Character guide

Edward Waverley

major

Also known as Waverley, Captain Waverley, young Waverley, Mr. Edward Waverley

Edward Waverley is heir to Waverley-Honour, educated in dreams of chivalry but untested by anything real, and his first journey into Scotland leaves him charmed by Highland hospitality and flattered by Jacobite attention. His fatal gift is imagination: he mistakes the glamour of a cause for conviction, and lets a prince's courtesy and a chieftain's friendship sweep him past every prudential warning. His wavering is the engine of the early book, since every reader watches a decent, unformed young man drift toward a rebellion he never deliberately chose.

Fergus MacIvor

major

Also known as Fergus, MacIvor, Glennaquoich, Vich Ian Vohr

Fergus MacIvor, Vich Ian Vohr of Glennaquoich, is a Jacobite chieftain whose brain is a perpetual workshop of intrigue, and he treats Waverley's arrival as both a genuine friendship and a useful acquisition. He is brave, generous, and vain, willing to marry for alliance rather than affection and to press his sister into service as a political ornament. His restless ambition and his habit of treating people as pieces on a board give the rising its glamour and its unease, and his friendship is the thread that pulls Waverley deeper into the cause.

Flora MacIvor

major

Also known as Flora, Miss MacIvor, dear Flora

Flora MacIvor is the ornament of her brother's house, admired for her beauty and her voice, and far more single-minded than either of her suitors. She loves the Stuart cause as a sacred duty rather than a career, and she will not let Waverley enlist on a moment's pique when she believes he has no real conviction to sustain him. Her refusal is the moral centre of the early romance: she is the one person who sees Edward clearly, and her honesty redirects his affections toward her gentler friend Rose.

Rose Bradwardine

major

Also known as Miss Rose, Miss Bradwardine, Rose, Rose Comyne Bradwardine

Rose Bradwardine is the daughter of a scholarly, eccentric laird, and she takes a marked, unguarded interest in everything that affects Waverley, an attention he is too distracted to read. Where Flora is flame, Rose is domestic warmth, and the book quietly measures the two against each other as Edward's future. Her patient, unassuming affection matters because it represents the peaceful life Waverley keeps half-choosing and half-losing, and it gives the story its eventual emotional anchor.

Baron of Bradwardine

supporting

Also known as Cosmo Comyne Bradwardine, Mr. Bradwardine, the Baron, Bradwardine

Cosmo Comyne Bradwardine of Tully-Veolan is an old-fashioned laird, half scholar and half soldier, whose learning is diffuse and whose loyalty to the exiled Stuarts is absolute. He is absurd in his antiquarian fussiness and touching in his honour, and his stubborn whim of settling his estate on a distant heir-male rather than his own daughter shapes Rose's prospects. He embodies the older Scotland the novel both mocks and mourns, and his household is the first place Waverley learns that hospitality and politics can be the same thing.

Sir Everard Waverley

supporting

Also known as Sir Everard, the worthy Sir Everard, Sir Everard Waverley

Sir Everard Waverley is the bachelor baronet of Waverley-Honour, a man of honour and old-fashioned formality who dotes on his nephew and manages the family's Jacobite sympathies with cautious discretion. His friendship with the Baron of Bradwardine, sealed by a shared love of field sports and a shared politics, is what sends Edward north in the first place. He matters as the origin of Edward's education and the source of the family tradition that the young man will have to decide whether to honour or betray.

Richard Waverley

supporting

Also known as Richard, Mr. Richard Waverley, Sir Richard Waverley

Richard Waverley is an ambitious Hanoverian placeman who trades his son's education for his own advancement, leaving Edward to be raised by his Jacobite uncle and to drift, unguided, into the Highlands. The family's split loyalties — Whig father, Tory uncle — make Edward a man without a political home, and the Prince's later remark that a Waverley is welcome among Stuarts lands because the name itself carries weight. Richard never appears in person, but his cold calculation shadows every choice his son makes.

