Liese Anne Sherwood-Fabre - The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes — read online for free the complete book (whole text) full work

Below is the text of the book, divided by pages. System saving the place of the last page read, allows you to conveniently read the book "The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes" online for free, without having to search again every time where you left off. Put a bookmark, and you can go to the page where you finished reading at any time.

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

1234567...15

Praise for Liese Sherwood-Fabre, PhD

We have had the privilege of publishing Lieses essays in our Sherlockian E-Times each month for the past few years[and] have, personally, always found her essays to be both entertaining and informative as well as very well-researched.

Joel Senter, Editor, The Sherlockian E-Times

Liese Sherwood-Fabre, through her extensive research into the life of the 1890s London, has provided Sherlockians across the country amazing insights of how residents of the Victoria period lived, .[and] brings to life a society which we have only dreamed of being a resident of.

Steve Mason, The Crew of the Barque Lone Star

Liese Sherwood-Fabre's essays on life in Sherlock Holmes Victorian worldprovide insight into topics that are referred to in the Holmes stories.

Sally Sugarman, Editor, Groans, Cries and Bleatings

To my parents, Nova and Charles,

whose support and love will always be with me.

Contents

Foreword

In November 2013, the first of my essays on the Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, The Life of a Country Squire, went out to Sherlockian newsletters worldwide. After I had completed two years, I felt a larger audience than those receiving the newsletters would be interested in these aspects of Victorian life. After the first volume came out in 2017, I continued to write on Victorian England and have now gathered these into volume two.

---

For the fans of Sherlock Holmes, I would encourage you to check out the various scions that meet to discuss the stories of the worlds most famous consulting detective. There are also numerous Sherlock Holmes conferences and conventions held on a regular basis that can provide additional opportunities to meet fellow Sherlockians.

---

In such settings, Holmes and Watson still live, and it is always 1895.

And Theyre Off!

T he Canon includes two cases involving race horses. Holmes is called in to investigate the disappearance of Silver Blaze (1) just before the Wessex Cup and Sir Robert Norbertons odd behavior prior to his horse Prince running in the Epsom Derby. (2) The popularity of the sport in Victorian England, in addition to the criminal element at that time, made it a perfect backdrop for these Sherlockian investigations.

The exact time of the horses arrival in Britain is not known, but Caesars first invasion of Britain in 55 BC was rebuffed by a cavalry. The animals were smaller than those today, but quite numerous. (3) Following their use in warfare and other pursuits, racing the animals came into fashion in the early 1600s when King James 1 built the first grandstand on the Newmarket Heath. Charles II, however, brought horse racing into its own when he built a palace and moved his court there twice a year beginning in 1669. (4) Ever since, Newmarket has been considered the headquarters of British horse racing.

In addition to the racetracks at Newmarket, the Jockey Club built a coffee house at the site for member meetings in 1752. This club, created by gentlemen passionate about horses and racing, became the official governing body for horse racing in 1860s in an effort to impose more control over betting and horse management. (5) In the early 1800s, horse owners who were commoners were permitted to enter their animals in the races. (6) As a result, the events attracted larger crowds, including the working class. (7) Betting had always been a part of the sport, but it grew more pronounced in the 1830s and 1840s with a number of scandals coming to light. In addition to unscrupulous bookmakers, ineligible horses (above or below the age limit for the race) were discovered among the entrants. (8)

While betting on horses had always been a part of the sport, off-course betting developed in response to the working class interest, and by the end of the 1840s, was an important feature of the activity. For the most part, these sites evolved from tobacconist shops where men already congregated and placed friendly wagers through the proprietor. Over time, horse betting replaced the original commercial trade in many such establishments. Partitions with pigeon holes for placing bets replaced the counter. Lists of the various races and participants odds were listed on the walls, and results were quickly reported as fast as runners could arrive from the telegraph office. One of the most well-known and popular establishments was Dwyers in St. Martins Lane. In 1851, following heavy betting on the favorite in the Chester Cup, those with winning tickets arrived to find the place emptied and the owner gone, leaving behind a debt of twenty-five thousand pounds. (9)

With The Jockey Clubs management, the sports respectability rose, and with additional security efforts, such as enclosing the tracks and providing stands, certain races gained popularity as social events. In addition to the race course, other amusements (from food vendors to sideshow attractions) were set up around the area. (10) The Ascot, run in June, became part of the social season where women and men attended (and still do) in their most elegant clothes. (11) Derby Day, also occurring in May or June, became a national holiday.

As these two Sherlockian cases show, however, despite the Jockey Clubs efforts to maintain the respectability of horse racing, its continued popularity and history of betting on the outcome, fostered the persistence of a criminal element in the sport. Gratefully, Holmes and Watson ferreted out at least two of the most grievous offenses.

________________

1. Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Complete Sherlock Holmes: with an introduction from Robert Ryan (Kindle Location 15130). Simon & Schuster UK. Kindle Edition.
2. Ibid, Kindle Locations 31381-31382.
3. http://chestofbooks.com/animals/horses/
4. http://www.jockeyclubrooms.co.uk/about-us/home-of-the-sport-of-kings
5. Chesney, Kellow. The Victorian Underworld (New York: Schocken Books, 1972) 282.
6. Hughes, Kristine. Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England (Cincinnati: Writers Digest Books, 1998) 142.
7. Mitchell, Sally. Daily Life in Victorian England (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996) 221.
8. Chesney, 282.
9. Ibid 283 284.
10. Hughes, 142.
11. Mitchell, 220 221.

Saying I do in Victorian England

I n The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, Hatty Doran vanishes during her wedding breakfast after her marriage to Lord Robert St. Simon. (1) Up until the scandal of her disappearance, the sequence of events illustrates many of the typical Victorian wedding traditions.

For the Victorian woman, marrying well was the goal in her life. (2) That is, an appropriate match within ones social class to a man who would provide for her at the level to which she was accustomed. While Hatty Doran is an American and something of a tomboy, as the only daughter of a millionaire and a noble woman at heart with an honorable reputation, her match with Lord St. Simon is considered advantageousespecially for him. His familys precarious economic position will be eased by the large dowry her father offers. (3)

Next page

1234567...15

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

Similar books «The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes»

Look at similar books to The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes. We have selected literature similar in name and meaning in the hope of providing readers with more options to find new, interesting, not yet read works.

Arthur Doyle

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Tim Sajmonds

Sherlock Holmes and The Mystery Of Einstein's Daughter

George Mann

Associates of Sherlock Holmes

Lynnette Porter

Who Is Sherlock?: Essays on Identity in Modern Holmes Adaptations

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Illustrated): All 4 Novels and 56 Stories with More Than 480 Illustrations

Holmes Sherlock

The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes

Gresh

Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu: the Adventure of the Innsmouth Mutations

Ron White

17 Dec

Holmes Sherlock

The Sherlock Holmes handbook : the methods and mysteries of the worlds greatest detective

Leslie S. Klinger

The Sherlock Holmes Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

Bevelin Peter

A few lessons from Sherlock Holmes

Joseph A. Cutshall King

Sherlock Holmes

Discussion, reviews of the book The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes and just readers' own opinions. Leave your comments, write what you think about the work, its meaning or the main characters. Specify what exactly you liked and what you didn't like, and why you think so.