Sherlock Holmes - inspired by the Yorkshire Dales?

What's the connection between the Yorkshire Dales, the Hound of the Baskervilles and Sherlock Holmes?

Some believe that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to write his books thanks to connections in this area. His mother, Mary Doyle lived at Masongill Cottage near Ingleton for about 30 years. When Conan Doyle visited her it's likely he'd have travelled by train to Ingleton and then onwards through Holme Head to Masongill.

One of Conan Doyle's early stories was called Uncle Jeremy's Household, and published in the same year he married. The main character was from Baker Street in London and in the story he comes to Ingleton by train to meet his friend, a chemist.

There's a stained glass window in the tower of St. Mary's Church, Ingleton which is dedicated to a man called Randal Hopley Sherlock who was killed by lightning at the railway station. His brother was once the local vicar, taking services in Ingleton and possibly Masongill. Was this the inspiration for Conan Doyle's famous character's name?

Conan Doyle married his first wife, Louisa at St. Oswald's in Thornton in Lonsdale between Ingleton and Masongill, where the Reverend Sherlock also sometimes took services.

Many believe that the Hound of the Baskerville story was actually inspired by the mythical Barguest who lived in Troller's Gyhl by Skyreholme (this photo) and who was supposedly a saucer-eyed, wolf-like creature (the three creatures in this photo are not quite wolfs!) What do you think?

For those who enjoyed this post on place names - Skyreholme is thought to mean 'bright water meadow'. A Holme is a water meadow and skirr an old Norse word for bright.