# Far from the Madding Crowd — Character guide

> Key figures in Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.

- [Bathsheba Everdene](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/bathsheba_everdene.md): Proud and independent young woman who inherits a farm and becomes the object of multiple suitors.
- [Gabriel Oak](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/gabriel_oak.md): Steadfast shepherd and bailiff whose quiet devotion to Bathsheba endures through many trials.
- [William Boldwood](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/william_boldwood.md): Wealthy, reserved farmer whose obsessive love for Bathsheba leads to tragedy.
- [Frank Troy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/frank_troy.md): Charming but reckless soldier who marries Bathsheba and harbors a secret past with Fanny Robin.
- [Fanny Robin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/fanny_robin.md): Poor young woman seduced and abandoned by Troy, whose fate haunts the story.
- [Liddy Smallbury](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/liddy_smallbury.md): Bathsheba's loyal maid and confidante, often providing comic relief.
- [Jan Coggan](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/jan_coggan.md): Chatty farm laborer and church singer, one of Gabriel's loyal friends.
- [Joseph Poorgrass](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/joseph_poorgrass.md): Timid, stammering farmhand with a tendency to drink and moralize.
- [Henery Fray](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/henery_fray.md): Self-important farm worker who often complains about his treatment.
- [Laban Tall](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/laban_tall.md): Farm laborer married to the domineering Susan Tall.
- [Mark Clark](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/mark_clark.md): One of Bathsheba's farm workers, often seen in group scenes.
- [Benjy Pennyways](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/benjy_pennyways.md): Dishonest former bailiff of Bathsheba's farm, dismissed for theft.
- [Billy Smallbury](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/billy_smallbury.md): Elderly farmhand and father of Liddy, part of the Weatherbury community.
- [Matthew Moon](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/matthew_moon.md): Aged farm laborer with a philosophical bent.
- [Cainy Ball](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/cainy_ball.md): Young farm boy who works as a shepherd's assistant.
- [Maryann Money](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/maryann_money.md): Female servant at Bathsheba's farm, helps with household chores.
- [Jacob Smallbury](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/jacob_smallbury.md): Relative of Billy Smallbury, another farm worker.
- [Sam Samway](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/sam_samway.md): Farmhand who helps with sheep shearing and other tasks.
- [Bob Coggan](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/bob_coggan.md): Young relative of Jan Coggan, works on the farm.
- [Susan Tall](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/susan_tall.md): Laban Tall's domineering wife, known for her sharp tongue.
- [George](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/george.md): An elderly farm worker mentioned in passing.
- [Andrew Randle](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/andrew_randle.md): A farm laborer who appears in group scenes.
- [Tom King](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/tom_king.md): A soldier and friend of Troy, briefly mentioned.
- [Mrs. Hurst](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/mrs_hurst.md): A neighbor woman who appears at the sheep-washing.
- [Charlotte](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/charlotte.md): A servant girl at the farm, briefly mentioned.
- [Mr. Barker](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/mr_barker.md): A young man who courts Bathsheba before the story begins.
- [John Everdene](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/john_everdene.md): Bathsheba's deceased uncle who left her the farm.
- [Parson Thirdly](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters/pa_son_thirdly.md): The local vicar who performs marriages and burials.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/far_from_the_madding_crowd_se/characters