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| “ | You should be proud that a Baskerville should even look at your wretched child! | „ |
| ~ Hugo as he threatens to rape his butler's daughter |
Hugo Baskerville is the overarching antagonist of the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of Baskerville. He is the long deceased founder of Baskerville and the head of the Baskerville family.
In the 1959 film adaptation of the novel, he was portrayed by the late David Oxley.
Biography[]
Hugo was a wealthy man during the English Civil War in the late 1600's. He was infatuated with a local farmer's daughter who, well aware of Hugo's reputation, stated far away from him. That night Hugo and his group of friends kidnapped the girl from her families farm whilst her father and brothers were away and brought her to Baskerville Manor where she was locked in Hugo's bedroom, Hugo and his friends the had a feast to celebrate Hugo's success.
As the night went on, Hugo soon made plans to presumably rape the girl. However she was able to escape Baskerville Manor by climbing down some ivy that was growing up the wall outside her window and attempted to flee back to her fathers farm which lay across the Grimpen Mire. When Hugo went up to his bedroom and found that she had escaped, he was mad with fury at this fact. Much to the shock and horror of his companions, Hugo sent for his mare and set his pack of hounds lose on her, even swearing that he would render both his body and soul to the powers of evil if he could run her down before racing off on his hunt.
After Hugo had set off on his hunt, his companions, horrified at his hunting of the maiden, decided to ride out and try to save her. After following Hugo's trail for a mile, the companions came upon one of the villages night shepherds who informed them that while he did see Sir Hugo racing by on his horse, also informed them that he was been followed by what the shepherd described as, "such as hound from Hell as God forbid be at any man's heels". Believing the shepherd to be mad, the companions continued on after Hugo and the girl. However they soon saw Hugo's mare racing by, riderless and its mouth dabbled with froth.
The companions soon came upon Sir Hugo's hounds who were huddled fearfully together at the edge of a clearing. Feeling frightened themselves, three of the companions crept forward and were horrified by the sight of what they saw. The girl had fallen dead from fear and exhaustion, but lying near her was something even worse. A huge and fearsome black hound with glowing demonic eyes was tearing out the throat of Sir Hugo, but not before turning its gaze on the companions, its jaws dripping with blood. The companions then fled the scene in fright, two remaining broken by the whole ordeal for the rest of their lives whilst the third died that very night from fright.
Following his death, Sir Hugo would live on in the local areas folklore. Mainly due to his infamous and dark reputation, but mostly for being result of the Baskerville family being cursed by the hound, resulting in many members of the family meeting brutal deaths at the jaws of the hound.
