Richard Cabell

Arms of Cabell: Vert fretty argent, over all a fess gules[1]

Richard Cabell (died 5 July 1677), of Brook Hall, in the parish of Buckfastleigh on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor, in Devon,[1] is believed to be the inspiration for the wicked Hugo Baskerville, "the first of his family to be hounded to death when he hunted an innocent maiden over the moor by night",[2] one of the central characters in Conan Doyle's novel The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901-2),[3] the tale of a hellish hound and a cursed country squire. When asked in 1907 about his inspiration for this story, Conan Doyle wrote in reply: "My story was really based on nothing save a remark of my friend Fletcher Robinson's that there was a legend about a dog on the moor connected with some old family". [4][5] Cabell's tomb survives in the village of Buckfastleigh.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ a b Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.125
  2. ^ "Dartmoor: In the footprints of a gigantic hound".
  3. ^ Weller, Philip, The Hound Of The Baskervilles - Hunting the Dartmoor Legend, Devon Books, Halsgrove Publishing, c.2002, quoted in [1]
  4. ^ Spiring, Paul R.; Pugh, Brian W. (25 May 2011). Bertram Fletcher Robinson: A Footnote to the Hound of the Baskervilles Kindle Edition. London: MX Publishing. ISBN 978-1904312406.
  5. ^ "In January 1907 Cecil Turner wrote to Conan Doyle and asked if Hound of the Baskervilles was based on the Black Dog of Herguest Court legend. He replied in a letter, "My story was really based on nothing save a remark of my friend Fletcher Robinson's that there was a legend about a dog on the moor connected with some old family", this quote comes direct from the letter, that was sold through Bonhams Auction house", quoted in "faeryfolklorist.blogspot.co.uk, Tuesday, 18 October 2011 Wisht Hounds Part 2 - Abbot's Way & Richard Cabell"[2]
  6. ^ Spiring, Paul (2007). "Hugo Baskerville & Squire Richard Cabell III". BFROnline. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  7. ^ "Cabell Tomb — Buckfastleigh". Devon Guide. 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  8. ^ Lele, Teja (23 July 2024). "Sherlock Holmes and the phantom pack". Hindustan Times.