Gridley is a man from the north of England who has come to London as a young man to pursue his interests in a Chancery suit. Gridley’s father left him some property, but the suit has gone on for so long and strayed so far from its original purpose that he has bankrupted himself paying legal fees and almost gone mad with anger and frustration. Gridley spends his days in court with Miss Flite and lives in the room below Neckett, and his three children, Charley, Emma, and Tom, who Gridley cares for after Neckett’s death. Although Gridley was once a kind and caring man, the suit has warped him to the point that he cannot control his anger and he is afraid to own a weapon in case he should try to murder one of the lawyers. He is forced to go into hiding because he threatens Mr. Tulkinghorn. Gridley eventually succumbs to the strain of his lifestyle and dies in his hideout at George’s gallery. Miss Flite is heartbroken by his death.