Messrs Williamson

In the novel The Sittaford Mystery, Messrs Williamson are a firm of estate agents in the town of Exhampton on the main road running along the northern edge of Dartmoor. This firm handled the letting of Sittaford House, belonging to Captain Trevelyan, to Mrs Willett just a few months before the events in the book.

When Inspector Narracott visited the firm to inquire about the details of the letting, he was greeted by an "alert looking young man". He may or may not be Mr Williamson himself, but he had certainly handled the transaction himself. According to this young man, Mrs Willett had written to the firm from the Carlton Hotel in London. She wanted to rent a house for the winter. This had to be right on Dartmoor and had to have at least eight bedrooms. Nearness to a railway or a town was not a factor. Sittaford House was not on Williamson's books but because it was the only house fitting the description and because Mrs Willett offered to pay a high rental of 12 guineas per week, the young man thought it worthwhile to write to Captain Trevelyan about it. Trevelyan had replied agreeing to rent out the house and then Mrs Willett had agreed to the rental and signed the agreement without seeing the house. Mrs Willett then came to Exhampton and drove up to the house and was taken around by Captain Trevelyan and came back to say that she was delighted with it. When Narracott asked if the transaction appeared unusual, the young man replied that he had learnt never to be surprised at anything in the house business.