Waverley · Character
Bailie Macwheeble
The Baron of Bradwardine's fussy, gleeful lawyer, whose terror of risk and delight in a good fortune make him the novel's finest comic engine.
supporting
Also known as Macwheeble, the Bailie, Bailie, Mr. Duncan Macwheeble
First appearance: The Banquet
As a supporting figure in Waverley, Bailie Macwheeble is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Cited as a character Scott preferred over any in Waverley.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
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…
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The fuller portrait of Bailie Macwheeble sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.
See Bailie Macwheeble in The BanquetCharacter Web
34 connectionsA slice of how Bailie Macwheeble sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Central Jacobite and Waverley Circle
- Minor and Historical Figures
+29 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this passage, Waverley reaches an emotional and psychological peak as he violently oscillates between self-…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Edward Waverley
professional · positive
Bailie Macwheeble is the Baron's comically obsequious lawyer who handles Edward's legal… How this plays out →
- Baron of Bradwardine
professional · ambivalent
- Baron of Bradwardine
professional · ambivalent
- Edward Waverley
professional · positive
Bailie Macwheeble is the Baron's comically obsequious lawyer who handles Edward's legal… How this plays out →
- Edward Waverley
professional · positive
Bailie Macwheeble is the Baron's comically obsequious lawyer who handles Edward's legal… How this plays out →
- Baron of Bradwardine
professional · ambivalent
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Bailie Macwheeble in The BanquetIn the story
Bailie Macwheeble appears across 18 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- Editor's Introduction to Waverley
- VI: The Adieus of Waverley
- IX: More of the Manor-House and Its Environs
- Rose Bradwardine and Her Father
- The Banquet
- XIV: A Discovery—Waverley Becomes Domesticated at Tully-Veolan
- XV: A Creagh, and Its Consequences
- An Unexpected Ally Appears
- +10 more
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Bailie Macwheeble unlock in the free preview.
See Bailie Macwheeble in The Banquet