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Lord Backwater was a British aristocrat who is mentioned in "The Noble Bachelor" and "Silver Blaze". He is a apparently a friend of the family of the Duke of Balmoral, with whom he appears in connection both times.

Canon appearances[]

"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor"[]

Lord Backwater is a guest at the wedding of the Duke of Balmoral's second son, Lord Robert St Simon, to the American Miss Hatty Doran at St George's Church in London, as well as the subsequent wedding breakfast. The newlyweds intended to spend their honeymoon at Lord Backwater's estate near Petersfield. However, when the new Lady St Simon disappears shortly afterwards, Lord Backwater recommends that Lord Robert consult with Sherlock Holmes to find her.

"Silver Blaze (story)"[]

Lord Backwater crosses paths with Holmes and Watson again when the pair head out to Dartmoor to investigate the disappearance of Colonel Ross' horse Silver Blaze right before the Wessex Cup, in which Lord Backwater's horse Desborough is also competing. Holmes finds Silver Blaze in Lord Backwater's stables at Capleton; the stable-keeper, Silas Brown, had hidden the horse there after finding him wandering the moor to increase Desborough's chances of winning the cup. As a result of Holmes' intervention, Desborough comes in second to Silver Blaze in the race, though ahead of Lord Balmoral's horse Iris.

Trivia[]

  • A rarity among Conan Doyle's canon names of peers, this one seems, from a British perspective, implausible, given the bucolic and parochial implications of 'backwater' as a term.
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