Who is Sir George Bailey from Possession: A Romance and what is their importance?

Sir George Bailey currently lives at Seal Court with his wife, Joan. He is a descendent of Christabel LaMotte. Sir George is a small, cantankerous man who initially does not like academics poking around his house looking for information on Christabel LaMotte. He is distrustful and takes his time in making his decision to allow Maud and Roland to read the letters they find in Christabel's room. Sir George feels betrayed by Maud and Roland when he discovers that the letters may be worth a lot of money. Sir George is desperate to make his wife comfortable, because she is in a wheelchair. He could also use some help fixing up Seal Court, but he does not have the money.