In 1811, the Regency Act was passed and George III's eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, became Prince Regent and ruled in the King's place. The era of the Regency was notable for many things, among them the tendency of the landed gentry to live their lives to the fullest. But under the tranquil veneer of the countryside lay a penchant for sudden and ferocious violence. It is in that context that the reader is expected to view Sir Robert. I am bemused by Holmes's deductions as he peered through the low-power microscope.
Somebody knows something, that is clear.
Yet later that same day, without returning to the inn, Holmes and Watson managed to catch enough trout for supper that evening.