Colonel Talbot

supporting

Also known as Talbot, the Colonel, Colonel

Taken at Prestonpans and quartered alongside Edward, Talbot is a blunt, well-connected Englishman who treats his captor's predicament with amused, paternal exasperation rather than contempt. He calls the Jacobite rising a bubble, presses Edward to see he was 'trepanned' into it, and quietly schemes to secure his pardon — while Edward refuses to desert. His steady friendship gives the novel its moral counterweight: a loyal Hanoverian who can still love a rebel.

Evan Dhu Maccombich

supporting

Also known as Evan Dhu, Evan, Maccombich, Ensign Maccombich

Evan Dhu moves between the outlaw's cave and the chief's hall with the same unshakeable steadiness, watching Donald Bean Lean's insinuations with a silence that speaks volumes. He is the human bridge between Fergus's romantic Jacobitism and the rougher world of caterans and cattle-lifting, and his calm competence — as guide, messenger, and later ensign — repeatedly carries Edward through country he cannot read. His devotion to Vich Ian Vohr is absolute, and it will cost him.

Donald Bean Lean

supporting

Also known as Donald, Donald Bean, Bean Lean

Donald Bean Lean receives Edward in a cavern furnished with heath pallets and stolen cattle, speaks with unnerving accuracy about garrisons and recruits, and hints darkly that he knows more of Waverley's business than Edward himself does. His defection later strips Fergus of thirty hardened men on the eve of battle, showing how little the Jacobite cause can rely on such freebooters. He is the novel's embodiment of the lawless, ambiguous Highlands — charming, dangerous, and never quite on anyone's side but his own.

Bailie Macwheeble

supporting

Also known as Macwheeble, the Bailie, Bailie, Mr. Duncan Macwheeble

Macwheeble bolts doors, rubs his hands, and dances a Highland fling when he hears Edward means to marry Rose and bring ten thousand a year into the family. Yet his cowardice is practical rather than contemptible: he hides Waverley under the alias 'Mr. Stanley,' forges safe-conducts, and dispatches ponies with the same anxious efficiency he brings to drafting a marriage contract. He is the small, scheming, indispensable machinery by which the romance actually moves.

Davie Gellatley

supporting

Also known as David Gellatley, daft Davie, the daft Davie Gellatley

Davie frisks and sings through the Baron's troubles — 'Our gear's a' gane' — and takes a horsewhipping from the Bailie without losing his strange cheer. The household treats him as harmless, but his wandering presence and uncanny memory make him a quiet witness to everything at Tully-Veolan, and his devotion to Rose and the Baron runs deeper than his antics suggest. He is the novel's reminder that the fool often sees what the wise overlook.

Major Melville

supporting

Also known as Melville, Major William Melville, Major Melville of Cairnvreckan

Melville is the local magistrate who arrests Waverley on a warrant from the Supreme Criminal Court, then examines him with a compassion that never quite softens into mercy. He is a strict disciplinarian and distrustful man of the world, caught between his instinct that Waverley is honorable and his conviction that the law must run its course. His tense, courteous interrogation establishes the political stakes of the novel and forces Waverley to confront how his own careless conduct may condemn him.

Callum Beg

supporting

Also known as Callum, little Callum Beg

Callum is the silent, ever-present attendant in Fergus's household, a boy whose composure in the face of his chief's rages marks him as something more than a servant. He moves through scenes of crisis without flinching, and his loyalty to Fergus carries an edge of ruthlessness that the novel leaves deliberately unspoken. His presence shadows the Jacobite plot with the suggestion that devotion and violence are never far apart.

Mr. Morton

supporting

Also known as Morton, the Reverend Mr. Morton

Morton is the minister invited to remain during Waverley's examination, and he becomes the prisoner's only advocate in the room. Where Major Melville sees a case for the law, Morton sees a young man whose guilt is not yet established, and he pleads the claims of moral motive against the machinery of justice. His quiet debate with Melville frames the novel's central question of how a well-ordered society should treat those who err from romance rather than malice.

Colonel Gardiner

supporting

Also known as James, Gardiner, Colonel James Gardiner

Gardiner commands Waverley's regiment and writes him the final summons that never reaches him, so that his apparent neglect of orders becomes the pretext for his removal. He is a man of honor whose good opinion Waverley desperately wants, and the discovery that his letters were intercepted by Donald Bean's schemes forces Waverley to make amende honorable to his memory. His fate at Prestonpans hangs over the narrative as a reminder of what the rebellion costs men of principle.

