Richard Owen
Richard Owen is the naturalist and Darwin rival Jacob chases down in On the Origin of Syrup. Rammed through traffic in his own carriage, he gives up the name of the Syrup's creator: Dr John Elliotson of Lambeth Asylum.
- Role
- Minor
Appears in
- On the Origin of SyrupOn the Origin of Syrup is a carriage interrogation: Darwin points Jacob at his old rival Richard Owen, and you hijack Owen's coach and drive it recklessly until he names the man who created Soothing Syrup.
OverdoseOverdose is the assassination of Dr John Elliotson inside Lambeth Asylum. As Jacob you explore the asylum, help a trapped nurse and stop a brutal electroshock session, then reach Elliotson's lecture theatre by hiding under the sheet of a cadaver.- Charles Darwin's London StoriesCharles Darwin's London Stories are side memories in which the naturalist, a friend of the twins since the Starrick's Soothing Syrup affair, asks for help as his enemies turn from argument to threats. You protect a fossil, destroy toxic flowers, tear down smear posters and finally rescue Darwin himself.
Good to know
- Voiced by Philip Craig.
- Born 20 July 1804 in Lancaster; died 18 December 1892 in London.
- Trained as a surgeon at Edinburgh and catalogued specimens at the Hunterian Museum.
- Founded the Natural History Museum in 1881 and was knighted in 1884.
- Coined the word dinosaur.
- Bitterly attacked Darwin's On the Origin of Species.
- Joined the Zoological Society of London's research arm in 1830 as its youngest member.
On the Origin of Syrup
Darwin accuses Owen outside Lambeth Asylum of writing an anonymous piece attacking him. Owen denies it and drives off. Jacob takes over the carriage and questions him about the asylum and the Syrup; Owen assumes he is a thug hired by Darwin and only talks once Jacob starts slamming the carriage into traffic.
His science
Owen held that species changed in response to their environment and descended from a shared archetype, progressing toward an ideal form with humans at the top. He handled criticism badly, and his attacks on Darwin left him isolated as other biologists accepted natural selection.
The chase
Owen is first seen outside the asylum quarrelling with Darwin, who rips the door handle off as Owen's driver pulls away. Darwin tells Jacob that Owen works at the asylum and urges him on. Once Jacob holds the reins, it is the threat of a drive into the River Thames that finally breaks Owen.
Related characters
- Supporting
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin helps Jacob destroy the Soothing Syrup distillery in Sequence 4 and then gives the Charles Darwin London Stories, in which the twins protect his work and reputation from Templar-backed attacks.
- Antagonist
Crawford Starrick
Crawford Starrick is the main antagonist of Assassin's Creed Syndicate: Grand Master of the British Templars and the industrialist who controls London in 1868 through his factories, railways, banks, the Blighters gang and a ring of Templar lieutenants. Every major target the Frye twins kill is one of his people, and the main story builds toward a final confrontation with him at Buckingham Palace.
- Antagonist
John Elliotson
Dr John Elliotson is the Templar physician behind Starrick's Soothing Syrup, the addictive tonic dulling London's poor. Jacob Frye tracks him down through Sequence 4 with Charles Darwin's help, and he is the target of the memory Overdose at Lambeth Asylum.
- Supporting
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale is stationed at Lambeth Asylum in 1868. In The Lady with the Lamp she treats Clara O'Dea and asks Evie to recover the supplies needed to replace the counterfeit tonics flooding Lambeth after John Elliotson's death.