Mr. Bumble is a fictional character and minor

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.1838 Events January–March * January 10 – A fire destroys Lloyd's Coffee House and the Royal Exchange in London. * January 11 – At Morristown, New Jersey, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale give the first public demonstration ...

novel ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Description

When the story was first serialised in ''

Bentley's Miscellany ''Bentley's Miscellany'' was an English literary magazine started by Richard Bentley. It was published between 1836 and 1868. Contributors Already a successful publisher of novels, Bentley began the journal in 1836 and invited Charles Dicken ...

'' in

1837 Events January–March * January 1 – The destructive Galilee earthquake causes thousands of deaths in Ottoman Syria. * January 26 – Michigan becomes the 26th state admitted to the United States. * February 4 – Seminoles attack Fo ...

, Mr. Bumble is the cruel and self-important

beadle A beadle, sometimes spelled bedel, is an official who may usher, keep order, make reports, and assist in religious functions; or a minor official who carries out various civil, educational or ceremonial duties on the manor. The term has pre- ...

– a minor

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

official – who oversees the parish

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

and

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

Mudfog ''The Mudfog Papers'' are an anthology of stories written by Charles Dickens and published from 1837 to 1838 in the monthly literary journal ''Bentley's Miscellany'', which he was then editing. Topics ''The Mudfog Papers'' relates the proceeding ...

, a country town more than from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where the orphaned

is brought up. The allusion to Mudfog was removed when the novel was published as a book.''Bentley's Miscellany'', 1837 He is described as "A fat man, and a choleric ... Mr. Bumble had a great idea of his oratorical powers and his importance." While Mr. Bumble preaches Christian principles, he himself fails to live up to these lofty ideals by behaving without compassion or mercy toward the

paupers Pauperism (; ) is the condition of being a "pauper", i.e. receiving relief administered under the Irish and English Poor Laws. From this, pauperism can also be more generally the state of being supported at public expense, within or outside of ...

under his charge. In his novels Dickens chose his characters' names carefully and 'Bumble' lives up to the symbolism of his name through his displays of self-importance, greed, hypocrisy and foolishness.

Fictional biography

Originally the beadle in charge of the workhouse where Oliver is, Mr. Bumble later woos the widow Mrs. Corney, the

matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in a hospital in several countries, including the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person in charge ...

of the workhouse, in hopes of gaining her property. His amorous feelings being reciprocated, the two soon marry but Bumble's new wife turns out to be a sharp-tongued and tyrannical woman who nags and browbeats him. After two months of marriage, Bumble is no longer beadle but is now Master of the workhouse; however, he is not happy with his more advanced situation. Bumble humiliated before the paupers

Bumble receives a more public humiliation at the hands of his wife when he attempts to enter the workhouse as the new master, only to be driven out by her before the paupers. When later in the novel Bumble is astonished to discover from Mr Brownlow that in the law a husband is responsible for the actions of his wife he famously declares that: “If the law supposes that – the law is a

ass Ass most commonly refers to: * Buttocks (in informal American English) * Donkey or ass, ''Equus africanus asinus'' **any other member of the subgenus ''Asinus'' Ass or ASS may also refer to: Art and entertainment * Ass (album), ''Ass'' (albu ...

– a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law's a bachelor; and the worse I may wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience — by experience." The former Mrs. Corney had been in attendance at the death of the nurse Sally Thingummy and purloined the locket and ring Sally Thingummy had taken from Oliver's mother as she tended her on her deathbed.

Monks A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

buys these items from the Bumbles and throws them into the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, hoping that, by destroying them, Oliver's true identity will remain hidden. When they are exposed as being complicit in Monks' plot, Bumble and his wife are deprived of their offices and themselves are reduced to becoming paupers in the workhouse where once they had caused so much misery and suffering to others (and where they are forcibly divorced or at least separated).Mr. Bumble in ''Oliver Twist''
– ''

Encyclopaedia Britannica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

''What happens to Mr. Bumble? – eNotes.com
/ref> The expression "Bumbledom" is named after the character and is used to describe the "meddlesome self-importance of the petty bureaucrat".

Media portrayals

Actors who have played Mr. Bumble include:

Film

*''

'' (1912) –

Stuart Holmes Stuart Holmes (born Joseph Liebchen; March 10, 1884 – December 29, 1971) was an American actor and sculptor whose career spanned seven decades. He appeared in almost 450 films between 1909 and 1964, sometimes credited as Stewart Holmes. Biog ...

*''

'' (1916) –

Harry Rattenbury Harry L. Rattenberry (December 14, 1857 – December 9, 1925) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1913 and 1925. He was born in Sacramento, California and died in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Willi ...

*''

'' (1919) –

József Hajdú József Hajdú (30 September 1884 – 24 June 1932) was a Hungarian actor. He was born in Debrecen and died in Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is ...

*''

'' (1922) – James A. Marcus *''

'' (1933) –

Lionel Belmore Lionel Belmore (12 May 1867 – 30 January 1953) was an English character actor and director on stage for more than a quarter of a century. Life and career Onstage, Belmore appeared with Wilson Barrett, Sir Henry Irving, William Faversham, Lil ...

*''

'' (1948) – Francis L. Sullivan *''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...

'' (1968) –

Harry Secombe Sir Harry Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, mos ...

