When Charles the First Was King · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in When Charles the First Was King by J. S. Fletcher.
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Narrator
major
Also known as Unknown, your, mine, thou, I
A Yorkshire yeoman farmer pressed into the King's service, he argues with Cromwell himself about obedience, liberty, and the rights of plain Englishmen.
Ben Tuckett
major
Also known as Master Ben Tuckett, Master Ben, Ben, old Ben, Master Tuckett, Ben Tuckett, worthy Ben Tuckett, Master Benjamin, Benjamin, Even Ben Tuckett, Benny, Honest Ben, Good Ben, Old Benny
The Dales' most softhearted servant, he lectures anyone within earshot that war was invented by the devil while quietly scheming to win a little glory of his own.
Rose Lisle
major
Also known as Lisle, Rose, Mistress Rose, Mistress Rose yonder, Mistress Rose Lisle, Dear Mistress Rose, Hebe
A dark-eyed, gipsy-looking beauty grown tall and stately, she lodges with the narrator's family and turns his quiet farm life upside down.
Jack Drumbleforth
major
Also known as Jack, this Jack Drumbleforth, Drumbleforth
A brave but flyaway young volunteer who takes sides before he understands the quarrel, riding off to war more for the adventure than the cause.
Philip Lisle
supporting
Also known as Philip, honest Philip
A pardoned highwayman turned loyal Royalist, he rides the countryside pleading the King's cause and gathering volunteers as war closes in on Yorkshire.
Jacob Trusty
supporting
Also known as Jacob, old Jacob, Trusty
A surly, fifty-three-year veteran of the Dale farm, he has nursed the narrator since infancy and brooks no advice from anyone but himself.
Dennis Watson
supporting
Also known as a Watson, Dennis Watson, This Dennis, Dennis, Watson, Master Watson, This Watson, Master Dennis Watson
Dennis Watson belongs to the hostile clan arrayed against Will Dale and his kin, yet he plays the gallant when he lifts Lucy and Rose from a snowstorm and delivers them to their own orchard gate. His charm is real enough to disarm the women, but Will's furious reaction exposes the old enmity beneath it, and Jack Drumbleforth warns that Watson is cruel and ingenious in his contrivances. His suspected leanings toward Rose make him a rival to watch, and his underhand threats shadow the early chapters with the promise of reckoning.
Lucy
supporting
Also known as Lucy, Benjamin Tuckett, Ben Tuckett, poor Ben Tuckett, Tuckett, poor Lucy, Mistress Dale, Mistress Lucy, Mistress Lucy Dale, Mrs. Dale
Lucy Dale is the gentle sister whose tears come easily and whose affections belong to the worthy but plain Ben Tuckett. When Dennis Watson gives her and Rose a ride home through the snow, she confesses the name with reluctance, knowing Will will be angry, and her brother's sharp scolding reduces her to weeping until Rose intervenes. Her soft nature and the loyalty of her suitor make her a quiet measure of the household's warmth, and her small transgression shows how the feud reaches even the tenderest members of the family.
Will Dale
supporting
Also known as Will, Master Dale, Dale, poor Will, Will yonder, Bill, Will Dale yonder, William Dale, William, Master William, Mr. William Dale
Will Dale farms at Dale's Field, loves Rose Lisle, feuds with Dennis Watson, and counts Jack Drumbleforth and Ben Tuckett among his closest friends. Proud and quick to anger, he scolds Lucy for accepting Watson's help yet quails before Rose's indignation, and he rides off with Jack to confess both his courtship and his danger. His restless spirit and sense of honor draw him toward the great events of the age, making him the reader's eyes on both the village and the coming storm.
Captain Ready
supporting
Also known as Captain Trevor, Captain, Trevor
Captain Trevor, known as Captain Ready, is a Cavalier cavalryman left convalescent in the Dale household, where Will's mother fusses over him and Rose and Lucy tend his recovery. He repays their care with tales of travel and verses composed under the apple trees, a gallantry that delights the maidens and alarms the red-haired, snub-nosed Ben Tuckett. His presence tests the lovers' trust and brings news of the wider war into the quiet orchard, making him both a friend to Will and a quiet threat to Ben's peace of mind.
