Minor Characters
Arthur Huntingdon, Jr. / “Little Arthur”
The five-year-old son of Helen Graham and Arthur Huntingdon, little Arthur grew wild and out of control under his father’s influence. When Helen removes him from Grassdale Manor, however, he becomes a sweet and serious youth.
Rachel
Having worked as Helen’s nurse when she was young, Rachel becomes Helen’s loyal companion when she decides to leave Arthur for Wildfell Hall.
Jack Halford
Gilbert’s brother-in-law, married to Rose, he is the man to whom Gilbert’s letters about Helen Graham are addressed. Like Gilbert, he cherishes stories of his impetuous youth, but the reader is never given access to those memories.
Rose Markham
Gilbert Markham’s sister and Jack Halford’s wife, she is a pretty woman with a plump figure and a kind manner.
Fergus Markham
Gilbert Markham’s younger brother, who dreams of going to sea or joining the army, but his mother won’t let him. Immature and spoiled at the beginning of the novel, he eventually meets a solid woman, inherits the family farm, and grows into a responsible and upstanding member of Linden-Car.
The Reverend Michael Millward
The father of Eliza and Mary Millward, he is the opinionated and strict minister of the Linden-Car parish. A robust, elderly gentleman, the reverend thinks anyone who disagrees with him or dares not to live as he thinks best is a fool.
Mrs. Wilson
Mrs. Wilson, the widow of a successful farmer, is a neighbor of the Markham family and mother to Jane, Richard, and Robert Wilson. Gilbert describes her as a “narrow-minded, tattling old gossip.”
Robert Wilson
A rough farmer, he is son to Mrs. Wilson and brother to Jane and Richard Wilson.
Richard Wilson
The studious member of the Wilson clan, he works hard to secure admittance to college in order to enter the church. Brother to Jane and Richard Wilson and son to Mrs. Wilson, he marries Mary Millward and eventually becomes a much-beloved curate.
Mr. Grimsby
The least likable of Arthur Huntingdon’s drunken friends.
Walter Hargrave
The most moderate of Arthur’s friends, Walter Hargrave seems at first blush to be a moral man, and he is beloved by his sisters and mother, but he is at heart conniving and dishonest. Helen sees through his ruse and refuses his romantic overtures.
Mrs. Hargrave
Hard-hearted and concerned primarily with status, she marries Milicent off to Mr. Ralph Hattersley knowing that her daughter does not love him. She is also furious when her youngest child, Esther, defies her vows to marry for love rather than convenience and a stable financial situation.
Helen Hattersley
Milicent’s daughter and Arthur Huntingdon Jr.’s eventual wife.
Ralph Hattersley (Jr.)
Milicent’s son.
Benson
A male servant employed at Grassdale Manor, he helps Helen and Rachel orchestrate their escape.
Mr. Oldfield
Suitor of Esther Hargrave during her first season in London, Esther deems him ugly and old.
Mr. Boarham
Suitor to Helen prior to her marriage to Arthur, he is 18 to Helen’s 18 the year she “comes out.” He applies for her hand in marriage in a very clumsy and condescending manner. Privately, Helen refers to him as “Bore ’em.”
Mr. Wilmot
Yet another of Helen’s older suitors; he is uncle to Annabella.
Miss Myers
The governess engaged by Arthur Huntingdon to teach little Arthur, Miss Myers is actually Arthur’s mistress. It’s his affair with her that gives Helen the motivation she needs to leave her husband.
Helen’s father
Unnamed in the text, he dies during the worst years of Helen’s marriage to Arthur.