James Moncrieff (born 1957) is a supporting character in Manchester Chronicles. A British-born business mogul, James is the President of Moncrieff Holdings.
Biography[]
James was born in Manchester, the United Kingdom, the eldest heir of the powerful Moncrieff family. Since the end of the 19th Century, Greater Manchester had felt the presence of the Moncrieffs, with Moncrieff Holdings now openly controlling a substantial portion of local land. Groomed to do the family proud, James was educated at Oxford University in Business and when at home studied supposed sophisticated hobbies such as fox hunting and chess. James was the Oxford Junior Chess Champion in 1978 and has never owned less than four dogs. It was at Oxford that James met Catherine Moncrieff, whom he would later marry and with her have two daughters. Over the course of his youth James also eventually ended up with two younger sisters: Meili Moncrieff and Freya Moncrieff.
Since formally becoming President of Moncrieff Holdings James has pushed to expand properties and other businesses held by the company. These tactics have been aggressive, aided in part by Catherine and the Cloak-Pin of Tegau, which has allowed them to freeze an eliminate rivals, be it in business, politics or anything else. Even family was not safe from this, James allowing Catherine to freeze their daughters to discipline them as well as eventually turn Meili into a permanent statue. Not satisfied with his local gains, James has frequently visited London, trying to even gain the favor of the Prime Ministers and Queen Victoria Archer. Elizabeth Moncrieff, his eldest daughter, James holds in high esteem, making her a Junior Vice-President of Moncrieff Holdings. Sandra Moncrieff, meanwhile, James thinks a bit less of, mostly due to her choosing to get her education at the University of Knightsbridge rather than Oxford or Cambridge.
In July of 2008, James encountered Joanne Gallagher, whom he'd tried to stop from destroying the Winterborne Armband. The attempt to save the Armband failed, though Joanne and Bridget O'Dwyer were both frozen by Catherine and taken away. James' family has connections with magic, his wife possessing the Cloak-Pin of Tegau, and his daughter Elizabeth has employed magic potions. James himself has focused more on business dealings, including arranging for Sandra to date his friend Geoffrey Atherton. Lorraine Stevens, the local coroner who helps him cover up disappearances and deaths when needed, is also James's secret lover. James has had dalliances with other women, including Lucinda Ogletree.
Albion Express has been a key to his plans, eager to use the company to further his goals for a particular magical artifact, the Baetylus. Acting with advice from his sister Freya, James had Gillian Northcott installed as the new CEO of Albion after her husband's death, and she in turn helped him gain influence over Albion's projects. Ultimately worried about his plans after Nick Pickard discovered financial impropriety that he had a hand in, James had Geoffrey use Weronika Rusnak to steal the Baetylus from Gillian. Furthermore James blackmailed Tiia Toivonen to conspire with Selby Mutton on his behalf and permanently froze Hayley Chance using a rare Immortality Potion, then gifting her to Freya.
Eager to include Elizabeth in more decisions, he consulted both her and Catherine when deciding whom to target next in 2009. Ultimately it was decided that Marianne Atkinson and Helena Atkinson would be next, allowing Moncrieff Holdings to acquire assets once belonging to Jeremy Atkinson. During the proceedings James was made aware of MI13, and that his wife had nearly drawn them onto him if not for Elizabeth.
Personal Information[]
- Current Age: 52
- Height: 6'2"
- Weight: 182 lbs
- Hair Color: Graying Dark Brunette
- Eye Color: Blue
- Hypnosis Rating: 6
- Current Place of Residence: Manchester, UK
- Sexual Preference: Women
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Catherine Moncrieff, Wife
- Elizabeth Moncrieff, Daughter
- Sandra Moncrieff, Daughter
- Meili Moncrieff, Younger Sister
- Freya Downy, Younger Sister
- Ashlynne Krueger, Niece
- Elouise Krueger, Sister-in-Law
Romances[]
- Lorraine Stevens, Lover
- Lucinda Ogletree, Ex-Lover
Employees[]
- Vernon Gully, also Friend
- Mathew Harris
- Amaka Pretorius
Friends[]
Appearances[]
- Manchester Chronicles: Good Help is Hard to Find
- Manchester Chronicles: The Longest Birthday
- Manchester Chronicles: Having a Ball
- Manchester Chronicles: The Albion Conspiracy
- Manchester Chronicles: The Christmas Mannequins
- Manchester Chronicles: A House Divided
Trivia[]
- James is physically based on actor Richard E Grant.