The Witch of Blackbird Pond characters

Also known as Kit

Appears from the start

A sixteen-year-old orphan raised by her wealthy grandfather in Barbados. After his death she sails alone to Connecticut to live with relatives she has never met. Kit is educated, impulsive, and accustomed to comfort and freedom, qualities that make the strict Puritan community of Wethersfield wary of her from the moment she arrives.

Also known as Nat

Appears from the start

The captain's son aboard the Dolphin, the ship carrying Kit to Connecticut. A confident sailor with an irreverent manner, he is amused by Kit's independence and alerts her to how suspicious the other passengers are when she reveals that she can swim.

First appears in chapter 3

Kit's maternal aunt, who left a comfortable upbringing to marry Matthew Wood and live in Wethersfield. Rachel welcomes her unexpected niece with warmth, though years of hard work and deference to her husband have made her life very different from the one Kit remembers hearing about.

First appears in chapter 3

Kit's uncle, a stern and hardworking Puritan farmer. He resents being given responsibility for an unannounced dependent, especially one whose fine clothes and easy habits represent the worldly excess he distrusts. His rigid manner is matched by a deep commitment to family and colonial self-government.

First appears in chapter 3

Kit's gentle cousin, weakened by a childhood illness and unable to do heavy work. Mercy teaches young children in the household and meets hardship with patience rather than resentment. Her warmth makes her Kit's closest ally in the Wood family.

First appears in chapter 3

Kit's healthy, energetic cousin, close to her in age. Judith is fascinated by Kit's clothes and Barbados upbringing, but she is also competitive and sharply aware of marriage prospects and her own standing in Wethersfield.

First appears in chapter 4

A serious young man studying theology with Reverend Bulkeley. He is a frequent visitor to the Wood household and shares Matthew's concern for the colony, though he is more willing to respect established authority. Judith assumes his attention is directed toward her.

First appears in chapter 5

A wealthy, reserved young settler who begins calling on Kit. His prosperity and conventional respectability make him an attractive match in the community, while his quiet manner leaves Kit uncertain how much they truly understand one another.

First appears in chapter 8

An elderly Quaker woman living alone beside Blackbird Pond. The Puritan townspeople shun her and call her a witch, but Kit finds her kind, perceptive, and able to offer the peaceful refuge missing from the Wood household.

Appears from the start

A neglected young girl from an impoverished family. Kit first notices her aboard the Dolphin and later discovers that Prudence is eager to learn despite her mother's insistence that she is incapable. Her trust in Kit grows through secret lessons.

Appears from the start

Prudence's harsh and fearful mother. Goodwife Cruff interprets Kit's unfamiliar clothes, swimming ability, and independence as signs of danger, and her suspicion carries influence among neighbors already anxious about witchcraft.

First appears in chapter 4

The Puritan minister under whom John Holbrook studies. Reverend Bulkeley is learned and influential but politically at odds with Matthew Wood because he favors accommodation with the royal government over resistance.