# Miss Stapleton — The Hound of the Baskervilles character guide

> Miss Stapleton in The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Miss Stapleton, Stapleton, Mrs. Stapleton

**First appearance:** 0008-vii-the-stapletons-of-merripit-house

## Snapshot

A striking, dark-eyed woman on the moor who warns Sir Henry away from the Grimpen Mire, yet seems watched by her own brother at every turn.

## Who they are

Living with her brother at Merripit House, she is the beautiful neighbour whose presence stirs Sir Henry Baskerville's heart almost the moment he arrives on the moor. Yet her warmth is shadowed by a strange constraint: she mistakes Watson and Sir Henry for someone else on the path, and her brother's interruptions carry an edge of control. Her warnings and her unease make her one of the earliest threads Watson cannot quite explain, and her fear quietly shapes the danger closing around the Hall.

## Relationships

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_psychological_

Miss Stapleton is a pawn in her brother's scheme, and Holmes sees her as a key witness and potential victim of manipulation.

### [Sir Charles Baskerville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/sir_charles_baskerville)

_psychological_

Miss Stapleton was used by her brother to lure Sir Charles to his death on the moor, acting as a decoy.

### [Barrymore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/barrymore)

_social_

Barrymore, the butler, has minimal direct interaction with Miss Stapleton, but she is known to him as a local resident.

### [Mr. Stapleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/mr_stapleton)

_family_

Miss Stapleton is actually the wife of Mr. Stapleton, though he passes her off as his sister to further his schemes.

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_psychological_

Miss Stapleton is a pawn in her brother's scheme, and Holmes sees her as a key witness and potential victim of manipulation.

### [Mr. Stapleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/mr_stapleton)

_family_

Miss Stapleton is actually the wife of Mr. Stapleton, though he passes her off as his sister to further his schemes.

### [Sir Charles Baskerville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/sir_charles_baskerville)

_psychological_

Miss Stapleton was used by her brother to lure Sir Charles to his death on the moor, acting as a decoy.

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_psychological_

Miss Stapleton is a pawn in her brother's scheme, and Holmes sees her as a key witness and potential victim of manipulation.

### [Barrymore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/barrymore)

_social_

Barrymore, the butler, has minimal direct interaction with Miss Stapleton, but she is known to him as a local resident.

### [Mr. Stapleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/mr_stapleton)

_family_

Miss Stapleton is actually the wife of Mr. Stapleton, though he passes her off as his sister to further his schemes.

## In the story

### [VII: The Stapletons of Merripit House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/chapters/vii-the-stapletons-of-merripit-house)

Warns Watson to leave the moor and take Sir Henry with him; her intense earnestness suggests hidden danger.

### [VIII: First Report of Dr. Watson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/chapters/viii-first-report-of-dr-watson)

Fascinating and beautiful; appears attracted to Sir Henry; often glances at her brother for approbation.

### [XIV: The Hound of the Baskervilles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/chapters/xiv-the-hound-of-the-baskervilles)

Reveals Stapleton's true nature and the location of his refuge.

### [XV: A Retrospection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/chapters/xv-a-retrospection)

Actually Stapleton's wife, forced to play the role of his sister; Holmes interviewed her.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters/miss_stapleton
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hound_of_the_baskervilles/characters