# William Kershaw — The Old Man in the Corner character guide

> William Kershaw in The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Kershaw

**First appearance:** 0019-xviii-the-theft-at-the-english-provident-bank

## Who they are

A blackmailer whose unrecognizable corpse drags a Siberian millionaire into the dock, leaving the amateur in the corner to wonder if the police have arrested the wrong man entirely.

## Relationships

### [Francis Smethurst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/characters/francis_smethurst)

_rivalry_

Francis Smethurst and William Kershaw are locked in a bitter conflict over inheritance or business dealings.

### [Francis Smethurst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/characters/francis_smethurst)

_rivalry_

Francis Smethurst and William Kershaw are locked in a bitter conflict over inheritance or business dealings.

### [Francis Smethurst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/characters/francis_smethurst)

_rivalry_

Francis Smethurst and William Kershaw are locked in a bitter conflict over inheritance or business dealings.

## In the story

### [I: The Fenchurch Street Mystery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/chapters/i-the-fenchurch-street-mystery)

The missing husband. He claimed that Smethurst was a murderer named Barker from thirty years ago and arranged a meeting at Fenchurch Street Station, after which he disappeared.

### [II: A Millionaire in the Dock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/chapters/ii-a-millionaire-in-the-dock)

The alleged murder victim; his body is found in a barge, but he is later seen alive.

### [III: His Deduction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/chapters/iii-his-deduction)

Revealed as the murderer who killed Smethurst and assumed his identity.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/characters/william_kershaw
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_old_man_in_the_corner_se/characters