# Mr. Macey — Silas Marner character guide

> Mr. Macey in Silas Marner by George Eliot.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the argumentative Mr. Macey, Macey, old Macey, old Mr. Macey

**First appearance:** 0006-part-i-v

## Snapshot

Raveloe's garrulous parish clerk, fourscore and six, who reads the village's conscience aloud from his chimney-corner and trusts his own faculties are as strong as ever.

## Who they are

Mr. Macey has spent a lifetime in the clerk's desk, and his opinions carry the weight of custom in Raveloe. He buttonholes Silas Marner with blunt neighbourly advice — buy a Sunday suit, come to church, be a bit neighbourly — and takes the weaver's silence for muddle rather than grief. His running commentary stitches the village together, making him the story's chorus: the voice of communal judgment that Silas must slowly earn back.

## Relationships

### [Silas Marner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/characters/silas_marner)

_social_

Mr. Macey is the parish clerk and a village elder who observes Silas with curiosity and later acceptance.

### [Silas Marner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/characters/silas_marner)

_social_

Mr. Macey is the parish clerk and a village elder who observes Silas with curiosity and later acceptance.

### [Silas Marner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/characters/silas_marner)

_social_

Mr. Macey is the parish clerk and a village elder who observes Silas with curiosity and later acceptance.

## In the story

### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/chapters/part-i-vi)

The parish clerk and tailor, he is the primary storyteller of the chapter, recounting the history of the Lammeter family and the peculiar wedding ceremony.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/chapters/part-i-vii)

Offers commentary on the situation, warns against false accusations, and debates the farrier's eligibility as deputy-constable.

### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/chapters/part-i-viii)

Mr. Macey defends Silas against suspicion of deceit and dismisses the tinderbox clue, arguing against Mr. Tookey's extreme views.

### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/chapters/part-i-xi)

Observes and critiques the dancers, including Godfrey and the parson, with his characteristic acerbic wit.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/characters/mr_macey
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/silas_marner_se/characters