing each other's disapproval of the Angel. ### [Lady Hammergallow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/lady_hammergallow) _social_ Lady Hammergallow and Mrs. Mendham are allies in social conservatism, united in their disdain for the Angel. ### [Lady Hammergallow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/lady_hammergallow) _social_ Lady Hammergallow and Mrs. Mendham are allies in social conservatism, united in their disdain for the Angel. ## In the story ### [X: At the Vicarage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/x-at-the-vicarage) Identified as the Curate's wife; leads the group of tennis players in a horrified retreat upon seeing the Angel. ### [XVI: The Curate (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xvi-the-curate-continued) Mentioned as part of the group of ladies playing lawn tennis who were alarmed by the Angel. ### [XVIII: After Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xviii-after-dinner) Mentioned as having played tennis; the Vicar defends her against the Angel's implied criticism. ### [XX: After Dinner (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xx-after-dinner-continued) Questions the story, suggests the Vicar is mad, and insists on proper behavior; proposes writing to the Bishop. ### [XXI: After Dinner (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxi-after-dinner-continued) Mentioned as a source of anxiety for the Vicar, her tongue 'hanging above him like the sword of Damocles.' ### [XXVI: The Angel Explores the Village (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxvi-the-angel-explores-the-village-continued) Passes the Angel with a distant nod, avoiding being seen talking to him. ### [XXVIII: Lady Hammergallow's View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxviii-lady-hammergallow-s-view) Referenced by Lady Hammergallow as having suspicious ideas about the Angel, which Lady Hammergallow dismisses. ### [XXXI: Mrs. Jehoram's Breadth of View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxi-mrs-jehoram-s-breadth-of-view) Skeptical and scandalized by the stranger's dress and behavior; gossips with Mrs. Jehoram. ### [LIII: The Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/liii-the-epilogue) Now the vicar's wife, she shows the visitor the new monument and provides a dismissive, reductive account of the Angel and Delia's deaths, revealing her shallow concern for social status and her inability to grasp the wonder of what occurred. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/mrs_mendham - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters