# Mr. Sherwin — Basil character guide > Mr. Sherwin in Basil by Wilkie Collins. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Sherwin, a Mr. Sherwin I once knew, the Mr. Sherwin **First appearance:** 0002-part-i-i ## Snapshot A self-satisfied linen-draper whose clumsy ambition to climb into society leads him to bargain his daughter's future with a gentleman's son. ## Who they are Mr. Sherwin is a tradesman whose ignorance of France and the wider world is matched only by his confidence in his own shrewdness. He arranges the secret marriage and the humiliating year of probation, treating the whole affair as a canny business transaction rather than a matter of his daughter's happiness. His social climbing and his reliance on the inscrutable Mannion set the strange terms that trap Basil and Margaret together. ## Relationships ### [Margaret Sherwin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/margaret_sherwin) _family_ Margaret is Mr. Sherwin's daughter, and he is deeply protective and controlling of her, often acting as a gatekeeper to her suitors. ### [Robert Mannion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/robert_mannion) _professional_ Mr. Sherwin employs Robert Mannion as his confidential clerk, but their relationship is fraught with hidden tension and manipulation. ### [Basil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/basil) _professional_ Basil is a client of Mr. Sherwin's legal firm, and their relationship is formal but strained due to Basil's secret affair with Margaret. ### [Mrs. Sherwin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/mrs_sherwin) _family_ Mr. and Mrs. Sherwin are married, but their relationship is distant and formal, with Mrs. Sherwin largely uninvolved in family decisions. ### [Ralph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/ralph) _professional_ Mr. Sherwin and Ralph interact as business associates, with Ralph often acting as a mediator between Basil and the Sherwin family. ### [Margaret Sherwin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/margaret_sherwin) _family_ Margaret is Mr. Sherwin's daughter, and he is deeply protective and controlling of her, often acting as a gatekeeper to her suitors. ### [Robert Mannion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/robert_mannion) _professional_ Mr. Sherwin employs Robert Mannion as his confidential clerk, but their relationship is fraught with hidden tension and manipulation. ### [Mrs. Sherwin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/mrs_sherwin) _family_ Mr. and Mrs. Sherwin are married, but their relationship is distant and formal, with Mrs. Sherwin largely uninvolved in family decisions. ### [Margaret Sherwin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/margaret_sherwin) _family_ Margaret is Mr. Sherwin's daughter, and he is deeply protective and controlling of her, often acting as a gatekeeper to her suitors. ### [Robert Mannion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/robert_mannion) _professional_ Mr. Sherwin employs Robert Mannion as his confidential clerk, but their relationship is fraught with hidden tension and manipulation. ### [Basil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/basil) _professional_ Basil is a client of Mr. Sherwin's legal firm, and their relationship is formal but strained due to Basil's secret affair with Margaret. ### [Basil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/basil) _professional_ Basil is a client of Mr. Sherwin's legal firm, and their relationship is formal but strained due to Basil's secret affair with Margaret. ## In the story ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-ix) Receives Basil's letter and agrees to an interview; described as controlling and particular about servants' caps. ### [The Proposal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-x) Flattered by the proposal but wary of the secrecy and financial risks; negotiates terms. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-xi) Proposes a secret marriage with a year's delay to protect Margaret's reputation. He is eager to secure the advantageous match and arranges for the license and a wedding date. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-xii) Insists on the marriage agreement being followed, makes congratulatory speeches, and is obstinate about his conditions. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Reluctantly allows Basil to visit Margaret daily, fearing the consequences of too much intimacy. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Praises Mannion as his indispensable factotum but admits he knows nothing about his clerk's history. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) Speaks well of Mannion, praising his character and service. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) Obstinate about Margaret attending a ball; easily influenced by Mannion. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-v) Laughs coarsely at Basil's difficulties about leaving his daughter for a week. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-vi) Suffering from a headache and ill-temper, he defends his decision to send Margaret to the party for her financial interest. He suggests Basil go to the party himself. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-ii) Writes letters to Basil, first pleading for understanding, then threatening public disclosure. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-iii) Mentioned as Margaret's father, his identity adding to the shock and shame for Basil's father. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-iv) Present during Mrs. Sherwin's confession; later refuses to believe she is dying and sends Margaret to her mother. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-v) Mannion describes how he manipulated Mr. Sherwin's ambition for his daughter, using it to gain influence over Margaret. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-vi) Reported by Ralph to have blustered and threatened, but is seen as a man who can be bought. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-viii) Refuses to forgive Margaret, accuses her of causing her mother's death, and does not attend her burial. ### [Letter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-letter-iii) Mentioned as still alive, residing in France after bankruptcy and maintaining a reputation of piety despite his misfortunes. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters/mr_sherwin - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/characters