Adam Longstaffe

Adam Longstaffe is the squire of Stavelow Manor in Cheshire and descended from a long line of a respectable though inconsequential landowners. He married Miss Emma Fairlie in 1783, the daughter of another local gentry family. They had four surviving children: Hermione, Frederick, Agatha, and Pamela. Since Emma's death in 1809, Mr. Longstaffe has grown much weaker, relying very much on his eldest daughter's assistance in managing the household.