Sunday 27 April 2014

What was the exact date of Sir Charles Baskerville's death in The Hound of the Baskervilles?

In chapter two of The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dr. Mortimer presents a news article for Mr. Holmes to read. The article is from the Devon County Chronicle, and Mortimer describes the article as having been published on the 14th of June, a "few days" after the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. One might interpret a "few days" to imply that Sir Baskerville died on perhaps the 11th or 12th...

In chapter two of The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dr. Mortimer presents a news article for Mr. Holmes to read. The article is from the Devon County Chronicle, and Mortimer describes the article as having been published on the 14th of June, a "few days" after the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. One might interpret a "few days" to imply that Sir Baskerville died on perhaps the 11th or 12th of June, but reading on, we discover that he is believed to have died on the night of the 4th of June.


The news article says that Sir Charles Baskerville, on the 4th of June, announced that he intended to travel to London the next day. While his butler prepared his luggage, Sir Baskerville went on his usual nightly walk. At midnight, the butler began to worry and went outdoors to search for his master. He finds the body of Sir Baskerville at the end of the Alley of the estate. If the butler set off at precisely midnight and found the body of Sir Baskerville soon after, we can infer that Baskerville had died late in the night of the 4th of June. 

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