List of Swallows and Amazons characters

The Swallows

• John Walker — eldest of the Walker children and Captain of the Swallow
• Susan Walker — Mate of the Swallow and the cook and domestic organizer
• Titty Walker — Able Seaman of the Swallow and the most imaginative of the Walkers. This name was the nickname of the real life Mavis Altounyan, taken from Joseph Jacobs's children's story Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse. It has caused titters among generations of children since, causing it to be changed to Kitty in the original 1963 television series of Swallows and Amazons, and Tatty for a 2016 BBC Films adaptation.
• Roger Walker — initially Ship's Boy, later Able Seaman, mischievous, mechanical and very fond of chocolate, Naughty. He is the youngest of the children apart from the baby.
• Bridget Walker — Ship's Baby who proves to be a brave member of the crew in Secret Water. Referred to as Vicky in Swallows and Amazons because of her supposed resemblance to Queen Victoria.

  The Amazons

• Nancy Blackett — Captain of the Amazon; an enterprising leader. She is an imaginative and lively girl who is always willing to create fantasies and adventures.
• Peggy Blackett — Mate of the Amazon, Nancy's sister; although a bit timid, tries to live up to Nancy's expectations

  The Ds

• Dorothea Callum — imaginative romantic novelist introduced in Winter Holiday with her younger brother.
• Dick Callum — Dorothea's younger brother who is scientific and thoughtful, usually comes up with solutions to technical problems. Though younger than his sister, Dick is Captain of the Scarab and she the First Mate.

  The Coots

• Tom Dudgeon — competent sailor, owner and skipper of the Titmouse and captain of the Teasel on the Norfolk Broads, in Coot Club and The Big Six.
• Bess "Port" Farland — left-handed twin and expert yacht racer
• Nell "Starboard" Farland — right-handed twin and expert yacht racer

• Joe — co-owner of the Death and Glory and owner of a white rat, 'Ratty'
• Bill — co-owner of the Death and Glory
• Pete — is the youngest co-owner of the Death and Glory and keenest fisher of the crew

  The Eels

• Don — Chief of the Eels
• Daisy — Fierce and bold, acts like the chief most of the time, even though she is the youngest Eel.
• Dum — Eel, elder brother, and best eeler of the tribe.
• Dee — Eel, younger brother, though older than Daisy,

  Friendly Natives

• James Turner also known as Captain Flint or Uncle Jim — the well-traveled brother of Mrs Blackett and therefore uncle to Nancy and Peggy Blackett, by whom he is considered "unfriendly" at the beginning of Swallows and Amazons. He is given his nickname by the Walker family after Captain Flint of Treasure Island. After differences are resolved he becomes the closest adult ally to the Swallows and the Amazons and joins them in many adventures.
• Molly Blackett — mother of Nancy and Peggy Blackett
• Mrs Walker — called Mother — mother of the Swallows. Australian by birth, she gives her children more freedom than was common at the time.
• Cdr Walker — called Daddy — father of the Swallows and sender of the famous telegram "Better drowned than duffers if not duffers won't drown"
• Professor and Mrs Callum — parents of the Ds; Prof Callum is an archaeologist
• Jim Brading — owner of the Goblin in We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea which he lends to Cdr Walker in Secret Water
• Timothy Stedding — friend of Captain Flint, originally known as Squashy Hat the rival prospector in Pigeon Post
• Dr Dudgeon, Mrs Dudgeon, and "our baby" — Tom's family
• A.P — Mr Farland, Port and Starboard's father, the "Aged Parent" and brother to Dr Dudgeon. A widower, he works as a solicitor in Norwich

  Other friendly characters

• Peter Duck – elderly sailor with a story of treasure in the book of the same name. He also appears in Swallowdale as Titty's imaginary friend.
• Bill – cabin boy of the Viper who joins the crew of the Wild Cat in Peter Duck.
• Missee Lee – Chinese Cambridge-educated pirate leader in the book of the same name.
• Slater Bob – an old slate miner who tells the children tales of a lost gold seam in Pigeon Post.

  Unfriendly Natives

• Maria Turner, also known as Great Aunt Maria, the Great Aunt or The G.A. – the childhood guardian of James Turner and Molly Turner, whose parents are never named. Jim and Molly address her as "Aunt Maria" and she held considerable sway as head of the family, even after Molly's marriage to Bob Blackett. As a parent figure to their mother, Great Aunt Maria clearly thought of herself as something of a grandmother-figure to her great-nieces Nancy and Peggy Blackett. However, their view of her as some sort of distant relative, as well as an overprotective adventure-spoiler, forms the basis of the conflict between the girls and her. Of the twelve completed books in the series, she makes appearances in two, Swallowdale and The Picts and the Martyrs.
• George Owdon – a Norfolk boy, older than Tom Dudgeon, in Coot Club and The Big Six. He steals and sells birds' eggs, so is an enemy of the Coots.
• Ralph Strakey – a friend of George Owdon in The Big Six, in which George and Ralph attempt to frame the Coots for theft and for setting adrift moored boats.
• The Hullabaloos – a party of five who hire the Margoletta in Coot Club. Last seen in gaudy but wet yachting gear and beach pyjamas being escorted to an hotel in Yarmouth having rammed a post on Breydon Water. They are called Ronald, James and 'Livy', plus an unnamed man and unnamed woman.
• Mr Jemmerling – an egg collector and owner of the Pterodactyl in Great Northern?
• The Dogmudgeon – Scottish head ghillie and one of the Gaels who at first stalk the explorers in Great Northern? but later assists them against Mr Jemmerling.
• The Young Chieftain and his father The McGinty who capture Mr Jemmerling in Great Northern?; they initially think the shore party have been sent to drive the deer from their traditional breeding ground.

  Other unfriendly characters

• Taicoon Chang and Taicoon Wu — leaders of the Three Island Pirates who want to chop off heads in Missee Lee.
• Black Jake and the crew of the Viper — five criminals who are after Peter Duck's treasure. The porter says Black Jake has "got the scum of the place with him in that hooker of his." Bill describes them: Simeon Boon just out from two years hard, Mogandy the negro, George, and a man with a scarred face who was chucker-out or bruiser at the Ketch as Ketch Can. Later when they climb onto the Wild Cat and attack Bill and Peter Duck, it is apparent that the others do not trust Black Jake, and that Black Jake's brother is called George.

  Animal characters

• Polly – Ship's parrot, given to Titty by Captain Flint at the end of Swallows and Amazons. Also features in Peter Duck, Swallowdale and Missee Lee.
• Gibber – Ship's monkey, promised to Roger by Captain Flint at the end of Swallows and Amazons. Only features in Peter Duck and Missee Lee, in Swallowdale he is referred to as being on holiday at the zoo
• Sinbad – Ship's kitten, rescued by John when found clinging to a chicken coop in the middle of the North Sea during We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea, he also features in Secret Water
• William – the noble and heroic pug who braved the mud to save the crew of the Teasel from starvation on Breydon Water in Coot Club; also in The Big Six
• Bess – Jacky Warriner's sheepdog in The Picts and the Martyrs
• Roy – the Dixon's sheepdog in Winter Holiday
• Ringman – the Jacksons' sheepdog in Winter Holiday
• Ratty - Joe's white rat in Coot Club and The Big Six