Attempting to protect their town indefinitely with ideals of polite society, the women of Cranford are characters of beloved idiosyncrasies hoping to preserve their lifestyles from change, which is developed from the outset. Rowena Fowler, possessor of a red silk umbrella, conservatively considers an heir while her infirm body has outlived her kin. Miss Betty Barker is also determined to preserve the past, but in the form of her cow, which she sews pyjamas for, as it lost all of its hair after falling into a lime-pit. As for Miss Deborah Jenkyns, she establishes the norms and customs by which the town must abide, adding to the theme of societal perpetuation.