# An Illegal Settlement explained — Lorna Doone > Chapter companion for Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore. ## What happens John Ridd explains the origins of the Doone family's outlaw settlement in Exmoor, tracing back to the dispossession of Sir Ensor Doone in 1640 and the family's descent into robbery and violence. He describes how the Doones grew in strength and terrorized the neighborhood, culminating in the murder of his father, which was met with inaction by local authorities. ## Themes in this chapter ### Social Class and Inequality The Doones' noble birth contrasts with their descent into robbery, highlighting class tensions and the failure of justice. ### Justice and Revenge The community's fear and inaction after John Ridd's father's murder illustrate the breakdown of legal order and the cycle of violence. ### Family and Loyalty The Doones' fierce internal loyalty is noted as their only redeeming quality, even as they terrorize outsiders. ## Character check-ins ### John Ridd Narrator and churchwarden, reflecting on the Doones' history and his father's murder. ### Sir Ensor Doone Founder of the Doone settlement, a gentleman turned outlaw after losing his estates. ### Carver Doone Mentioned as a violent Doone, though not directly active in this chapter. ### Counsellor Doone Kept by the Doones for his wisdom, noted as an exception to the family's physical standards. ## Key lines > Good folk who dwell in a lawful land, if any such there be, may for want of exploration, judge our neighbourhood harshly, unless the whole truth is set before them. People living in orderly places might unfairly judge our area without knowing the full story. _John Ridd defends his community against outsiders' prejudices._ > In or about the year of our Lord 1640, when all the troubles of England were swelling to an outburst, great estates in the North country were suddenly confiscated... Around 1640, as England's conflicts escalated, large northern estates were seized due to family feuds and court influence. _Sets the historical context for the Doones' dispossession._ > One night, some ten years ere I was born, when they were sacking a rich man's house not very far from Minehead, a shot was fired at them in the dark... About ten years before I was born, during a robbery near Minehead, a Doone was fatally shot, leading to a brutal reprisal. _Illustrates the Doones' violent retaliation and the community's fear._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/v-an-illegal-settlement - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lorna_doone_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters