| Bartholomew Bloor | |
|---|---|
|
Born |
1930 |
|
Family |
Meng Bloor (second wife), Naren Bloor (adoptive daughter), Mary Chance (first wife), Ezekiel Bloor (father), Hilda Hansoff (mother), Harold Bloor (son), Manfred Bloor (grandson), Dorothy Bloor (daughter-in-law) |
|
Hair colour |
white |
|
Eye colour |
??? |
|
Endowment (if a child of the Red King) |
None |
|
Affiliation(s) |
'Good' side |
|
Ancestor (if a child of the Red King) |
Borlath |
|
Department (current or past) |
None |
|
Gender |
Male |
"You're a nasty, unforgiving person Mr Bloor, just like the rest of your family."
-Charles Bone
Bartholomew Bloor (b.1930) is Dr. Harold Bloor's father and Ezekiel Bloor's son.
History[]
Bartholomew fell in love with Mary Chance and they soon got married, despite intense opposition from both their families. Ezekiel and his Yewbeam cousins despised the bride, who was pretty, and a dancer, and Mary's parents feared for their daughter, who was joining such a strange and unsociable family. Mary and Bartholomew got married on a rainy day, but were happy altogether. Their son, Harold, was a serious child and rarely laughed or smiled, and he didn't like traveling, camping, hiking, even going on picnics. Bartholomew and his mother Hilda Hansoff used to go climbing in the mountains of Bavaria, his mother looking for rare plants. Bartholomew had always loved traveling since then, and he and his friends spent their holidays climbing in Snowdonia, the Alps, and the Pyrenees.
Soon after that, Bartholomew received a letter containing an invitation to join a hiking expedition to the Himalayas. Though Bartholomew was at first reluctant to leave Mary, Mary told him he had to go, or else he would regret it. He then agreed and left. Two weeks after the climb, while still on the mountain, an avalanche killed two of Bartholomew's party. Bartholomew was swept away into a ravine and lay there for two days, until a man from an unknown tribe rescued him. The tribe cared for him until he got better after a year and was ready to travel. He was taken to a nearby town several weeks later and was excited to call Mary and to tell her he was coming home. When he called, however, Grizelda Bone answered the phone and told him she was selling his house because everyone believed he was dead. When she had heard the news, Mary had gone into an empty theatre and danced herself to her death. Harold was living in Bloor's Academy, cared by Ezekiel and Grizelda, and happy that way.
Bartholomew didn't return home. Instead he became an explorer, traveling around the world until he settled in China for several years and married a woman named Meng. After a flood one day in 1996, a four year old girl named Naren came into their home. Bartholomew and Meng adopted her because her parents had been swept away by the water. Bartholomew and his family returned to the Red King's city and stayed close to it, so he could be close to the city but far from his family, who currently lived in Bloor's Academy. Bartholomew forbade Naren to enter the city, as he was afraid she would be discovered by the Bloors, and was angry with her when she entered the city and brought Charlie Bone back with her.
In 1993, a year before Lyell's disappearance, Bartholomew returned to the city to visit his family. The visit was unsuccessful, as the Bloors refused to acknowledge him. However, during the few short weeks he was there, Bartholomew met Lyell Bone, and though Bartholomew was old enough to be Lyell's father, they became close friends They went mountain climbing together.
When Lyell disappeared, Bartholomew blamed Paton Yewbeam because he didn't help Lyell when he should have. Because of this the relationship between the two men is tense until the events of 'Charlie Bone and the Hidden King', when Bartholomew (with Charlie's help) finally realises how badly he's treated Paton and apologises to him for his past behaviour. Bartholomew and his family help expel Count Harken Badlock from the city, one of Bartholomew's reasons being that he would do anything for Charlie's father.
Bartholomew collected stories of the Red King from different countries and wrote them in his diaries, going by years. Bartholomew hated his family and never wanted to be a part of them. He wanted to have nothing to do with them, turning his back completely to them, which makes him a suspect of being the Red Knight.
When Lyell decides to become the Red Knight, he turns to Bartholomew for help, asking him to go whale-watching in place of himself and Amy. Bartholomew is a competent sailor and agrees to help Lyell in this way, feeling certain that he will be able to survive Lord Grimwald's storms. By the end of the eighth book he and his family are on their way back to the city.
Physical appearance[]
Bartholomew is described as being tall with tanned skin and a shock of white hair. He can be seen wearing a duffel coat.
Personality[]
Bartholomew has a very gruff personality, and can seem cold-hearted and mean at times. However, he cares deeply about his family and would never forsake them. He is a good person at heart, unlike the other members of the Bloor family, and is often called the 'white sheep' of that family. He is very bitter over Mary's death and his family's treatment of him but has managed to make a peaceful life for himself with Meng and Naren.
Abilities[]
Bartholomew is unendowed. He is a competent sailor and explorer.