Details
Anthony Killigrew appears as a character in Chapters II and III of the novel, with a brief mention in Chapter VII. Unlike his father and grandfather, he is an Anglican and a Royalist. An accounts list on page 16 shows him to be a spendthrift and a gambler, with £17 having been lost at dice. Unsurprisingly, he is a member of His Majesty’s troop of guards, commanded by Lord Bernard Stewart – historically a ‘show troop’ of little military value. Although he is entrusted with the King’s letter to Hopton, he insists on returning to the ‘Crown’ to redeem his losses. What he then loses is his life.
He appears to have arrived in England in 1640, presumably for the purpose of attending Oxford, making him about nineteen in 1642. His emotions are always close to the surface, which makes him similar to Jack Marvel and quite possibly Q. There is no harm in Anthony Killigrew and it is a pity he did not live in a better age.