Parson Drumbleforth
supporting
Also known as Parson Drumbleforth, Master Drumbleforth, Master John, Master John Drumbleforth, John Drumbleforth, John, Mr. John Drumbleforth, An Master John, poor Master John, the Reverend Nathaniel Drumbleforth
Parson Drumbleforth keeps the vicarage at Darrington, a plain foursquare house whose garden path leads into the graveyard, and raises his son Jack in the same sturdy principles. He stands among the local clergy whose counsel and constancy steady the yeoman families as the quarrel between King and Parliament sharpens. His name is invoked as a moral authority, and his household becomes a waypoint for Will and Jack as they move between the quiet village and the gathering war.
Oliver Cromwell
supporting
Also known as This Cromwell, Cromwell, General Cromwell, General Oliver Cromwell, Master Cromwell
Cromwell appears as the victorious general who walks Will Dale through the silent halls to view the dead King's body, speaking of tyranny ended and children weeping on both sides. His impassive countenance, his fierce dismissal of Will back to the country, and his promise that the farmer's business shall be done reveal a man of iron conviction rather than mere ambition. He embodies the revolution that sweeps the novel's later chapters, and his brief, unforgettable interview with Will fixes the human cost of the age.
Rupert Watson
supporting
Also known as Rupert Watson of Castle Hill, Watson, Rupert, one Rupert Watson, this Master Rupert Watson, Master Watson
Rupert Watson of Castle Hill stands as the narrator's chief rival and the man behind the long-ago shot on a snow-covered highway. The narrator's discovery of Watson's guilt transforms a joyful homecoming into a ride consumed by revenge, blotting out even thoughts of Rose. As the antagonist whose malice shaped the narrator's orphaned past, Watson gives the early and middle chapters their driving grievance and their sharpest edge of dread.
The Stranger
supporting
Also known as the stranger, The stranger
The stranger crosses the narrator's path bearing a revelation that reframes old wounds and old enemies alike, naming at last the malice behind a murder. His information lands like a spark in dry tinder, converting years of vague grief into a clear and terrible purpose. Though he appears only briefly, his words reshape the story's middle arc, turning a homeward journey into a hunt for justice.
Prince Rupert
minor
Also known as Prince Rupert, Rupert
The dashing Royalist cavalry commander, nephew of King Charles I.
Master Nicholas Pratt
minor
Also known as Master Nicholas Pratt, Master Pratt, Pratt, Nicholas Pratt, old Master Pratt
A local merchant and magistrate, a figure of authority.
Master Geoffrey Oldthwaite
minor
Also known as Master Geoffrey Oldthwaite, Master Oldthwaite, old Master Oldthwaite
An elderly and respected neighbor, a friend to the narrator's family.
Sir Thomas Fairfax
minor
Also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, Fairfax, the Parliamentary troops under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Colonel Lambert, Colonel Lambert, Sir Thomas, Lord Fairfax, General Fairfax
The commander-in-chief of the Parliamentarian army.
Colonel Cotterel
minor
Also known as one Colonel Cotterel, Colonel Cotterel, Cotterel
A Royalist officer commanding a garrison at Pontefract Castle.
Caesar
minor
Also known as Caesar
Philip Lisle's magnificent and loyal horse.
Dr. Parsons
minor
Also known as Dr. Parsons, the Reverend Dr. Parsons
A learned clergyman and physician, a friend of Parson Drumbleforth.
Lord Newcastle
minor
Also known as Lord Newcastle, Newcastle, the Marquis of Newcastle, Marquis, The Marquis of Newcastle
A prominent Royalist commander in the north of England.
Master Goodfellow
minor
Also known as Master Goodfellow
A friendly and helpful neighbor.
Timothy Grass
minor
Also known as Timothy Grass, Timothy
A local farmer and acquaintance.