Gilfillan

supporting

Also known as Mr. Gilfillan, Gifted Gilfillan, Habakkuk Gilfillan

Gilfillan is a Hanoverian officer of the Covenanting strain, a man whose religious fervor and military ardor are indistinguishable. He appears in the Low Country campaigns as a figure of grim comedy and genuine menace, the kind of zealot whose certainty brooks no compromise. His presence sharpens the novel's portrait of a war fought not only between Jacobite and Hanoverian but between competing visions of God, king, and conscience.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart

supporting

Also known as Charles Edward, Prince Charles, the Prince, Charles Stuart

Charles Edward appears at the height of his early success, having driven Cope's forces north and entered Edinburgh, and he treats Waverley as a valuable political acquisition. He is eager to display confidence in his new adherent, explaining the council-of-war debates over whether to advance or retreat. His charm and openness are real, but so is the precariousness of his position, and his need for men like Waverley exposes how much of the rising depends on the conversion of romantic young gentlemen.

Lady Emily Blandeville

minor

Also known as Lady Emily, Emily, Lady Emily Blandeville

Colonel Talbot's wife, who intercedes for Waverley with the government.

Aunt Rachel

minor

Also known as Mrs. Rachel Waverley, Mrs. Rachel, the fair Mrs. Rachel

Edward's kind aunt at Waverley-Honour who dotes on him.

Mr. Pembroke

minor

Also known as a Mr. Pembroke

Edward's tutor, a learned but impractical clergyman.

Humphry Houghton

minor

Also known as Sergeant Houghton, Sergeant Humphry Houghton, Houghton, poor Humphrey

Waverley's former servant who becomes a sergeant in the Hanoverian army.

Alick Polwarth

minor

Also known as Alick

Waverley's loyal English servant who accompanies him to Scotland.

Janet Gellatley

minor

Also known as old Janet, auld Janet, poor old blear-eyed Janet

Davie Gellatley's mother, a faithful servant at Tully-Veolan.

John Mucklewrath

minor

Also known as Mucklewrath, lang John Mucklewrath

Blacksmith and Jacobite soldier who threatens Waverley.

Mr. Ebenezer Cruickshanks

minor

Also known as Mr. Cruickshanks, Ebenezer, old Ebenezer

Innkeeper at Cairnvreckan who shelters Waverley.

Mr. Falconer of Balmawhapple

minor

Also known as Balmawhapple, young Balmawhapple, the Laird of Balmawhapple

Hot-headed young Jacobite laird who quarrels with Waverley.

Mr. Saunders Saunderson

minor

Also known as Saunders Saunderson, Mr. Saunderson, Saunderson

The Baron of Bradwardine's meticulous butler.

Dugald Mahony

minor

Also known as Dugald

Irish Jacobite officer serving under Fergus MacIvor.

MacMurrough

minor

Also known as MacMurrough nan Fonn

Fergus MacIvor's bard who sings at the Highland feast.

Mr. Rubrick

minor

Also known as The Reverend Mr. Rubrick, Rubrick of Duchran

Episcopal clergyman at Tully-Veolan who supports the Jacobites.

Cathleen

minor

Flora MacIvor's maid and confidante at Glennaquoich.

Lawyer Clippurse

minor

Also known as Mr. Clippurse, Messrs. Clippurse

Lawyer employed by Sir Everard Waverley for legal matters.

Duncan Duroch

minor

Also known as Duncan

Highlander who guides Waverley through the mountains.

Mr. Bullsegg

minor

Also known as Bullsegg of Killancureit, Bullsegg

Lowland laird who attends the Baron's banquet.

Old Ballenkeiroch

minor

Also known as Ballenkeiroch

Aged Highland chieftain at the gathering.

Jinker

minor

Also known as James, Jamie Jinker, Lieutenant Jinker

Jacobite officer and horse-dealer.

Mrs. Mucklewrath

minor

Also known as Mucklewrath

Wife of John Mucklewrath, a camp follower.

Mrs. Flockhart

minor

Landlady of an inn in Edinburgh.

