Rodney Stone
A few years before the Battle of Trafalgar, Rodney Stone moves as a teenager from his village home in Sussex to live in London with his rich uncle, Sir Charles Tregellis, a famous dandy who introduces the lad to boxing and gambling. Stone’s best friend, Jim Harrison, is the nephew of the village’s blacksmith, Jack Harrison, a retired boxing champion. Jim agrees to fight as Tregellis’ champion in a match which Tregellis cannot afford to lose. When Jim mysteriously disappears the night before the fight, his uncle Jack steps into the ring in his stead. There is much intrigue but essentially this is a fascinating description of the dirty politics and even dirtier world of bare-knuckle boxing in early 19th century England. Stone himself ends up fighting with Nelson at Trafalgar.
Stone Facts
4
Jem Belcher, John Jackson, Daniel Mendoza and Dutch Sam are just four of the famous bare-knuckle boxers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the book focuses on.
1896
After its publication Conan Doyle credited Rodney Stone for the revival of boxing in England.
1909
Arthur Conan Doyle - a keen amateur boxer - was invited to referee the James Jeffries-Jack Johnson heavyweight championship fight in Reno, Nevada.
Portrayed by
To date, Arthur Conan Doyle's characters have been translated onto the page, into products and onto the screen by Hollywood and beyond. Here are just a few of the interpretations of this original Arthur Conan Doyle character over the years. Work with us to create the next version of this fascinating character.
Smith, Elder & Co
Illustration (1896)
Book Illustration
(1930)
The Strand Magazine
Illustration (1896)
