The Bennets of Longbourn
The Pride and Prejudice family tree starts with an unhappy marriage. Mr Bennet married for youth and beauty, and his respect for his wife soon ended.14 Mrs Bennet is the daughter of an attorney in Meryton. Her sister is married to Mr Philips, and her brother is in trade in London.4
They have five daughters and no son. Jane is the eldest and the most beautiful, Elizabeth is her father’s favourite, Mary reads and moralises, and Kitty follows Lydia, the youngest, a girl of fifteen.15 The Pride and Prejudice family tree sets them in that order under their parents.
The entail and Mr Collins
Mr Bennet’s estate brings in two thousand a year, but it is entailed in default of heirs male on a distant relation.4 With no son, Longbourn will pass at Mr Bennet’s death to his cousin Mr Collins, a clergyman.6
Mr Collins comes to Longbourn to marry one of the daughters. Elizabeth refuses him, and her father backs her.89 Within days Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s friend, accepts him for the sake of a settled home.10 The entail is why the Lucases stand on the Pride and Prejudice family tree, since Charlotte will one day be mistress of Longbourn.
The entail also explains why the Bennets have saved nothing. When Mr Bennet married, they were sure of a son, who would join his father in cutting off the entail once he came of age and so provide for the widow and the younger children. Five daughters came instead, and by the time the son was given up it was too late to save.18 The marriage articles settle five thousand pounds on Mrs Bennet and the children. For Lydia’s wedding Mr Gardiner agrees in her father’s name to her equal share of that sum, secured by settlement, and one hundred pounds a year during his life.1718
Darcy and Bingley on the Pride and Prejudice family tree
Charles Bingley rents Netherfield Park, and his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy has ten thousand a year.2 Bingley admires Jane at once, and Darcy calls Elizabeth tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt him.2
Darcy proposes in Volume II and Elizabeth refuses him. His letter explains his part in parting Bingley from Jane and tells the truth about Wickham.1213 By the end Bingley has married Jane and Darcy has married Elizabeth, the two double lines that join the Pride and Prejudice family tree to Netherfield and Pemberley.21
Darcy’s own family stands off the chart. Wickham tells Elizabeth that Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the patroness who gave Mr Collins his living, is Darcy’s aunt, the sister of his mother, Lady Anne Darcy.7 Lady Catherine later tells Elizabeth that Darcy and her daughter were planned for each other in their cradles, as the favourite wish of both sisters.20
The Gardiners and Wickham
Mr Gardiner is Mrs Bennet’s brother, a sensible man in trade in Gracechurch Street, and Mrs Gardiner is a favourite with her nieces.11 The Gardiners take Elizabeth on the tour that brings her to Pemberley, where she meets Darcy again.15 A fuller Pride and Prejudice family tree would set them beside Mrs Bennet.
George Wickham is the son of the steward of the late Mr Darcy and was his godson.13 He elopes with Lydia, and the family learns that he never meant to marry her.16 Darcy finds the pair in London and pays for the wedding, which Mrs Gardiner reveals to Elizabeth in a letter.19 The Wickham marriage on the Pride and Prejudice family tree was bought to save the family’s name.
How to read this Pride and Prejudice family tree
A square is a man and a circle is a woman, and a double line is a marriage. Elizabeth is marked as the person the chart is about, and coloured lines show her closeness to her father, Jane and Charlotte.
To build a Pride and Prejudice family tree of your own, open this chart in the editor and add the Gardiners, or start from the story charts. The notation is set out in the genogram symbols.
Everyone on the Pride and Prejudice family tree
| Portrait | Person | In the story | Life | On the chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB | Mr BennetMaster of Longbourn | Volumes I to III | His estate is entailed away from his daughters. | |
| MB | Mrs BennetHis wife, born a Gardiner | Volumes I to III | Her business in life is to marry her daughters. | |
| JB | Jane BennetThe eldest daughter | Marries in Volume III | Gentle and beautiful, she marries Charles Bingley. | |
 | Elizabeth BennetThe second daughter | Marries in Volume III | She refuses Mr Collins and Darcy, then accepts Darcy. | |
| MB | Mary BennetThe third daughter | Volumes I to III | She stays at home with her mother. Sources21 | |
| KB | Kitty BennetThe fourth daughter | Volumes I to III | She follows Lydia until the elopement parts them. Sources21 | |
| LB | Lydia BennetThe youngest daughter | Marries in Volume III | She elopes with Wickham. | |
| CB | Charles BingleyTenant of Netherfield | Marries in Volume III | He marries Jane. | |
 | Fitzwilliam DarcyMaster of Pemberley | Marries in Volume III | Refused once, he is accepted at the end. | |
| GW | George WickhamMilitia officer | Marries in Volume III | He elopes with Lydia. | |
| SW | Sir William LucasOf Lucas Lodge | Volumes I to III | A former tradesman, knighted. Sources3 | |
| LL | Lady LucasHis wife | Volumes I to III | The mother of Charlotte. Sources3 | |
| CL | Charlotte LucasElizabeth’s friend | Marries in Volume I | She accepts Mr Collins for a home. Sources10 | |
| WC | William CollinsHeir to Longbourn | Marries in Volume I | Mr Bennet’s cousin, a clergyman. |
Questions about the Pride and Prejudice family tree
Who inherits Longbourn in the Pride and Prejudice family tree
Mr Collins, Mr Bennet’s cousin. The estate is entailed on the male line, and the Bennets have no son.46
How are the Gardiners related to the Bennets
Mr Gardiner is Mrs Bennet’s brother, so he and his wife are the uncle and aunt of the five sisters.411
Which Bennet sisters marry by the end of the novel
Jane, Elizabeth and Lydia. Mary and Kitty are unmarried at the end.21
People and sources
A page of its own lists the 21 numbered sources this article cites. It also gives the credits of the pictures and this page as a reference in the APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard styles, ready to copy.