Robert Norberton

Sir Robert Norberton, Baronet was a British gentleman and horse-breeder. He lived at Shoscombe Old Place in Berkshire in the home of his widowed sister, Lady Beatrice Falder. Sir Robert was known to be a man of dangerous temper and a gambler, and to have enormous debts due to his horse-racing hobby. Eventually his suspicious behavior, as well as a sudden change in the habits of Lady Beatrice, caused his head groom, John Mason, to suspect sinister dealings were occurring in the house. Mason sought the help of Sherlock Holmes in discovering the causes of Sir Robert's suspicious behavior. A fragment of charred bone in the furnace of the house suggested that Sir Robert may have murdered his sister, and replaced her with an imposter to conceal the crime, so Holmes and John Watson traveled to Shoscombe to investigate the allegations.
After investigation, Holmes learned that while Lady Beatrice had indeed died, it was a natural death of dropsy. Sir Robert explained that he concealed her death to stave off his creditors who would force him off the property before he could recover his racing losses, and hid her body in the Falder crypt. Sir Robert avoided any major punishment for his actions; in fact, he ends up quite well off after his horse wins the Derby, allowing him to pay back all his debts with a significant sum left over.
de:Robert Norberton
Category:Article stubs
Category:British characters
Category:Characters: The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes