# Edith Haynes — William—An Englishman character guide

> Edith Haynes in William—An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Haynes, XIV Edith Haynes

**First appearance:** 0001-ii

## Snapshot

A suffragette friend of Griselda's, she becomes the patient listener to whom the bereft William tries to explain a world that has stopped making sense.

## Who they are

Edith Haynes has not spent her life in the atmosphere of Internationalism, and she is honest enough not to pretend impartiality about the war's causes. She hears William quote Faraday and Snowden as if reciting a faith he can no longer hold, and watches him grope toward rights and wrongs he never before cared to examine. She matters because she is the witness to his conversion—the friend who sees a shattered clerk become a man hunting for a purpose worth enlisting in.

## Relationships

### [William Tully](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/william_tully)

_romantic_

Edith is William's former lover, and their relationship is fraught with unresolved tension and lingering feelings.

### [Faraday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/faraday)

_social_

Edith and Faraday are acquaintances within the same social circle, connected through William and political activism.

### [William Tully](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/william_tully)

_romantic_

Edith is William's former lover, and their relationship is fraught with unresolved tension and lingering feelings.

## In the story

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xii)

The Englishwoman who assists William, speaks to him in English, and helps arrange Griselda's burial.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xiii)

A resourceful and determined companion, Edith takes charge of the journey, providing food, money, and guidance to the traumatized William.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xiv)

Guides William in Paris, arranges their journey, loans him money, and is surprised by his decision to enlist.

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xvi)

Corresponds with William from Somersetshire, managing her brother's farm.

### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xviii)

Hosts William on leave in Somerset; their conversations reveal his changed outlook.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/edith_haynes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters