The oldest of the three clerks, and cousin of the Woodwards, to whom he introduced his two friends. He was a competent clerk in the Weights and Measures Office, from which he retired at the death of his older brother, which made him the heir of Normansgrove. He married Linda Woodward.

"...the second son of a gentleman of small property in the north of England ... a handsome man ... tall and thin and dark, muscular in his proportions, and athletic in his habits ...shy and reserved in his manners ...nevertheless, frank and confident in those he trusted, and true in his friendships" - The Three Clerks