Charles Banbury
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| Portrayed by Jamie Bamber | |
| Full Name | Charles William Banbury |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | June 12, 1780 |
| Father | Dr James Banbury |
| Mother | Louisa Banbury |
| Town Residence | {{{residence}}} |
| Branch of the Military | Navy |
| Ship or Regiment | {{{regiment}}} |
| Currently Enlisted? | Yes |
| Enlistment Date | 1791 |
| Current or Final Rank (if retired) | Commander |
| Major Engagements | Aboukir Bay (1798), Grand Port (1810) |
Charles William Banbury is the third child and second son of Dr James Banbury and his wife, Louisa. He was preceded by his brother George and his late sister Caroline, and is an second-elder brother to Marie.
Family
James Banbury, commoner, professional man, doctor (b. 1749, father)
Louisa Banbury, commoner (b. 1752, mother)
George Banbury (b. 1771, brother)
Caroline Banbury, commoner, professional man, doctor (1772 - 1772, sister)
Marie Banbury, commoner (b. 1782, sister)
History
Charles William Banbury was born in London at four in the morning to Doctor James Banbury and his wife Louisa, becoming the second son and, not long after, the middle child. Even though it never really bothered him that his older brother would inherit everything, he knew that as the second son he would have to find something to do with his life. Thanks to a good friend of his father’s, Charles soon found himself aboard the HMS Prospect at the age of eleven as the captain’s servant. At first it took Charles a bit of time to get used to taking orders (whenever his parents or maids ever told him to do something he would always run and hide till it was forgotten or too late,) but after time he grew to understand that listening to orders helped him in the long and short run.
In September 1792, Charles was pleased to find himself transferred to HMS Crescent, where he served for three years as a Midshipman and was able to make his first friend Jacob. Sadly, they were separated when Charles was moved to HMS Vanguard and he met Captain Edward Berry. Though he was no replacement for Jacob, Charles found himself pulled towards the great Captain and ended up having the man become one of his main role models.
Charles was eighteen years old when he fought in the famous Battle of the Nile, and he volunteered to accompany his captain to England aboard HMS Leander after the battle. Unfortunately, the Leander was captured, and Charles became a prisoner of the French for six months, which had to be some of the worst months of his life. However, he was able to turn this bleak time in his life into something proactive and learned to speak and read French.
Because of this, along with his performance shown at the Battle of the Nile, Charles found himself a year later being put up for examination for lieutenant. He received his first commission soon after, thanks to Captain Berry who had come to love and respect the boy, and used his position and connections to help Charles further in his career. Eventually Charles was able to gain the rank of Commander due to his hard work.
Since the Royal Navy was his entire life now, Charles was commissioned to serve on many other vessels, which is how he met his fellow Naval officer, Nathaniel Scarborough. The two quickly became close and formed a bond so tight that almost everyone knew them as a pair instead of an individual. Both were taken prisoner by the French. For Charles this was the second time, and when Nathaniel became wounded, Charles was at his side day and night tending to him. Afterwards, Nathaniel was forced into retirement because of his injury, causing the two to part ways, but Charles remained devoted to his dear friend. In fact, upon his promotion, he promised to obtain a commission for his friend the first chance he could, and Charles Banbury never went back on his word.
Currently on half-pay, he awaits command of a vessel of his own.
Physical Appearance
Charles is around 5’7”, hoping still that he will gain another inch or two even though he is in his thirties and weighs roughly about 150lbs. His hair is golden blond, but from being out in the sun so much it has been bleached so fair that parts look almost white. He keeps his hair at a fashionable length so that when he goes to visit family or Nathaniel, they won’t be shamed by his shaggy appearance. His skin is tan, after many years of burning, and he has a brush of freckles across his nose and his shoulders. He is always clean-shaven because of his fair hair—if he lets his facial hair grow out he tends to look like he has odd fluff on his face.
Charles does not really care for fashion, but when he has to dress outside of his uniform he will try to look as presentable as he can while remaining comfortable, which is another reason why he likes to be barefoot whenever it is allowed, loving to feel either the sand of beautiful beaches or the dirt and grass from home between his feet. He has perfect posture and is very fit from the years working as a seaman; he is quite handsome and always has a smile on his face except for in serious situations.
Personality
Being around Charles has always been described as being an adventure. Being the middle son, his father and brother more studious and his sister being a girl, Charles never had anyone really to play with on his level. He was far too active for his father and brother’s liking and too rough for his sister, which caused him to be forced outside almost every time he became too much for them. But Charles never minded, he pursued many things while everyone else was busy, sports, reading fairy tales, fighting fake pirates from the house and swimming. The older he grew, the more adventurous he became, taking other boy’s dares no matter how terrifying even if it meant staying in a dark and cold cave for twenty-four hours straight. Because of this adventurous personality, it was no wonder why Charles took to the Navy so well, the man still the little boy inside just waiting for a grand time.
At the start Charles had a hard time listening to orders, and many times he did not do as he was told, but he quickly grew out of that and became a great seaman, always aware of his environment and fine details. Oftentimes, he is the one starting something with his friends, coming up with wonderful and insane things they can do for the day, and he’s always able to turn a dull and boring moment into something fantastic. He has always been able to think of matters from outside the norm, along with his developed instincts, which have been able to keep him safe so far, has left him with the ability to distinguish between people worth getting to know and those who are better off just being nameless faces. Charles is always making jokes, causing a few people to think he has almost nothing in his head, but behind that cheery face is a man who should never be underestimated.
Charles can be quite emotional, to the point where it can affect him physically if he is not careful. If reprimanded or knows he has done something to wrong a person unfairly, he will become listless and down in front of those he trusts. He is also a bit of a hot-head and many times has said things in the heat of the moment that he regretted after, causing him to feel immense guilt and shame at his actions. Even though he lets his tongue slip and his feelings show, he is also very good at hiding it in front of people he does not know or like.
Charles is friendly and pleasant towards others and many find him great company, especially men around his age. He is very kind and respectful to women (his sister taught him never to underestimate women just because they are women,) but if they are just a pretty face he doesn’t really pay them much attention. He is easily won over, becoming good acquaintances with almost anyone, but deeper feelings, like friendship, loyalty, and love, require much more time and actions that prove them worthy in his eyes. Once his friendship or love is gained, however, they will never lose it unless that person does something unspeakable, which will cause Charles to cut them off and kill any of the feelings he had for them.
Because he modeled himself after many dashing and daring main protagonists from books, it has caused him to be a bit reckless and childish. Because of this he’s gained the nickname Pan among his friends, which he actually loved until he actually read up on the Greek God and could not stop blushing for days.
He has an indescribable love for animals. Cats, dogs, rabbits or birds—it does not matter. The only animal he cannot find any love for is chickens; they bother him for some unknown reason. He really can't explain it.
Charles doesn’t have much to fear; he doesn’t even fear death so much as he looks forward to the day where he can close his eyes one final time and rest for good with the Lord. His one constant fear, though, a fear that has kept him up at night, is losing everything he has worked so hard to create for himself. Charles loves someone deeply to the point where he has many times thought of throwing his life away, taking their hand and asking them to run away with him, somewhere far where no one would ever find them and they could live happily. But reality slides back in and he realizes that it would be foolish and irresponsible to do so, not only for him but also for the one he holds dear. He tells himself he is fine with what they have, that it doesn't matter even if his lover marries and carries on without him one day, it doesn’t matter as long as they are safe.
He tells himself that.
