Sir Thomas Ashby Character Analysis in Agnes Grey

Admirer and eventual husband of Rosalie Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby is an immoral aristocrat devoted to drinking, gambling, and conducting romantic affairs. Mrs. Murray, pleased by Sir Thomas Ashby’s money and social status, encourages Rosalie to marry him despite having heard rumors of his bad reputation. Rosalie’s governess Agnes counsels against the marriage, but no one listens to her. After the wedding, Sir Thomas Ashby and Rosalie have a baby—and Sir Thomas is angry at Rosalie because the baby is a daughter. He drinks heavily, is unfaithful to Rosalie, and is jealous of Rosalie’s admirer Harry Meltham. He and Rosalie are living together unhappily in the countryside when, after their honeymoon, Agnes pays a short visit to Rosalie.

Sir Thomas Ashby Quotes in Agnes Grey

The Agnes Grey quotes below are all either spoken by Sir Thomas Ashby or refer to Sir Thomas Ashby. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Education, Authority, and Class Theme Icon

“Sir Thomas is young, rich and gay; but an ugly beast, nevertheless; however mamma says I should not mind that after a few months’ acquaintance.”

Related Characters: Rosalie Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Mary, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 61

Explanation and Analysis:

“But if I could always be young, I would always be single. I should like to enjoy myself thoroughly, and coquet with all the world, till I am on the verge of being called an old maid; and then, to escape the infamy of that, after having made ten thousand conquests, to break all their hearts save one, by marrying some high-born, rich, indulgent husband, whom, on the other hand, fifty ladies were dying to have.”

Related Characters: Rosalie Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 62–63

Explanation and Analysis:

[B]esides my hope in God, my only consolation was in thinking that, though he knew it not, I was more worthy of his love than Rosalie Murray, charming and engaging as she was; for I could appreciate his excellence, which she could not: I would devote my life to the promotion of his happiness; she would destroy his happiness for the momentary gratification of her own vanity.

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Mr. Weston, Rosalie Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby, Mr. Hatfield

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

“Tilly, though she would have made a fine lad, was not quite what a young lady ought to be[.]”

Related Characters: Mr. Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Rosalie Murray, Matilda Murray, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 117

Explanation and Analysis:

“It seems unnatural: but some people think rank and wealth the chief good; and, if they can secure that for their children, they think they have done their duty.”

“True: but is it not strange that persons of experience, who have been married themselves, should judge so falsely?”

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Mr. Weston (speaker), Rosalie Murray, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 119

Explanation and Analysis:

“[I]f he married a richer wife, misfortunes and trials would no doubt have come upon him still; while I am egotist enough to imagine that no other woman could have cheered him through that so well: not that I am superior to the rest, but I was made for him, and he for me[.]”

Related Characters: Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey (speaker), Agnes Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Rosalie Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 124

Explanation and Analysis:

Alas! how far the promise of anticipation exceeds the pleasure of possession!

Related Characters: Rosalie Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 133

Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s the husband’s part to please the wife, not hers to please him; and if he isn’t satisfied with her as she is—and thankful to possess her too—he isn’t worthy of her, that’s all.”

Related Characters: Rosalie Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 140

Explanation and Analysis:

“But you knew what he was before you married him.”

“No; I only thought so: I did not half know him really. I know you warned me against it, and I wish I had listened to you: but it’s too late to regret that now. And besides, mamma ought to have known better than either of us, and she never said anything against it—quite the contrary.”

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Rosalie Murray (speaker), Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 142

Explanation and Analysis:

Sir Thomas Ashby Character Timeline in Agnes Grey

The timeline below shows where the character Sir Thomas Ashby appears in Agnes Grey. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...this idea and begins describing her admirers, including a married nobleman (to Agnes’s horror) and Sir Thomas Ashby . Evidently Sir Ashby, though wealthy, is an “ugly beast,” but Mrs. Murray has told... (full context)

...the most entertaining and Mr. Hatfield the most intelligent, she guesses she’ll end up accepting Sir Ashby , the “wickedest.” Agnes asks why Rosalie would do that if Sir Ashby is a... (full context)

Rosalie laments that Mrs. Murray will only let her flirt with Sir Ashby , lest his mother come to believe that Rosalie is a bad girl—even though Sir... (full context)

Rosalie tells Agnes that Sir Ashby will likely propose to her at a ball next Tuesday—and so, before then, she means... (full context)

...Ashby Ball. The next morning, Rosalie tells Agnes that she has accepted a proposal from Sir Thomas Ashby and expresses glee at “becoming mistress of Ashby Park”—yet she also seems fearful of the... (full context)

The wedding is scheduled for six weeks later, in June. Sir Ashby travels to London to deal with business, which helps keep the engagement quiet. Meanwhile, one... (full context)

On June 1, Rosalie marries Sir Ashby . After the ceremony, she says goodbye to Agnes in the school room, promises not... (full context)

...he doesn’t know: while Rosalie’s worst problem is “thoughtlessness,” he has heard bad things about Sir Ashby . He asks Agnes whether Mrs. Murray wanted the marriage. Agnes says the lady did,... (full context)

...an aside that if Agnes likes children, Rosalie’s baby daughter should be an added incentive—though Sir Ashby hasn’t forgiven Rosalie for having a girl. She also mentions that, as far as Ashby... (full context)

...sitting room where she can take her meals if she doesn’t want to eat with Sir Ashby and his mother. Agnes, to Rosalie’s evident relief, says she would prefer to take her... (full context)

...blames her mother-in-law—whom, she claims, criticizes Rosalie for leaving the drawing room after dinner if Sir Ashby comes in, even though he’s frequently drunk. Agnes suggests that Rosalie could try to use... (full context)

...she loathes him. When Agnes asks who he is, Rosalie explains that he’s her husband, Sir Thomas Ashby . Agnes points out that Rosalie knew what Sir Ashby was like when she married... (full context)

Rosalie bursts into tears. Agnes pities Rosalie both for having married Sir Ashby and for misunderstanding what a good life consists of. She advises Rosalie to work improvements... (full context)