# John Herncastle — The Moonstone character guide

> John Herncastle in The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Herncastle, the Honourable John, Colonel Herncastle

**First appearance:** 0001-prologue

## Snapshot

The disgraced colonel who seized the Moonstone in blood at Seringapatam, and whose dying victim cursed him and his family with its vengeance.

## Who they are

Herncastle is the family's shameful connection: a cousin and fellow officer whose frenzy in the armoury at Seringapatam left an Indian dead and a curse spoken over the stolen gem. He denies everything, exchanges regiments to avoid his accuser, and lives out his years as a recluse, taunted about the diamond and feared for his temper. His bequest of the Moonstone to his niece Rachel sets the entire mystery in motion, carrying his guilt into an innocent household.

## Relationships

### [Franklin Blake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/characters/franklin_blake)

_family_

John Herncastle is Franklin's uncle and the original thief of the Moonstone, leaving a legacy of suspicion and a cursed diamond to the family.

### [Franklin Blake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/characters/franklin_blake)

_family_

John Herncastle is Franklin's uncle and the original thief of the Moonstone, leaving a legacy of suspicion and a cursed diamond to the family.

### [Franklin Blake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/characters/franklin_blake)

_family_

John Herncastle is Franklin's uncle and the original thief of the Moonstone, leaving a legacy of suspicion and a cursed diamond to the family.

## In the story

### [The Moonstone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/the-moonstone)

Colonel Herncastle is the original thief who brought the Moonstone from India.

### [Prologue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/prologue)

Colonel Herncastle is the central figure of the prologue; he murders the guards and steals the Moonstone, defying the warnings of his cousin.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/i)

The narrator's cousin, from whom he withholds friendship due to events at Seringapatam.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/iii)

The narrator's cousin, who is found with a bloody dagger and the Moonstone after the assault on Seringapatam, and who refuses to explain the death of the Indian.

### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/iv)

The subject of the narrator's suspicion; believed to have killed the three Indian guards and taken the Moonstone.

### [The Story of the Moonstone Begins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/i)

Franklin Blake's uncle, who originally acquired the Moonstone in India fifty years ago, setting the story in motion.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/v)

The 'wicked Colonel' whose past and possession of the Moonstone are detailed.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/vi)

The deceased Colonel; his will and sealed instructions are discussed, revealing his motives and the conditions of the bequest.

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/ii)

Referred to as the Colonel who left the Moonstone to Miss Verinder; Bruff was trusted with his secret.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/characters/john_herncastle
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moonstone_se/characters