Barker is the secondary antagonist of the Bernard Cornwell novel Sharpe's Prey. He is the henchman of the book's main antagonist, John Lavisser.
Biography[]
Barker was the servant of Captain John Lavisser, who had once been a footpad in Bristol. He was aware of Lavisser's loyalty to the French and served him in his attempt to expose the British spy network in Copenhagen. He was set to accompany Lavisser on his mission to Denmark and, on his orders, killed Captain Henry Willsen, the officer who had been assigned to accompany them. However, Lieutenant Richard Sharpe was assigned to them as a replacement.
Shortly after the group arrived in Denmark, Barker tried to kill Sharpe but Sharpe managed to escape. Barker and Lavisser captured Ole Skovgaard, the head of the spy network, and tortured him to try and get information. Skovgaard was rescued by Sharpe, and Barker and the rest of Lavisser's associates were forced to flee. They joined up with a Danish militia trying to halt the British advance on the city, where Barker saw Sharpe hiding among the militia and tried to shoot him. Sharpe challenged Barker to a sword fight but Barker, who was unused to a sword and suspected he would stand no chance against Sharpe, told him he could go, but would be killed if he returned to the city.
Barker continued to serve Lavisser during the British bombardment of Copenhagen. After Sharpe had again freed Skovgaard from Lavisser's captivity, Barker joined a party that tracked Sharpe down to a church that had been set alight by the bombing. While Lavisser kept Sharpe's attention, Barker sneaked onto a balcony next to the one Sharpe was on and tried to shoot him. He was wounded by a shot from Clouter, a British seaman assisting Sharpe. Realising he was a sitting duck, Barker panicked and tried to remind Sharpe he'd let him go, but Sharpe killed him with a shot to the head.
