Baldo Shepley

**Baldo Shepley** (19 October, 1860 - 17 July, 1928) was an English pure-blood wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1 September, 1872 to June of 1879. He was born in Puddletown, Dorset, England. He was a politician; at the beginning of his career, he fell on the more conservative side of the aisle, much like Henry Potter, his contemporary. Despite this, he was married to Dulcibella Prince, a member of a traditionalist pure-blood family. He began his career as a businessman, but was asked to become the conservative candidate for Puddletown, and his sphere of influence began to grow.

It was believed that Shepley was so influential that he would someday become Minister for Magic, but it never came to pass. He was beaten by Archer Evermonde in the election of 1912. Later in his life, Dulcibella would influence his decisions, leading the Shepley family to take a more traditionalist stance.

He was the father to three daughters: Henrietta, born in 1887, Rowina, born in 1890, and Melesina, born in 1892. He passed away at the age of 67 in his hometown of Puddletown, Dorset. He was the grandfather of twelve.

## Biography

### Early life

Baldo Shepley was born on 19 October, 1860, in Puddletown, Dorset, England. Puddletown, the area in which Shepley was born, is one of the many villages throughout Britain where witches and wizards settled in numbers after the International Statute of Secrecy to rely on each other for mutual support, living alongside a Muggle population, located on the river Piddle. It is home to the Puddlemere United Quidditch Team.

#### Hogwarts years

Baldo Shepley received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1872. He attended the school from 1 September, 1872 to June of 1879, at which point he had completed his seventh year. During his time at Hogwarts, he showed a talent for languages, excelling in Greek, German and French. He was also an avid Chess player, and would challenge other students in Slytherin House. He eventually became a very good amateur player, and competed with internationally renowned chess masters.

#### Career in Business

Baldo Shepley joined Bletchley & Sons as a clerk in 1880. At Bletchley & Sons, Shepley received a nominal salary, on the understanding that he would gain a "commercial education" from working there that would serve him well as a businessman. In 1884 the Bletchley brothers decided to retire, and agreed to merge the firm with GalloLoans Incorporated.

The merger would have left Shepley without a job and with poor career-prospects, but the retiring brothers found him a job with Marcus Bagman, an iron merchant who had started pursuing a political career. The Bletchley brothers lent Shepley the money to buy a partnership in Bagman's firm, and with Bagman himself no longer playing an active part in the company, Shepley effectively became the managing partner.

By the time he was twenty-six Shepley had established himself as a successful businessman, and had time to devote to more leisurely pursuits. He remained an avid Chess player and met with a group of like-minded individuals on weekends.

In 1886, Shepley met Dulcibella Prince, the 26-year-old daughter of the representative for Lincolnshire, Walden Prince. They quickly fell in love, and married on 2 April, 1886. Little is known of Shepley's wife in the early years of their marriage, as most of her letters have been lost. What is known, however, is that their first child, Henrietta, was born in April 1887. Another daughter, Rowina, would follow in May of 1890.

#### Entry into Politics

In 1890, Shepley was asked to become the conservative party candidate for the Wizenagmot seat for Puddletown, in the House of Commons. Puddletown was not a seat with high prospects attached; a working-class area, it had returned mainly progressive representatives since the mid-19th century, and its incumbent, Jonathan Wood, was hugely popular. The campaign was unpleasant for both sides, but Shepley distinguished himself with his oratory and wit. When the results came in that Shepley had won, he immediately ended his active work at GalloLoans Incorporated(although he retained his directorship).

### Later life

It was believed that Shepley was so influential that he would someday become Minister for Magic, but it never came to pass. He was beaten by Archer Evermonde in the election of 1912. Later in his life, Dulcibella would influence his decisions, leading the Shepley family to take a more traditionalist stance.

His eldest daughter, Henrietta Shepley, had married Gerard Blishwick in July 1908. Meanwhile, his other daughter, Rowina, had chosen to marry Phineas Goshawk, who worked as a permit coordinater in the Ministry's Department of Magical Transportation. Her parents did not approve of the relationship and Baldo's wife, Dulcibella, was particularly cruel to Goshawk, who did not come from much money. Even still, Rowina followed him to Hadleigh Heath, Suffolk, where the Goshawks lived in East Anglia. Their first child, Keziah, was born about thirteen months after their marriage, in November 1909. Rowina and Phineas would eventually have a total of nine children together, all daughters.

His youngest daughter, Melesina, flaunted a relationship with Barnabas Moon, a young traditionalist. They married in April of 1912, and their first child, Mabel, was born in June of 1913. They had another daughter, Hazel, in July 1914.

He caused a minor controversy by publicly condemning the then-Minister for Magic Archer Evermonde's decision to forbid the wizarding community from aiding Muggles during the First World War, but after that Shepley became more of a traditionalist.

#### Death

Baldo Shepley passed away on 17 July, 1928, at the age of 67.

#### Legacy

Though the Shepley family had become somewhat traditionalist in the years following Baldo Shepley's death, Baldo's outspoken pro-Muggle views (spoken alongside his contemporary, Henry Potter) were one of the chief reasons for the Shepley family's exclusion from the Sacred Twenty-Eight in 1930. The Potters were similarly dropped from this exclusive group, coined in *The Pure-Blood Directory.*

## Etymology

The name Baldo means "bold" or "brave".

The name Shepley is believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin and literally means "a meadow where sheep are kept".