This is a simple list of the characters in Pillars of the Earth; this list may change over the course of the slow read, and might expand with more information as we go along. It might contain some spoilers.
Main Cast:
Tom Builder: A master builder whose lifelong ambition is to build a cathedral. Protective and strong.
Agnes: First wife of Tom, and mother of his children.
Alfred Builder: Son (firstborn) of Agnes and Tom.
Martha: Daughter of Agnes and Tom.
Ellen: Outlaw woman who meets Tom while living in the woods with her son Jack. Daughter of a knight, but was then sent off to a nunnery. Unusually literate in English, French and Latin. Headstrong.
Jack Jackson/Builder: Son of Ellen and Jack Shareburg (Jacques Cherbourg). Becomes an architect and a skilled stonemason.
Aliena: Daughter of Bartholomew, sister of Richard. Planned bride of William Hamleigh, but rejected him.
Royals, lords, etc:
King Stephen of Blois: Henry I’s nephew and contender for the crown of England against Empress Maud.
Empress Maud: Henry I’s daughter. Mother of Henry II. Contended for the crown of England against Stephen. Also named Matilde.
Henry II: Son of Empress Maud. Will later inherit the English crown.
Bartholomew, former Earl of Shiring: Rebel earl, labeled as a traitor. Supported Empress Maud in the battle for the crown.
Percy Hamleigh, later Earl of Shiring: Father of William. Gains control of the earldom by outing Bartholomew as a traitor.
Regan Hamleigh, later Countess of Shiring: Wife of Percy and mother to William. Smart, cunning, ambitious. Covered in boils from a disease.
William Hamleigh: Percy’s son. Wanted to marry Aliena but she rejected him. Hotheaded, disgusting, vile.
Clergy:
Bishop Waleran Bigod: A monk, later bishop, at Kingsbridge who seems to dislike Philip. Ambitious and corrupt, constantly wanting more power.
Prior Philip of Gwynedd: A humble monk, later Prior of Kingsbridge, who is devout and pious. Orphaned at a young age in Wales and consequently raised by monks. He dreams of rising Kingsbridge out of the ashes after years of bad management, much like how he helped restore St.-John-In-The-Forest. Kind yet cunning.
Francis of Gwynedd: Philip’s brother, also orphaned in Wales and raised by monks. Becomes a secular priest with royal connections.
Remigius: Former sub-prior of Kingsbridge who wants the position as Prior. Motivated by envy and spite, and seems to dislike Philip.
Cuthbert Whitehead: Kingsbridge Priory’s cellarer. Early ally of Philip.
Milius Bursar: Kingsbridge Priory’s bursar. Early ally of Philip.
Johnny Eightpence: Monk at Kingsbridge Priory, nicknamed after his simplemindedness (“eight pence to a shilling”). Takes good care of Jonathan.
Misc.:
Jonathan: Son of Agnes and Tom. Raised by monks at Kingsbridge. His name means gift of God.
Richard: Son of Bartholomew and brother of Aliena. Wants to gain back the earldom as revenge for his father.
Walter: William Hamleigh’s squire. Accompanies him almost everywhere.
Peter of Wareham: Philip’s opponent in the fight for the post of Bishop of Kingsbridge.
Jack Shareburg (Jacques Cherbourg): A minstrel to the royal court who survived the sinking of White Ship. Executed in the prologue. Father of Jack.
Tommy: Son of Jack and Aliena. Later becomes Earl of Shiring, with a talent for administration and command. Also called Thomas.
Sally: Daughter of Jack and Aliena. Becomes a stained glass artist and works on Kingsbridge Cathedral.
Raschid Alharoun: Jack’s friend in Toledo, and introduces him to the scholarly world. Christian Arab merchant.
Elizabeth: Betrothed to William Hamleigh, but later befriended by Aliena.