Sir William Lowther
minor
Also known as Sir William Lowther, William
A local Royalist gentleman and landowner.
Belwether
minor
Also known as Belwether, Master Belwether
A local farmer or tradesman.
Sir Marmaduke Langdale
minor
Also known as Sir Marmaduke Langdale, Langdale
A Royalist cavalry commander.
Earl of Leven
minor
Also known as the Scotch forces under the command of Leslie , Earl of Leven, Leslie, Earl of Leven, Leven, Scotch, the Scotch
The commander of the Scottish Covenanter army.
Old Mother Robey
minor
Also known as old Mother Robey
An elderly woman in the neighborhood.
Farmer Denby
minor
Also known as Farmer Denby, Farmer
A local farmer.
Master Lisle
minor
Also known as Master Lisle
The father of Philip Lisle, an elderly and respected gentleman.
John Sanderson
minor
Also known as John Sanderson, John
A friend and fellow soldier fighting for the Royalist cause.
Old Deborah
minor
Also known as old Deborah, Deborah, Mistress Deborah, Mistress Deborah , who had come over to give us the benefit of her experience for that day
An elderly servant woman, wise in domestic matters.
Colonel Morrice
minor
Also known as Morrice, Colonel Morrice
A Royalist officer involved in the defense of Pontefract Castle.
Master Brewer
minor
Also known as Master Brewer
A local tradesman and neighbor.
Tom Gascoyne
minor
Also known as Tom Gascoyne, Tom, Gascoyne
A young man from the neighborhood, a friend of the narrator.
Dumpling
minor
Also known as Dumpling, Whereupon , Dumpling, Shake Dumpling
The narrator's faithful and clever dog.
Lawyer Hook
minor
Also known as Lawyer Hook, Mr. Hook
A local lawyer involved in legal matters.
Black Phil
minor
Also known as Black Phil, Phyllis
A servant or worker on the Lisle estate.
Mr. William Shakespeare
minor
Also known as Mr. William Shakespeare, Mr. Shakespeare, Master William, William
The famous playwright, quoted or referenced by characters.
Thomas Thorpe
minor
Also known as Thomas Thorpe, Tom Thorpe, Tom
A local man, possibly a servant or tradesman.
Colonel Lowther
minor
Also known as Colonel Lowther, Colonel Lowther hath
A Parliamentarian officer.
Captain Wheatley
minor
Also known as Captain Wheatley, Captain
A Royalist officer.
Mrs. Parsons
minor
Also known as Mrs. Parsons
The wife of Dr. Parsons.
Colonel Eury
minor
Also known as Colonel Eury
A Parliamentarian officer at the siege of Pontefract.
Francis Wood
minor
Also known as Francis Wood, young Francis Wood, Frank Wood
A young man from the neighborhood.
Earl of Essex
minor
Also known as Essex, The Earl of Essex
A Parliamentarian general.
Master Gregory
minor
Also known as Gregory, Master Gregory
A local man, possibly a schoolmaster or clergyman.
Colonel Sands
minor
Also known as Colonel Sands
A Parliamentarian officer.
Dorothy
minor
Also known as Dorothy
A servant or young woman in the household.
General Poyntz
minor
Also known as General Poyntz
A Parliamentarian commander.
Will Stripe
minor
Also known as not Will Stripe, Will
A local man, possibly a laborer.
Lawyer Sharpe
minor
Also known as Lawyer Sharpe, Sharpe
A local lawyer.
Mr. John Hampden
minor
Also known as Mr. John Hampden, Hampden
A prominent Parliamentarian politician, mentioned as a historical figure.
Old Master Hull
minor
Also known as old Master Hull, Master Hull
An elderly neighbor.
Sir William Langdale
minor
Also known as Sir William Langdale, William
A Royalist knight.
Lord Manchester
minor
Also known as Lord Manchester, Manchester
A Parliamentarian commander.
Job Trotter
minor
Also known as Job Trotter
A local man, possibly a servant.
Master Truelove
minor
Also known as Master Truelove
A local man, possibly a tradesman.
