Captain Blood characters

Appears from the start

An Irish physician and former soldier living quietly in Bridgwater during the Monmouth Rebellion. Though he has no part in the rising, his decision to treat a wounded rebel brings him before Judge Jeffreys. Blood is educated, controlled, and quick-witted, with a strong sense of justice that survives enslavement and later shapes his conduct at sea.

Appears from the start

A young shipmaster and one of the rebels who seek medical help for Lord Gildoy. Pitt is transported with Blood and becomes his close friend, trusted navigator, and partner in plans to escape Barbados.

Appears from the start

A wounded participant in the Monmouth rising whom Blood is summoned to treat. Blood's professional care for Gildoy provides the authorities with the pretext for arresting the doctor as a traitor.

First appears in chapter 3

The brutal chief justice who presides over the Bloody Assizes after the rebellion. He dismisses Blood's defense that a doctor is bound to aid the injured and condemns him with the other prisoners.

First appears in chapter 5

The wealthy Barbados planter and militia colonel who buys Blood and several fellow prisoners as laborers. Bishop is domineering, vindictive, and angered whenever Blood's medical usefulness limits his control over him.

First appears in chapter 5

Colonel Bishop's independent-minded niece. She persuades her uncle to purchase Blood after recognizing both his intelligence and the injustice of his position. Her sympathy matters deeply to him, though she does not excuse wrongdoing simply because she cares for the person accused of it.

First appears in chapter 6

A broad, one-eyed fellow convict whose strength and fierce loyalty make him one of Blood's most dependable companions. Wolverstone favors direct action and becomes a formidable officer when the prisoners take to sea.

First appears in chapter 6

A former naval officer transported to Barbados and drawn into Blood's escape circle. Hagthorpe contributes seamanship, discipline, and steady judgment to the company formed by the escaped prisoners.

First appears in chapter 10

A Spanish commander whose vessel attacks Barbados. Proud and contemptuous of the English settlement, he becomes central to the opportunity Blood and his fellow prisoners find amid the raid.

First appears in chapter 14

A French buccaneer who proposes an alliance with Blood at Tortuga. Levasseur is bold and charismatic but treats piracy as permission for personal cruelty, bringing his values into direct conflict with Blood's rules.

First appears in chapter 15

A young Frenchwoman seized by Levasseur for ransom despite his prior commitments. Her captivity tests whether Blood's articles and personal code have any force when challenged by an ally.

First appears in chapter 19

A well-connected English nobleman sent to the Caribbean with authority to offer Blood a royal pardon and naval employment. Courteous and perceptive, Lord Julian also becomes a rival for Arabella's regard.

First appears in chapter 26

A French naval commander who recruits Blood's force for an expedition against Spanish Cartagena. Rivarol values the buccaneers while they serve his plan but regards them as expendable and socially beneath him.

First appears in chapter 29

A Dutch admiral serving England after the change of monarchy. He brings authoritative news from Europe and judges Blood by his actions in the Caribbean rather than by the old sentence that made him an outlaw.