he's a weaver
A character from George Eliot's book Silas Marner which was written in 1861.
Silas never married. His engagement with Sarah but she breaks it off.
Though there is no main antagonist you could consider minor ones such as William Dane because of his betrayal of Silas Marner, Dunstan Cass because he stole Marner's money, or maybe even Godfrey Cass...
It has stood the test of time. It's complicated plot and universal characters make it where we can still relate to it.