There are a handful of brand-new characters introduced on Red Dead Redemption 2. After the Blackwater robbery-gone-wrong, Dutch van der Linde and co had to live a diaspora life, moving from one place to another to survive the ruthless nature of outlaw against rival gang and authorities pulling them from every direction.
One of the new characters to be featured was the Braithwaite family. Introduced as one of the main antagonists in the third chapter ('Clemens Point'), the Braithwaites were the wealthiest royal family in the State of Lemoyne in their glory days. The following list contains ten facts about them and some major spoilers too!
10 The Braithwaites Were Originally from the United Kingdom
Like their rival, the Gray family, the Braithwaites originated from the United Kingdom. Braithwaite is an English-originated surname, and back in the 1880s, it was one of the most common surnames in the UK. There's also a village called Braithwaite, located in Cumbria, England.
The Braithwaites came to the Land of Opportunity, sometimes around 1779. It can be proven by the time Catherine Braithwaite said on the "Blood Feuds, Ancient, and Modern" level that her dynasty had lived in the manor for '120 years.'
9 Red Dead Redemption 2 Wasn't the First Game the Braithwaites Made an Appearance In
In Undead Nightmare DLC from the Red Dead Redemption series's first installment, during the second mission of the game, John arrived at Blackwater in search of medicine for Abigail and Jack, only to find nobody left in the town.
'Mister Braithwaite,' who had been dead a year ago before the event, was briefly mentioned on the mission. Although this Mister's possibility to be tied to Braithwaites the Lemoyne royal family this list talks about, the chance of it is pretty high, considering that the Braithwaites were long gone at the end of Red Dead 2.
8 Beau Gray and Penelope Braithwaite Weren't the First Romeo-Juliet Story of the Two Families
Before Beau and Penelope, there were Douglas Gray and Lucile Braithwaite. The two sweethearts had a somewhat secretive and forbidden relationship back in the early 1800s, and somehow, they were the ones who indirectly started the bloody feud between the two sides of the families.
Lucile gave the location of a vast amount of gold bars to Douglas, and the two stole their own families' wealth to fund abolitionists to help end slavery, something the Braithwaites and the Grays made money off.
7 They Made Money Off the Slaves at the Braithwaite Manor
By the beginning of the 1800s, the Braithwaites emerged to be one of the most powerful forces in the slave-trading business and made a colossal fortune from it. They even had a bustling slave plantation at their Braithwaite Manor.
However, shortly after the Union victory in the Civil War in 1865, slavery was entirely abolished from the United States, making slave-owning groups like the Braithwaites and the Grays economically suffer. They still somehow ran the slavery business later, and notes can be found throughout their luxury manor.
6 The Braithwaite-Gray Feud Might Be Inspired by the Real-Life Jones-Liddell Family War
For plenty of similarities, the Braithwaites vs. Grey's family feud had drawn so many lines from the real-life Jones-Liddell feud that started from 1847 to 1870. Like the Braithwaite and the Grey's founders, Jones and Liddells were also slave owners. Back in the days, Jones had 101 slaves, while Liddle had 115 slaves.
The tensions between the two feuding families were slowly rising over the years, and the 23 years-old war took the lives of 6 to 14 people. The feud ended when Liddell was murdered in 1870.
5 Was There Even Any Gold?
Nope, Dutch and the gang can search wherever they want, but there was never any gold in any of the two families' hands. However, players are free to come back to the Braithwaite Manor sometime later after the end of Chapter 3.
After clearing the area from surrounding enemies, head over the ruins and search for a box, not too hidden. Inside it, there's one gold bar ready to be picked up. Even though it's not as much as any other treasures, money is money. Can't say no to that.
4 Catherine Braithwaite's Body Can Be Looted
Still, from the Braithwaite Manor's ruins, players can also find the corpse of the family's leader, Catherine, lying on the floor. An item called 'Catherine's Brooch' can be looted and sold to a Fence, scattered around the cities of Saint-Denis, Emerald Ranch, Van Horn, and Rhodes, for a pretty good price.
Until then, golds and rare collectibles are just items that clog out your limited satchel (if you haven't upgraded it yet). It might not worth too much, but it is still a decent collection for trophies.
3 How Many Years Did the Braithwaites Actually Live In the Area?
As mentioned above, Catherine suggested that the Braithwaites had lived in the manor for '120 years.' That means, if the event of Red Dead 2 was set in the decline of the Old West era in 1899, then the Braithwaites must have been staying in the manor since 1770.
The 1770s was the pinnacle of the American Revolution, and several tragedies happened between those years, including the Boston Massacre in 1770, the Battle of Alamance in 1771, and the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
2 What Happened to Gertrude?
Instead of taking her daughter to a clinic or a sanitarium, Catherine Braithwaite locked Gertrude in an outhouse next to their manor. At the time, Gertrude could become emotionally and mentally unhinged, and her family locked her instead because they were scared that it would damage their reputation.
If players visit Gertrude sometime after the burning of Braithwaite Manor with Arthur, Gertrude can still be seen alive inside the outhouse. If it's John, then only her skeletons could be found, meaning that she remained locked and starved out for the rest of her life.
1 The Real Reason of The Braithwaite's Long-Lasted Feud Against the Grays
Remember Douglas and Lucile, and how their action sparked the way between the two families? Well, after the end of the Civil War, the Braithwates and Grays claimed that one stole the other's gold, thus prompting a bloody family war between the two for years before the gang showed up and put them both to an end.