Minor Characters
Mrs. Clements
One of the only servants to stay on at Darlington Hall after Lord Darlington’s death.
Mr. Jack Neighbours
A butler well-known throughout the service profession in the 1920s and 1930s who was popular and widely copied in his methods and manners. Stevens dismisses him as lacking true greatness (even though it also seems he may be slightly envious of Mr. Neighbours’s clout).
Mr. David Charles
An aristocrat who is a frequent guest of Lord Darlington and who tells Stevens anecdotes about the great professionalism of Stevens senior.
Dr. Meredith
The doctor on call for Darlington Hall who presides over the death of Stevens’s father.
Mr. Reginald Cardinal
Sir David Cardinal’s son and Lord Darlington’s godson. Also a member of the aristocratic class, Mr. Cardinal adapts better to modern society, writing a witty newspaper column and recognizing, eventually, just how much Lord Darlington had been deceived and become a pawn of the Nazis.
Mrs. Mortimer
The cook at Darlington Hall.
Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield
An American couple who come to visit Mr. Farraday, and who have also recently bought an old English country house.
Lord Halifax
Lord Halifax is a real historical figure, Britain’s foreign secretary in the 1930s through 1944. In the novel, Halifax is a frequent visitor to Darlington Hall, and Lord Darlington attempts to convince him to appease the Nazis.
Herr Ribbentrop
Ribbentrop is a real historical figure, the Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany. In The Remains of the Day, Ribbentrop is also a frequent guest at Darlington Hall and he is at the center of attempts to have Britain leave the Nazis alone for as long as possible.
Mrs. Carolyn Barnet
An intelligent, middle-aged woman who visits Darlington Hall often for several months one summer, and who influences Lord Darlington into adopting anti-Semitic views.
Ruth and Sarah
Two Jewish housemaids at Darlington Hall, whom Stevens dismisses after Lord Darlington tells him he doesn’t want Jewish people on his staff.
Mr. and Mrs. Taylor
A couple that hosts Stevens in their home in a village called Moscombe after his car runs out of gas.
George Andrews
A villager in Moscombe and friend of the Taylors who is impressed by Stevens.
Trevor Morgan
Another Moscombe villager and friend of the Taylors.
Mr. Harry Smith
Also a resident of Moscombe, Mr. Smith is involved in local politics and believes fiercely in democratic action and the involvement of British citizens in their national affairs. He provokes some contemplation by Stevens on the nature of dignity.
Mrs. Smith
Mr. Smith’s wife, who is quite impressed by Stevens.
Dr. Carlisle
The local doctor in Moscombe, who moved to the village as an idealistic socialist, but who seems to have lost those views.
Mr. Spencer
A gentleman who, as a visitor to Darlington Hall, asks Stevens a number of questions about specific political news, with the intent of showing his companion that it is useless to expect intelligent political opinions from people of lower classes.