JENNINGS – Who’s Who

LINBURY COURT PUPILS

  • Jennings, John Christopher Timothy – son of a businessman whose home is at Haywards Heath He is good-natured and well-meaning, but his tendency to act on impulse results in him frequently getting into trouble.
  • Darbishire, Charles Edwin Jeremy – mild-mannered and short-sighted, the son of a clergyman, the Reverend Percival Darbishire, from whom he has inherited a habit of sententiously citing proverbs (generally prefixed with “My father says…”). Darbishire is Jennings’s right-hand man. Inherently more cautious than his best friend, he usually finds himself drawn into situations in which he would rather not be involved.
  • Venables – classmate and shares Dormitory 4 with Jennings and Darbishire.
  • Atkinson, Robin – classmate and shares Dormitory 4 with Jennings and Darbishire.
  • Temple, Charles A (aka BOD) – classmate and shares Dormitory 4 with Jennings and Darbishire.
  • Bromwich (Major) – classmate and shares Dormitory 4 with Jennings and Darbishire.
  • Pettigrew, Marshall – day boy, with a bicycle, in Jennings’ form, whose privileges Jennings frequently “borrows” in order to assist him in bending school rules.
  • Binns Minor – shrill-voiced first-former, treated by Jennings with contempt appropriate to his junior years.
  • Blotwell – as Binns Minor above.
  • Binns Major – older brother of Binns Minor.
  • Perry – passing mention in Jennings Goes To School, but not subsequently developed.
  • Alsop – passing mention in Jennings Goes To School, but not subsequently developed.
  • Plackett – passing mention in Jennings Goes To School, but not subsequently developed.
  • Martin-Jones – fellow third former, mentioned in numerous books.
  • Rumbelow – fellow third former, mentioned in numerous books.
  • Thompson Minor – In According To Jennings, the Raleigh opponent in the swimming race Darbishire (for Drake) was supposed to swim against in the opening lap.
  • Evans – mentioned once in The Jennings Report as part of the third form report requested by Mr WIlkins
  • Parslow, Robin – as Evans above
  • Lewis – fellow third former, mentioned in The Jennings Report
  • Nuttall – fellow third former, mentioned in The Jennings Report
  • Stoddington – the Drake House captain and the largest boy in the school. He was 13 and 5″9′ at the time. Could possibly be the oldest boy in the school and his age would suggest that Linbury went up to fifth form. He was the opening runner in the Sports Day relay in Jennings Follows a Clue
  • Flittonborough Major – a senior boy, with the nickname of “Flybow” who ran in the Drake House relay in Jennings Follows a Clue.
  • Flittonborough Minor never appears in any of the books! However, he must have existed or Flittonborough Major would have been simply known as Flittonborough.
  • Wyatt – again from Jennings Follows a Clue, the third runner in the relay
  • Pringle – again from Jennings Follows a Clue, the final runner in the relay
  • MacTaggert – yet another runner from Jennings Follows a Clue, he competed in the 440 yards U12 – suggesting he may also be a third former. Nickname of MacBonk.
  • Clarke – yet another runner from Jennings Follows a Clue, Clarke ran in the half mile race which Darbishire competed in on Sports Day
  • Johnson – yet another Sports Day competitor in Jennings Follows a Clue. Johnson was also a football player who replaced Jennings in Jennings Goes To School when he fell ill and was unable to play. Much to Jennings’ chagrin, Johnson scored the winning goal.

