- "There’s no "hope" about it. With our combined talents, what can possibly go wrong?"
- —Anthony Lockwood, The Screaming Staircase
Anthony Lockwood, often called Lockwood by others, is the head of Lockwood & Co., one of London's smallest and most ramshackle agencies. He is known for his elegant and mysterious personality, recklessness, calmness and euthusiansim during psychic investigations, good looks, gleaming smile, rapier skills, and the ability of Sight.
It has been suggested by the author of the books that he was 15 years old, a year older than Lucy Carlyle, when the two first met in the first book in the series. [1] [2] However, his age was never explicitly stated in the books. ==Biography==
Early life
Not much is known about Lockwood's childhood besides the fact it was hinted that his parents, Donald Lockwood and Celia Lockwood, had passed away, as 35 Portland Row was "left" to him. The building was implied as his "childhood" home, and his parents were "Researchers or collaborators of some sort", who traveled to many places. Lockwood mentioned their ghosts were the first he fought. His sister, Jessica Lockwood, was six years older than he was.[3] She died at the age of fifteen[3] because of an accident with one of her parent's dangerous artifacts. It is believed to be a ghost pot from Indonesia. Jessica was sorting through a crate of artifacts and the pot shattered, leaving the ghost inside free to attack her. Lockwood, when first explaining this event, lied that he hadn't been there when the ghost came. He was, actually, down by the garden door, having refused to help his sister sort through the crate she was working on. He rushed to help her but was too late. This incident was the starting point of Lockwood's formation into a reserved, detached individual, "hollow" as he has been described by himself and Lucy Carlyle. He was hollow because the gap that couldn't be filled, a gap left by the loss of his sister's love and care. Lucy is the only person he believes can fill that gap,[citation needed] and is therefore very protective of her.
Agent training
After the death of his sister, Lockwood became an agent, training under "Gravedigger" Nigel Skyes, who gave him a job. Lockwood competed with Quill Kipps in a rapier competition while working with Skyes, beating him. This is a reason why the two resent each other. He didn't win the competition, though he did get to the final.
Looking for new members
When Lucy Carlyle interviewed for a job at Lockwood & Co., it had been registered as an agency for three months, but Lockwood had had his license for a year. He was very impressed by Lucy's abilities and hired her on the spot.
Characteristics
Personality
- "This was classic Lockwood. Friendly, considerate, empathetic. My personal impulse would have been to slap the girl soundly round the face and boot her moaning backside out into the night. Which is why he’s the leader, and I’m not. Also why I have no female friends."
- —Lucy Carlyle about Lockwood, The Whispering Skull
Lockwood is charismatic by nature. He is commonly seen with a smile on his face and will be the first to diffuse a situation or meeting the quickest way possible. When working, he is tireless, passionate, and driven by a level of ambition which isn't fully understood as of yet. With a quick wit and even quicker reflexes, Lockwood takes on the position of leader easily. It's been noted that his calm and confident demeanor has the ability to assure even those most fearful around him. Despite this, he's also equally flighty, prone to changing subjects he finds uncomfortable, and is even described by Lucy as having no other joy or hobbies outside of his work, usually found listlessly laying about or reading gossip magazines during days off.
Anthony Lockwood is also very secretive about his parents and his past, often cutting conversations short and even leaving a room should the subjects be brought to his attention. He is smart and works to rid the city of ghosts, not bothering to try to understand them (which he considers to be a waste of time). His goal is to become the owner of one of the three best agencies of London, and his competitive spirit is shown frequently when proposed a challenge. Cool, polite, and kind in almost every situation, he is described as "dashing" and "a bit reckless". However, he often gets in trouble, despite his good intentions. Though the well-being of his team is always his top priority, sometimes his drive to complete a task blinds him to the potential dangers involved.
Physical attributes
- "Anthony Lockwood stood there. He was covered in grave-dust, and there were cobwebs on his collar and in his hair. His trousers were torn at the knees, his fingers bleeding. He’d looked smarter in his time, but I can’t say he’d ever looked better to me. He held his rapier casually in one hand."
- —Lucy Carlyle about Lockwood, The Whispering Skull
Lockwood is almost always seen wearing a long coat, and business-casual attire underneath. He has dark brown hair and usually has his rapier at his side. He's rather tall and slim, and his eyes are bright. Almost always, he has a confident smile on his face, which he uses to his advantage when attempting to gain information, or soothe a crowd.
Abilities
- Lockwood has exceptionally good Sight, being able to visually detect death-glows, residual energies, and so far, all Types of Ghosts. Despite his older age, his talent has yet to diminish.
- A well-seasoned and highly skilled fencer; he made it to the finals during the fencing championships when he was at a very young age, defeating Quill Kipps, but subsequently losing to another agent, known as Florence Bonenard.[citation needed]
- Lucy would say his charisma is a super-power of its own.
Trivia
- He had a toy mobile made of iron, of which his favorite was the smiling giraffe.[citation needed]
- He dislikes being called "Tony", "Big A", or "Ant."[citation needed]
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBIieqUDSXE at 10:00 of the video, Stroud may have confirmed another age elsewhere.
- ↑ Q&A with Jonathan Stroud on Goodreads
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Hollow Boy, II: Whitechapel Nights, Ch. 5