John Ridd

John Ridd, the narrator and courageous hero. His hatred of the outlaw Doone clan is at variance with his love for beautiful Lorna Doone. At last, after many adventures, including the vanquishing of the Doones, he marries Lorna.

Sir Ensor Doone

Sir Ensor Doone, the head of the Doone clan, loved by Lorna. Dying, he gives his blessing to her and John Ridd.

Lorna Doone

Lorna Doone, Sir Ensor’s ward. Captured by the Doones when a small child, she turns out to be an heiress, Lady Dugal. In love with John Ridd and hating the savage members of the Doone clan, she bravely resists the Doones’ tyrannical efforts to marry her to Carver Doone.

Carver Doone

Carver Doone, Sir Ensor’s son and the most villainous of the Doones. The actual murderer of John Ridd’s father, he is finally slain by John.

Annie Ridd

Annie Ridd, John’s sister.

Tom Faggus

Tom Faggus, a highwayman and John Ridd’s cousin. Annie’s love for Tom involves John in his concerns, almost resulting in John’s execution.

Jeremy Stickles

Jeremy Stickles, the king’s messenger. Saved by John Ridd from death at the hands of the Doones, he is later able to rescue John from execution.

Reuben Huckaback

Reuben Huckaback, John Ridd’s great-uncle, who is also a victim of robbery by the Doones.

Ruth

Ruth, the granddaughter of Huckaback, who wants John Ridd to marry her.

John Fry

John Fry, who, at the start of the novel, is sent to bring John Ridd home from school. Returning, they discover that the Doones have murdered John Ridd’s father.

Lord Alan Brandir

Lord Alan Brandir, Lorna’s relative, whose brutal murder by Carver Doone is instrumental in causing her to hate the clan.

Lorna Doone meets the reader's expectations of a romance in several ways, particularly through its idealized portrayals of women. Both Lorna Doone herself and John Ridd's older sister, Anne, embody the untainted purity and perfect beauty typical of Victorian-era romantic heroines. This is how John Ridd perceives them, and Ridd serves as both the main character and the story's narrator.

On his last day at Blundell's School, John Ridd engages in a fight and overcomes one of the school's strongest boys. Ridd recognizes that part of him enjoys violence, but his conscience constantly questions whether such actions are justified. As a young man, he blinds his horse in one eye when it behaves badly, kills a soldier who captures him with a single blow, and is consumed with thoughts of avenging his father's murder. Writing his autobiography as a grandfather, Ridd expresses regret over these violent acts driven by youthful anger. Over time, he overcomes his vindictive tendencies. He becomes the champion wrestler in the area, earning the nickname "Girt John Ridd" due to his large size and willingness to defend his title. He holds the rank of yeoman—a farmer who owns a modest amount of land—and desires no other title, although later in the novel, King James II knights him. Honest, strong, and loyal, Ridd is a classic romantic hero with some unusual traits: a love for poetry, especially Shakespeare, and an appreciation for the beauty of nature, which makes his observations poetic.

Lorna Doone, who is later revealed to be Lady Lorna Dugal by birth, has a lively sense of humor that often turns to tears when she contemplates her situation as a captive of the Doones. The leaders of the outlaws, Sir Ensor and the Counsellor, have raised Lorna in a way befitting her noble status, shielding her from the roughness...