Waverley · Character

Gilfillan

A Cameronian preacher turned soldier, whose fanatical zeal and gift for psalmody make him as dangerous to his own side as to the enemy.

supporting

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

First appearance: part ii ii an examination

As a supporting figure in Waverley, Gilfillan is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The Cameronian commander of armed volunteers; tasked with escorting Waverley to Stirling Castle.

In the storyA Conference and the ConsequenceOpen this moment free

See Gilfillan in A Conference and the Consequence Book page

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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.

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The fuller portrait of Gilfillan sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Gilfillan in part ii ii an examination

Character Web

16 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Hanoverian Authority and Allies
Central Jacobite and Waverley Circle
Minor and Historical Figures
Protagonist

+11 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 passage, Waverley reaches an emotional and psychological peak as he violently oscillates between self-…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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In the story

Gilfillan appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

A Conference and the Consequence
The Cameronian commander of armed volunteers; tasked with escorting Waverley to Stirling Castle.
A Confidant
A Cameronian leader who will escort Waverley to Stirling.
Things Mend a Little
Commands the party that arrives with a drum; silences the drummer for playing a secular tune and orders the 119th Psalm instead.
A Volunteer Sixty Years Since
Leads the Cameronian volunteers, displays fanatical piety, and rebuffs Melville's suggestions.
VII: An Incident
Cameronian Covenanter leading the march, delivers a lengthy sermon against prelacy and Erastianism, is knocked down by the pedlar during the ambush.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Gilfillan unlock in the free preview.

See Gilfillan in part ii ii an examination

See Gilfillan in A Conference and the Consequence