*''

'' (1974) – Larry D. Mann (voice actor for animated film) *''

Las Aventuras de Oliver Twist ''Las Aventuras de Oliver Twist'' is a 1987 Spanish-language animated film directed by Fernando Ruiz. It is based on the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an ...

'' (1987) – Juan Domingo *''

'' (2005) –

Jeremy Swift Jeremy Paul Swift (born 27 June 1960) is an English actor. He studied drama at Guildford School of Acting from 1978 to 1981 and worked almost exclusively in theatre throughout the 1980s, working with companies such as Deborah Warner's Kick Thea ...

Television

*'' Oliver and the Artful Dodger'' (1972 TV film) - Ronald Long *''The Further Adventures of Oliver Twist'' (1980 TV series) -

Harold Innocent Harold Sidney Innocent (18 April 1933 – 12 September 1993) (born Harold Sidney Harrison) was an English actor who appeared in many film and television roles. After attending Broad Street Secondary Modern School in Coventry, Innocent worked f ...

*''

'' (1982) –

Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West (20 October 1934 – 12 November 2024) was an English actor with a long and varied career across theatre, film, and television. He began acting in repertory theatres in the 1950s before making his London stage debut in 19 ...

*''

'' (1985) –

Godfrey James Godfrey James (16 April 1931 – 29 October 2019) was an English actor. His film appearances include: ''Séance on a Wet Afternoon'' (1964), ''Witchfinder General'' (1968), '' The Oblong Box'' (1969), '' Cry of the Banshee'' (1970), ''The Blood ...

*''

Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist ''Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist'' (, lit. "The New Adventures of Oliver Twist", also known as ''Oliver Twist'') is a children's animated series created by Saban Entertainment. The series first aired in the United States from 1 February 1996 ...

'' (1996-1997) –

Will Ryan William Ryan (May 21, 1949 – November 19, 2021) was an American voice actor, musician and singer. He provided the voice of Petrie in the 1988 animated film '' The Land Before Time''. He was also known for his voice work as Eugene Meltsner in t ...

. In this version, instead of a human, Mr. Bumble resembles a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

. *''

'' (1999) – David Ross *''

'' (2007) –

Gregor Fisher Gregor Fisher (born 22 December 1953) is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also ...

*''

Dickensian Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the greate ...

'' (2015 TV series) –

Richard Ridings Richard John Ridings (born 19 September 1958) is an English actor. He portrayed Alan Ashburn in the ITV television drama '' Fat Friends'', Mr. Lipa in the Academy Award-nominated World War II drama ''The Pianist'' (2002), Bernard Green in the ...

Theatre

*''

'' (1868) –

Lionel Brough Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. H ...

at the

Queen's Theatre, Long Acre The Queen's Theatre was a London theatre established in 1867 on the site of St Martin's Hall, a large concert room that had opened in 1850. It stood on the corner of Long Acre (formerly Charles Street) and Endell Street, with entrances in Wilso ...

*''

'' (1960) –

Paul Whitsun-Jones Paul Whitsun-Jones (25 April 1923 – 14 January 1974) was a Welsh character actor. Born in Newport in Monmouthshire, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood in Middlesex. He started his acting career in 1948 with two years a ...

/ Robert Bridges / Rob Inglis (original London production) *''

'' (1963) –

Willoughby Goddard Willoughby Wittenham Rees Goddard (4 July 1926 – 11 April 2008) was an English actor whose trademark rotund figure was well known on television and in films for more than 40 years. Biography Goddard was born in Bicester, Oxfordshire. He ...

(original Broadway production) *''

'' (1965) –

Alan Crofoot Alan Crofoot (June 2, 1929 – March 5, 1979) was a Canadian operatic Heldentenor, character tenor specialist, and actor. He was also the host of '' Mr. Piper'', a 1960s children's television series that aired on the CBC in Canada. Career C ...

(Broadway revival) *''

'' (1983) –

Peter Bayliss Peter Bayliss (27 June 1922 – 29 July 2002) was an English actor. Bayliss was born in Kingston upon Thames and trained at the Italia Conti Academy and the John Gielgud Company. More than six feet tall, with a voice to match, he supplemente ...

(London revival) *''

'' (1984) –

Michael McCarty Michael McCarty (September 7, 1946 - September 26, 2014) was an American movie, television, and stage actor. He was known for his roles in '' Casper'' (1995), ''Dead Man'' (1995), and in ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' (2000). He was born in Evan ...

(Broadway revival) *''

'' (1994) – James Saxon (London revival) *''

'' (2009) – Julius D'Silva (London revival) *''

'' (2023) –

Brad Oscar Brad Oscar (born September 22, 1964) is an American musical theatre actor, known for his Broadway theatre, Broadway performances in musicals such as ''The Producers (musical), The Producers'', ''Something Rotten!'', ''Big Fish (musical), Big Fis ...

(

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

revival)

References

External links

Depictions of Bumble, the Parish Beadle
from ''

'' and other Beadles –

Victorian Web The Victorian Web is a hypertext project derived from hypermedia environments, Intermedia and Storyspace, that anticipated the World Wide Web. Initially created between 1988 and 1990 with 1,500 documents, it has grown to over 132,000 items in Dec ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bumble Oliver Twist characters Male film villains Musical theatre characters Literary archetypes Literary characters introduced in 1838 Fictional child abusers Fictional characters from the 19th century Male characters in literature Male characters in television Male literary villains Fictional English people