Person

Book/Story

Nicknames

Family

Description

Alice

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A maid at Norton Manor.

Amberley, Frank

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Nephew of Sir Humphrey and Lady Marion Mathews and cousin of Felicity, he is on a family visit to them. A barrister in the criminal court by profession, he is about 35 and lean, with hard gray eyes, black brows, and an ironic smile. Known to some as the rudest man in London, he is nevertheless good to animals and can be pleasant when he wats to be.

Ananias

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Biblical figure. Frank Amberley calls Sergeant Gubbins this—ironically?—when the latter explains his understanding of some details of the case.

Baker

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

The name assumed by Peterson when he takes the position of butler at Norton Manor.

Benson, Mr.

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Owner of a racing motor boat borrowed by Frank Amberley in Littlehaven.

Bill

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Shirley Brown’s bull-terrier

Bilton

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Stole diamonds in an earlier case in which Frank Amberley and Sergeant Gubbins worked together.

Brown, Mark

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Brother of Shirley Brown, with whom he shares a small flat in Earl’s Court, London, and grandson of Jasper Fountain, he is a dark, black-haired, disheveled, and wild-looking boy of weak characater and a drunkard. He worked in a bank in London for a short time and was fired. Fountain was his original last name, but when his n’ere-do-well father died, their mother took the name Brown and they returned to England from South Africa 5 years ago.

Brown, Shirley

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Sister of Mark Brown, with whom she shares a small flat in Earl’s Court, London, and granddaughter of Jasper Fountain, she has dark eyes and the Fountain family beetle-brow, and she is independent and courageous, but secretive. She is the owner of Bill and works as secretary to Anne March. Fountain was her original last name, but when her n’ere-do-well father died, their mother took the name Brown and they returned to England from South Africa 5 years ago.

Clitheroe-Williams

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as a local land-owner in Upper Nettlefold.

Collins, Albert

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Valet to Jasper Fountain, he looks like a villain: lean, of medium height, tight-lipped and unhealthily pale, with pale, cold, expressionless eyes.

Corkran, Anthony (Tony)

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Fiancé of Joan Fountain and former school friend of Frank Amberley (who calls him “Corks”), he is a bit slow-witted and easily seasick, but good-humored and a keen golfer. Of excellent family and the possessor of pots of money, he enjoys playing Protective Male to Joan.

Crosby, Kitty

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A guest at the fancy-dress masked ball to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran

Dawson

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A timid man whom Jasper Fountain found in America and brought back with him to be his butler. He has a sister, a widow in Brixton, London, who is his heir.

Disraeli, Benjamin*

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Author of Curiosities of Literature, a book which Sir Humphrey Mathews borrows from the library of Basil Fountain at Norton Manor.

Elliot, Miss

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as a guest at the fancy-dress masked ball to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran.

Fairleigh, Mr.

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as an inhabitant of Upper Nettlefold.

Fanshawe, Mr. Geoffrey

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Fictional employer whose name is provided by Frank Amberley for Baker.

Faust

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Tony Corkran’s costume for the fancy-dress masked ball at Norton Manor to celebrate his engagement to Joan Fountain.

Fawcett, Mr.

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as farming land near Upper Nettlefold.

Fountain, ?

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Son of Jasper Fountain and father of Shirley and Mark Brown. He was not an admirable character and lived and died in South Africa.

Fountain, Basil

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Nephew of Jasper Fountain, cousin of Shirley and Mark Brown, step-brother of Joan Fountain, the current owner of and in residence at Norton Manor. He is large and powerfully built and has mood-swings from brusque and irritable to jovial, but is of a hospitable nature and likes to have people around. Healthy and out-doorsy, he has led a comfortable life and is generally uncomfortable with death.

Fountain, Jasper

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Grandfather of Shirley and Mark Brown, uncle of Basil Fountain, the unsociable owner of Norton Manor, who made a last will and died not long before the novel opens. He was fond of Basil and often had him down to stay.

Fountain, Joan

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Step-sister of Basil Fountain, but they are not close. A sensitive girl and easily frightened, she relies on the support of her fiancé, Tony Corkran. Owner of Jenny.

Fraser, Police Inspector

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold; he knows he needs Frank Amberley’s assistance in the case but resents Amberley’s manner and loathes having to ask him for help.

Gubbins, Police Sergeant

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

The main officer working with Frank Amberley on the case of the murdered butler and known to him from an earlier case, he is burly, with blue eyes and a mustache, and generally rides a bicycle. A veteran of World War I, he is patient and painstaking, with a somewhat ponderous sense of humour and just enough brains to know that Mr. Amberley is brighter than he.

