Duke of Holdernesse

The 6th Duke of Holdernesse K.G., P.C., Earl of Cranston, Baron Beverley, was a British peer and politician. His family seat was Holdernesse Hall near Mackleton, Hallamshire, in northern England. Sherlock Holmes investigated the kidnapping of his son and heir, Arthur, Lord Saltire, in The Adventure of the Priory School.
== History ==
The Duke of Holdernesse was one of the wealthiest and most respectable men in the Empire. He owned about two hundred and fifty thousand acres, with a wide diversity of holdings including minerals in Lancashire and Wales, and several houses: Holdernesse Hall in Hallamshire; a property on Carlton House Terrace in London; and Carston Castle in Bangor, Wales. In addition, he occupied several important government posts: he was appointed a Lord of the Admiralty in 1872, and held a position on the Privy Council, and in the cabinet as a Chief Secretary of State. From 1900 he was the Lord Lieutenant of Hallamshire. The duke was a Knight of the Garter, Britain's oldest and most respected order of chivalry.
In 1888 he married Edith Appledore, daughter of Sir Charles Appledore, with whom he had one son, named Arthur, who received the title Lord Saltire. However, the Duke and Duchess became estranged some time afterwards, and separated by mutual consent, with the Duchess retiring to the south of France.
== "The Adventure of the Priory School" ==
Lord Saltire disappeared from his room at the Priory School on May 13, 1901. The police were called to investigate, but the Duke was anxious to keep news of the matter as quiet as possible: nevertheless, he offered a reward of five thousand pounds for the return of his son and a bonus for the capture of the person who took him. The school's rector, Dr Thorneycroft Huxtable, therefore travelled to London to ask Sherlock Holmes for help. When Holmes and Watson arrive to talk to the Duke, he is unhappy that Dr Huxtable has involved him but agrees to help Holmes with his investigation.
de:Herzog von Holdernesse
es:Duque de Holdernesse
Category:British characters
Category:Characters: The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Category:Clients
Category:Nobility
Category:Politicians