Lady Alice Waverley

minor

Also known as Lady Alice, the Lady Waverley

Sir Everard's sister, a proud Jacobite sympathizer.

Captain Wogan

minor

Also known as Wogan

Jacobite officer who escorts Waverley to the Highland army.

Jenny Jop

minor

Also known as Janet, poor Janet, Old Janet

Servant at the inn in Cairnvreckan.

Mr. Stanley

minor

Also known as Frank Stanley, Frank, Francis Stanley, young Stanley

Young English gentleman who befriends Waverley in London.

Lord George Murray

minor

Also known as Lord George, George Murray, George

Jacobite general who leads the Highland army.

Sir John Cope

minor

Also known as John, Sir John, Cope

Hanoverian general defeated by the Jacobites at Prestonpans.

Luckie Macleary

minor

Woman who keeps an alehouse near Tully-Veolan.

Mr. Skene

minor

Friend of Waverley's father in London society.

Miss Cecilia Stubbs

minor

Also known as Miss Cecilia, Miss Stubbs, Cecilia

Young lady admired by Waverley before his Scottish journey.

Squire Stubbs

minor

Father of Cecilia Stubbs, a local gentleman.

Malcolm Bradwardine

minor

Also known as Malcolm, Malcolm Bradwardine of Inch-Grabbit

Distant relative of the Baron, a minor laird.

Young Ronald of Ballenkeiroch

minor

Also known as young Ronald

Son of Old Ballenkeiroch, a young Highland warrior.

Ian nan Chaistel

minor

Highlander mentioned in clan lore, possibly a historical figure.

Shemus Beg

minor

Also known as Shemus

Highlander who assists Donald Bean Lean.

Mr. Twigtythe

minor

Also known as the Reverend Mr. Twigtythe

Clergyman who performs a marriage ceremony.

John Hodges

minor

Also known as Hodges

Servant at Waverley-Honour.

Jacob Jopson

minor

Also known as Jacob, old Jopson

Innkeeper at the village near Tully-Veolan.

Old Job Houghton

minor

Also known as Job Houghton

Father of Sergeant Houghton, a tenant on Waverley estate.

Corporal Bridoon

minor

Also known as Bridoon

Corporal in Colonel Gardiner's regiment.

Mr. Chambers

minor

Also known as Robert Chambers, Mr. Robert Chambers

Publisher or editor mentioned in the introduction.

Mr. Morritt

minor

Also known as Morritt

Friend of Sir Walter Scott, mentioned in editorial matter.

Ballantyne

minor

Also known as James Ballantyne

Printer and friend of Sir Walter Scott.

John Home

minor

Also known as Home

Scottish minister and dramatist, a historical reference.

Mackenzie

minor

Also known as Henry Mackenzie, Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Harry Mackenzie

Scottish novelist and man of letters, a contemporary reference.

Miss Edgeworth

minor

Irish novelist, praised in the preface.

Lady Louisa Stuart

minor

Also known as Lady Louisa

Correspondent and critic of Scott's work.

Mr. Ruskin

minor

Art critic, mentioned in editorial notes.

Shelley

minor

Also known as Mrs. Shelley, Mr. Percy Bysshe Shelley

Poet and family, mentioned in editorial context.

Wordsworth

minor

Poet, referenced in the introduction.

Byron

minor

Also known as Lord Byron

Poet, mentioned in editorial notes.

Fielding

minor

Novelist, referenced in the preface.

Dr. Johnson

minor

Also known as Johnson, Dr. ⸻

Lexicographer and critic, quoted in the text.

Thackeray

minor

Novelist, mentioned in editorial notes.

Mrs. Radcliffe

minor

Gothic novelist, referenced in the text.

Ben Jonson

minor

Playwright, quoted in the epigraph.

Shakespeare

minor

Playwright, frequently quoted in chapter epigraphs.

Cromwell

minor

Historical figure, mentioned in passing.

King George

minor

Reigning monarch, referred to by characters.

King James

minor

Also known as King Jamie, James, Jamie

Jacobite claimant to the throne, often invoked.

Charles II

minor

Also known as Charlie

Historical king, mentioned in Jacobite songs.