LINBURY COURT STAFF

  • Mr Lancelot Phineas Wilkins (Old Wilkie) – Jennings’ form master, a man of limited patience and a volcanic temperament, redeemed by a hidden heart of gold at least once in every book. His catchphrases, both of them frequently uttered in order to express his anger and frustration at the boys’ antics, are, “Doh! You silly little boy!” and “…I – I – Corwumph!”
  • Mr Michael Carter – Jennings’s housemaster a friendly man of great imperturbability and patience, with a phenomenal and unfortunate ability to detect dissembling and violations of school rules. Nicknamed “Benedick”, from his use of the Latin phrase “benedicto benedicatur” (the second word sounding like “Benedick Carter”). This character was said by Buckeridge to be based on himself. Mr Carter is frequently obliged to reassure the less-understanding Old Wilkie that the boys’ behaviour is not generally quite as outlandish as the latter thinks – his statement at the end of ‘Jennings in Particular’ sums it up quite appropriately: “Don’t worry, Wilkins. Even third-formers grow up to be people”.
  • Mr Martin Winthrop Barlow Pemberton-Oakes (The Archbeako) – the headmaster, a classical scholar with a capacity to command immediate discipline and frequently long-winded in his speeches, although he generally remains reserved and softly spoken, and never hesitates to deliver praise when it is due.
  • Mr Hind – Music master, mild of manner (though occasionally acerbic), trailing clouds of smoke from his cherrywood pipe. Also teaches art to Form 1.
  • Mr Topliss – teaches shooting once a week on a shooting range behind the gymnasium.
  • Matron (never referred to by name, but at least two appear) – The second matron is sympathetic and understanding, but, like Mr Carter, has a keen ability to spot malingerers. Matron appears from ‘Jennings’ Little Hut’ onwards. Her predecessor, who features most prominently in ‘Jennings Goes To School’, is also kind-hearted, but less popular with the boys, as she is rather more brisk and no-nonsense in her approach and has “little sympathy with junk-filled pockets and hair that will not stay parted”.
  • Hawkins (Old Nightie) – the night watchman
  • Robinson (Old Pyjamas/Old Robbo) – oddjob man. His nickname is obviously a pun on the nightwatchman’s nickname of Old Nightie.
  • George the Third – Matron’s cat, a large ginger tom.
  • Mrs Caffey – Linbury Court’s housekeeper; pronounced Café, hence nicknamed “Mother Snackbar”.
  • Mrs Connie Hackett – the school’s feisty part-time kitchen assistant.
  • Miss Matthews – Kitchen staff in Jennings Abounding.
  • Mrs Hackett – Kitchen staff in Jennings Abounding.

BRACEBRIDGE SCHOOL

  • Mr ‘Pinky’ Parkinson – mild-mannered sports teacher at the nearby Bracebridge School; Linbury Court frequently play Bracebridge in football matches.
  • Mr ‘Foxy Type’ Fox – a notoriously strict and hatchet-faced teacher, who is also at Bracebridge.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

  • Miss Angela Birkenshaw (Aunt Angela) – Jennings’s absent-minded but generous aunt, who sometimes comes to visit Jennings on half-term holidays. In the book “Jennings at Large”, she is revealed to be a social worker.
  • Miss Margaret Wilkins – Old Wilkie’s pleasant and attractive younger sister, a London-based nurse, who occasionally visits her brother and nearly always has him wrapped round her little finger, especially when she needs him to look after her Siamese kitten, Pyewacket.
  • Mr Arthur Jennings – Jennings’s kindly and jovial uncle, who appears in ‘Our Friend Jennings’ and treats both Jennings and Darbishire to a memorable meal involving lots of baked beans in between courses, but is unfortunately too busy to stay long beyond that.

OTHER CHARACTERS

  • Lieutenant General Sir Melville Merridew Bart – retired general, the school’s most distinguished alumnus and frequent bestower of half-holidays.
  • Miss Thorpe – tireless voluntary charitable worker within the Linbury community.
  • PC Herbert Honeyball – Gruff but kind-hearted village policeman, who has more than once had wearying encounters with Jennings and his classmates.
  • Mr and Mrs Lumley – she runs the local cafe and is renowned for her excellent cakes and doughnuts, while her husband is less renowned as a repairer of bicycles.
  • Mr Herbert Higgins – mild-mannered local jeweller and watch-mender.
  • Farmer Jim and Mrs Arrowsmith – owners of a farm adjoining the school grounds. Both generally easy-going and supportive of the school’s activities, but do occasionally get annoyed when their lives are adversely affected by the boys’ antics.
  • Dr Basil Featherstonehaugh Hipkin – an absent-minded zoologist who meets Jennings and Darbishire when they accidentally push him into the river while they are on an illicit boating expedition.
  • Mrs Amanda Hipkin – Dr Hipkin’s formidable but kind-hearted wife.