The Vicar of Bullhampton · Chapter
The Marquis of Trowbridge explained
The Marquis of Trowbridge, angered by the impending release of Sam Brattle due to lack of evidence, takes a personal affront to the murder of his tenant, Farmer Trumbull.
What happens
The Marquis of Trowbridge, angered by the impending release of Sam Brattle due to lack of evidence, takes a personal affront to the murder of his tenant, Farmer Trumbull. His animosity extends to Mr. Fenwick and Mr. Gilmore, whom he blames for supporting Brattle. A heated confrontation occurs where Fenwick defends Sam's right to return home and rebukes the Marquis for his cruel suggestion, drawing an analogy to the Marquis's own daughters. The chapter highlights class tensions, religious conflict, and the power dynamics between the nobility and the parish.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Social Power
The Marquis's sense of personal injury over the murder of his tenant and his expectation of control over the parish illustrate the power dynamics of the landed gentry.
Religious Conflict and Toleration
The rivalry between Fenwick (Anglican vicar) and Puddleham (Methodist minister) is exacerbated by the Marquis's support for Puddleham, reflecting broader sectarian tensions.
Justice and Prejudice
The Marquis's presumption of Sam Brattle's guilt without evidence and his demand for banishment highlight prejudice overriding due process.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Fenwick
Defends Sam Brattle against the Marquis's demands, argues for his right to return home, and rebukes the Marquis for his cruelty.
- Harry Gilmore
Present during the confrontation with the Marquis, supports Fenwick but tries to temper the argument.
- Sam Brattle
Subject of the dispute; expected to be released from prison for lack of evidence, but the Marquis wants him banished.
- Lord Trowbridge
The Marquis, outraged by the murder of his tenant and the impending release of Sam Brattle; confronts Fenwick and Gilmore.
- Mr. Puddleham
The Methodist minister, allied with the Marquis, provides parish gossip and is rebuked by Fenwick for his assumptions about Carry Brattle.
- Carry Brattle
Mentioned in the context of gossip; Fenwick challenges Puddleham's assumption that she is irredeemably fallen.
Key passages
“He felt personally angry with Bullhampton, had ideas of stopping his charities to the parish, and did resolve, then and there, that he would have nothing to do with a subscription for the repair of the church, at any rate for the next three years.”
The Marquis was so incensed that he considered cutting off his charitable contributions to Bullhampton and decided not to donate to the church repair fund for at least three years.
Shows the Marquis's use of financial power to express displeasure.
“I never in my life heard any proposition more cruel or inhuman than that made by Lord Trowbridge. This young man is to be turned out because a tenant of his lordship has been murdered!”
Fenwick condemns the Marquis's suggestion to banish Sam Brattle as cruel and unjust, pointing out that it presumes guilt without trial.
Highlights Fenwick's moral courage and defense of justice.
“My lord, his father’s house is his own, to entertain whom he may please, as much as is yours. And were I to suggest to you to turn out your daughters, it would be no worse an offence than your suggesting to Mr. Brattle that he should turn out his son.”
Fenwick argues that the Brattle home is as inviolable as the Marquis's, and that demanding Sam's expulsion is as offensive as suggesting the Marquis evict his own daughters.
Fenwick uses a bold analogy to challenge the Marquis's authority and hypocrisy.
