The arrival of the Bingleys in sleepy Hertfordshire is the instigating action for the novel. Based on various allusions, it’s likely that the family originally comes from the north of England. We’re told with certainty that their fortune was made in trade, but that they now aspire to greater things.
Members of the Bingley Family mentioned in the novel are:
- Mr. Bingley Senior (deceased before the novel begins)
- Mr. Charles Bingley
- Miss Caroline Bingley
- Mrs. Louisa Hurst (née Bingley), married to Mr. Hurst
It is established at the beginning of the novel that the Bingleys have no ancestral estate, though Charles and Caroline, we are told, stay at the Hursts' house in Grosvenor Street, London.
