Nephew and heir of the old Squire, who wished him to marry his cousin Bell and offered him £800 a year if he succeeded. After Bell married Dr. Crofts, Bernard married Emily Dunstable.

"He was a small slight man, smaller than his uncle, but in face very like him.... On the whole he was not ill-looking and ... carried with him an air of self-assurance and a confident balance, which in itself gives a grace to a young man" - The Small House at Allington