# Nathaniel Sowerby — Framley Parsonage character guide > Nathaniel Sowerby in Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Sowerby, Mr. Sowerby, Nat **First appearance:** 0001-ii-the-framley-set-and-the-chaldicotes-set ## Snapshot A charming, perpetually encumbered MP whose easy manners and bottomless need for money make him the most agreeable ruinous friend a young clergyman could acquire. ## Who they are Sowerby of Chaldicotes moves through the world by borrowing against expectations and smiling his way past consequences, with his devoted sister Harriet as the only ally who never abandons him. He is courting Miss Dunstable less from love than from arithmetic, and his campaign to win her is conducted with the same cheerful calculation he applies to everything. To Mark Robarts he offers the glamour of a wider world — and the bills that come with it, which is precisely how Trollope lets a country vicar's troubles begin. ## Relationships ### [Mark Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/mark_robarts) _psychological_ Sowerby manipulates and leads Mark into financial ruin through gambling and debt, acting as a corrupting influence. ### [Lord Lufton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/lord_lufton) _rivalry_ Lord Lufton despises Sowerby for corrupting his friend Mark and for his predatory financial schemes. ### [Duke of Omnium](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/duke_of_omnium) _professional_ The Duke is a wealthy patron and political ally to Sowerby, though their connection is based on mutual self-interest. ### [Fanny Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/fanny_robarts) _rivalry_ Fanny views Sowerby as a dangerous influence on her husband and actively opposes his manipulations. ### [Lucy Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/lucy_robarts) _rivalry_ Lucy distrusts Sowerby and blames him for her brother Mark's troubles, seeing him as a villain. ### [Mark Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/mark_robarts) _psychological_ Sowerby manipulates and leads Mark into financial ruin through gambling and debt, acting as a corrupting influence. ### [Lord Lufton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/lord_lufton) _rivalry_ Lord Lufton despises Sowerby for corrupting his friend Mark and for his predatory financial schemes. ### [Fanny Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/fanny_robarts) _rivalry_ Fanny views Sowerby as a dangerous influence on her husband and actively opposes his manipulations. ### [Mark Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/mark_robarts) _psychological_ Sowerby manipulates and leads Mark into financial ruin through gambling and debt, acting as a corrupting influence. ### [Lucy Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/lucy_robarts) _rivalry_ Lucy distrusts Sowerby and blames him for her brother Mark's troubles, seeing him as a villain. ### [Lord Lufton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/lord_lufton) _rivalry_ Lord Lufton despises Sowerby for corrupting his friend Mark and for his predatory financial schemes. ### [Fanny Robarts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/fanny_robarts) _rivalry_ Fanny views Sowerby as a dangerous influence on her husband and actively opposes his manipulations. ## In the story ### [The Framley Set, and the Chaldicotes Set](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/ii-the-framley-set-and-the-chaldicotes-set) Sowerby is the host of the Chaldicotes party, a poor man with a large estate, rumored to have wasted money on electioneering and gambling. He is seen as a corrupting influence by Lady Lufton. ### [Chaldicotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/iii-chaldicotes) Hosts the party at Chaldicotes, discusses Lord Lufton's land sale, and encourages Mark's association with the Duke. ### [A Matter of Conscience](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/iv-a-matter-of-conscience) Part of the party at Chaldicotes; Mark mentions him in the context of the social circle. ### [Amantium Irae Amoris Integratio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/v-amantium-irae-amoris-integratio) Mentioned in connection with Lord Lufton's property sale. ### [Mr. Harold Smith’s Lecture](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/vi-mr-harold-smith-s-lecture) Continues to pressure Mark to write to Lord Lufton about financial matters and schemes to sit next to Miss Dunstable. ### [Sunday Morning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/vii-sunday-morning) Calmly shaves and organizes the party's departure, urging Mark not to worry about being late. ### [Gatherum Castle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/viii-gatherum-castle) Travels with Mark and Miss Dunstable; discusses Lord Lufton's debts and a remaining bill with Tozer; complains about being robbed by Jews; continues to influence Mark. ### [The Vicar's Return](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/ix-the-vicar-s-return) Bids Mark farewell at Chaldicotes; his casual demeanor contrasts with Mark's anxiety about the debt. ### [The Little Bill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xii-the-little-bill) Dismisses Mark's concerns about the bill, pressures him into signing a new bill for £500, and uses threats of legal action and newspaper exposure. ### [Mr. Crawley of Hogglestock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xiv-mr-crawley-of-hogglestock) Pressures Mark to buy the horse Dandy, using the transaction to further entangle Mark in his financial schemes. ### [The New Minister's Patronage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xviii-the-new-minister-s-patronage) Wrote the letter urging Mark to seek the prebendal stall, showing his good-natured but reckless character. ### [Money Dealings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xix-money-dealings) Manages the debt crisis by buying back the bill from Tozer, presenting himself as calm and in control. ### [The Triumph of the Giants](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xxiii-the-triumph-of-the-giants) Writes to Mark Robarts about the ministry's fall and the patronage that came to Framley. ### [Magna Est Veritas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xxiv-magna-est-veritas) Contemplates marrying Miss Dunstable to recover his fortunes, hoping for a fresh start. ### [South Audley Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xxvii-south-audley-street) Confronted by Mr. Fothergill about the duke's intention to foreclose on Chaldicotes; faces the loss of his estate and parliamentary seat. ### [Dr. Thorne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xxviii-dr-thorne) Listed among the 'rabid in the opposite direction' guests expected at the party. ### [The Goat and Compasses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xxxii-the-goat-and-compasses) Desperate to stave off financial collapse and loss of his county seat, Sowerby tries to negotiate with the Tozers and seeks counsel from his sister. ### [Consolation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xxxiii-consolation) Meets Mark at the Dragon of Wantly, delivers the demand for nine hundred pounds, and is rebuked for his role in the debt. ### [Mr. Sowerby Without Company](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xxxvii-mr-sowerby-without-company) Sits alone at Chaldicotes, contemplating his ruined finances and political future; issues a placard defying the Duke of Omnium; later returns to London to meet with Miss Dunstable's lawyer. ### [Touching Pitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xlii-touching-pitch) Harassed by debts and bill-discounters, he writes to Mark proposing a new bill arrangement to fend off bailiffs. ### [XLIV: The Philistines at the Parsonage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xliv-the-philistines-at-the-parsonage) Sowerby is discussed as the cause of Mark's troubles. Lord Lufton condemns him as a rogue and a fraud, though the narrator offers a more nuanced view, noting Sowerby's capacity for repentance. ### [Nemesis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/chapters/xlvii-nemesis) Loses the election and his estate, Chaldicotes, to Miss Dunstable; his spirit is broken by financial ruin. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters/nathaniel_sowerby - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/framley_parsonage_se/characters