Sir George Burnwell

Sherlock Holmes clapped a pistol to Sir George Burnwell's head (The Strand Magazine, may 1892)

Fictional character.

In the Sherlock Holmes stories

• Sir George Burnwell had charming manners, he was the intimate of a number of men with long purses and expensive habits (BERY 114).

• According to Sherlock Holmes, "He is one of the most dangerous men in England — a ruined gambler, an absolutely desperate villain; a man without heart or conscience." (BERY 507).

• He convinced Mary Holder to steal the beryl coronet for him (BERY 456).

• After the heist, he sold the three missing beryls to a receiver for £600, far less than their actual value (BERY 590).

• Sherlock Holmes confronted and coerced him into revealing the location of the stolen gems (BERY 583).

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