Halifax, Miss

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as a guest at the fancy-dress masked ball to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran.

Harlequin

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A costume at the fancy-dress masked ball at Norton Manor to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran.

Harmer, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins.

Harper, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins.

Hawkins, Mr.

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as owner of The Blue Boar, Upper Nettlefold, a pub often patronised by Mark Brown.

Henson, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins.

Hitchcock

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as Basil Fountain’s head gamekeeper.

Holmes, Freddy

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A mutual school friend of Frank Amberley and Tony Corkran; a chap with freckles in the Army Class, in Merritt’s House.

Jenkins

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Butler to Sir Humphrey and Lady Mathews at Greythorne.

Jenny

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as Joan Fountain’s pet dog.

Jerrold, Mr.

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Mentioned in passing as a motorist flagged down by Constable Tucker to carry the news of Mark Brown’s death to the Upper Nettlefold police station.

Jones, Mrs.

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Charwoman who “does” for Shirley Brown at Ivy Cottage.

Landlady

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

At the inn on the quayside at Littlehaven, a startling blond of enormous proportions.

Ludlow

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Chauffeur to Sir Humphrey and Lady Mathews, he is currently ill with influenza.

March, Anne

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A popular novelist in London; Shirley Brown is her secretary.

Marguerite

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Joan Fountain’s costume for her engagement to Tony Corkran.

Marolles, Abbé

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

in Disraeli’s Curiosities of Literature, a book which Sir Humphrey Mathews borrows from the library of Basil Fountain at Norton Manor.

Mary Queen of Scots*

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A costume at the fancy-dress masked ball at Norton Manor to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran.

Mason, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins; he and Philpotts operate the “hand-ambulance.”

Mathews, Felicity

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

The 18-year-old daughter of Sir Humphrey and Lady Mathews and cousin of Frank Amberley, she is a friend of Joan Fountain’s. Owner of Wolf.

Mathews, Lady Marion

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Aunt of Frank Amberley, she is a charmingly vague woman who is nevertheless very perceptive and has moments of great shrewdness. She dislikes using the phone.

Mathews, Sir Humphrey

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Uncle of Frank Amberley, landowner in Upper Nettlefold, and Justice of the Peace, he is old-fashioned in his outlook and feels that the women in his family need sheltering from the unpleasant details of life. Something of a bibliophile.

Mephistopheles

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Frank Amberley’s costume for the fancy-dress masked ball to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran.

Molly

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Housemaid to Sir Humphrey and Lady Mathews at Greythorne.

Mr. Woodhouse

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Father of Emma Woodhouse in Jane Austen’s novel Emma. Sir Humphrey Mathews is compared to him as being firmly of the opinion that “the sooner every party breaks up the better.”

Parkins, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins.

Peabody

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Longshoreman living at Littlehaven; employed by Frank Amberley to keep an eye on Basil Fountain’s motorboat.

Peterson

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

see Baker

Manservant to Frank Amberley, he is thin and middle-aged, with shy brown eyes, and looks like a superior servant.

Philpotts, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins; he and Mason operate the “hand-ambulance.”

Pompadour, Mme de*

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A costume at the fancy-dress masked ball at Norton Manor to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran.

Sailor

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Unlocks the boat-yard in Littlehaven for Frank Amberley and supplies him with a much-needed boat (Mr. Benson’s racing motorboat).

Tomlinson, General

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A land-owning neighbour of Basil Fountain at Norton Manor; mentioned in passing.

Tucker, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins. A flat-faced plain-clothes man who doesn’t look like a walker, he is given the job of shadowing Mark and later Shirley Brown.

Wagge

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

An older resident of Upper Nettlefold who drinks regularly at the Blue Dragon and has been in jail for drunk and disorderly many times; he is shocked at Mark Brown’s drinking.

Walker, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Young man on the phones in Upper Nettlefold.

Watson

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Sherlock Holmes’s companion. Antony Corkran volunteers to be Frank Amberley’s Watson.

Watson, Colonel

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Chief constable in Upper Nettlefold, he is a pompous and foolish man who reluctantly seeks help with the case from Frank Amberley. He annoys Sir Humphrey Mathews.

Westrupp, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins.

Wilkins, Police Constable

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Of Upper Nettlefold, working under Sergeant Gubbins; one of many who are offended by Frank Amberley’s manner.

Wolf

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Felicity Mathews’ pet Alsation.

Wolsey, Cardinal

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

A costume at the fancy-dress masked ball at Norton Manor to celebrate the engagement of Joan Fountain and Tony Corkran.

Young Thomas

WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

Inhabitant of Upper Nettlefold. Mentioned in passing.