Frank Randall

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“	You're right; they're not all brave. Most of them—of us—we're just... there, and we do our best. Most of the time.	”
	— Frank, A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows

Frank Randall is an English-born historian in the 20th century. He is married to Claire Beauchamp Randall, and has one daughter, Brianna Randall. He traces his lineage back to Jonathan Randall, an English officer involved with the Jacobite Rising in 1745, and Mary Hawkins.

Personal History

Little about Frank's early life before meeting Claire is known.

Meeting and marrying Claire

Frank first met Claire when he came to consult her uncle, Quentin Beauchamp, an archaeologist and historian, about a point of French philosophy as it related to Egyptian religious practice. After a period of time, they were married, and spent a brief two-day honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands, followed by a year together before the outbreak of World War II.

Claire and Frank were separated for most of the war. Frank trained as an officer, and Claire as a nurse, and both served their country in their respective roles for the duration. They were able to correspond through letters, though once Frank was recruited by MI6, his letters grew more infrequent. Once the war was over, Claire and Frank reunited in 1945 (1946 in Cross Stitch) and decided to have a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands to reestablish their marriage. They stayed in a town called Inverness in the north of Scotland, which was situated near an ancient stone circle.

Events of the Novels

Outlander

While in Inverness, Frank visits a Mr. Bainbridge, a solicitor with an interest in local history, and the Rev. Dr. Reginald Wakefield, a vicar who also has an interest in history. Frank is particularly interested in records concerning his ancestor Jonathan Randall, who was a captain of dragoons in the 18th century.

Returning from his meeting with Mr. Bainbridge, Frank is rather startled to see a man dressed in Highland garb, complete with kilt, sporran, plaid, and a running stag brooch, looking up at Claire's window. Recounting this encounter to Claire, Frank realizes what seemed odd about the man – the strong wind did not disturb his clothing at all – and so Frank says that he believes he was a ghost. Claire ventures out with Mr. Crook, who shares with her knowledge about local plants and their uses, and shows her the circle of standing stones on a hill called Craigh na Dun.

She later tells Frank about it, and he jumps at the chance to see the local "witches" perform their customary rites for Beltane. They arrive early enough to watch the local women chant and dance for the ritual, and Frank wants to examine the ground for other traces of fire, but is unable to when a dancer returns to the circle and lingers. Later that day, Claire is trying to figure out the species of a flower she had seen at the circle, and Frank suggests she go back to find it the next day, and while she's there to check for signs of scorched ground, in the interest of satisfying his curiosity about the witches' ritual.

After Claire leaves their bed and breakfast to return to the standing stones, she does not return. Unbeknownst to Frank at the time, Claire had fallen through the cleft in the main stone and been transported back in time to 1743, smack into his ancestor, Black Jack Randall.

Dragonfly in Amber

In 1968, Claire explains to Roger Wakefield that her husband, Frank Randall, had died two years ago.

Voyager

It is revealed through a series of flashbacks that Claire and Frank's relationship was deeply troubled. On the last night of Frank's life, they argue heatedly about Frank's announcement that he is moving to England without Claire, and intends to take Brianna with him. Frank goes so far as to accuse Claire of having an affair with her friend from medical school, Joe Abernathy, a black man, and expresses concern about Brianna spending time with Joe's son, Lenny, and "those people" in general. Claire retorts by saying she is aware that Frank has had extramarital relationships with at least six women over the past twenty years, and she suggests he is leaving her for one of them. After they fight, he leaves the house and gets in his car. Early the next morning, while Claire is at the hospital checking on a patient, an ambulance brings Frank's body in. His car had slid on the ice and crashed, and he had died instantly.

Physical Appearance

Frank is described as a handsome, dark-haired man, with wide hazel eyes in an aristocratic face, and a lithe, slender build. Claire remembers his hands as elegant, long-fingered and narrow, smooth and hairless as a girl's.

Name

• Franklin comes from an English surname which was derived from Middle English frankelin "freeman".
• Wolverton is an English habitational name from any of various places named Wolverton, as for example the one in Buckinghamshire, or from Woolverton in Somerset or Wolferton in Norfolk, all of which are named from the Old English personal name Wulfhere + -ing- denoting association + tun ‘farmstead’, ‘settlement’.
• Randall derives from the given name Randel, which is a medieval diminutive form of names (e.g. Randolf) beginning with the Germanic element rand meaning "rim (of a shield)".

TV Series

Main: Outlander Television Series

English actor Tobias Menzies portrays Frank Randall in the STARZ Outlander television adaptation.