Mrs. Baird is the proprietor of the bed and breakfast that Frank and Claire Randall stayed at in Inverness during their second honeymoon in 1945.[1]
Personal History[]
Mrs. Baird owned her own bed and breakfast in Inverness in the 1940s. She was friends with Mr. Crook.
Events of the Novels[]
Outlander[]
Mrs. Baird takes an undue interest in vacuuming the carpet outside of Claire and Frank Randall's bedroom, to the amusement of her two tenants. She also partakes in the tradition of spilling a bit of cock's blood on the front doorstep of her establishment. At the local pub, she introduces Claire to Mr. Crook, who shares Claire's interest in plants.
Personality[]
Mrs. Baird is easygoing, chatty, and sociable, and especially fond of gossip. Like many other locals, she is superstitious and observes some pagan rituals but is also a regular church-goer.
Physical Appearance[]
She is described as a squat figure, with permed hair.
Name[]
- Baird is an occupational name from Gaelic bàrd 'bard', 'poet', 'minstrel', or of Gaelic Mac an Baird 'son of the bard'.[2]
Trivia[]
- Mrs. Baird's first name is not revealed; she is one of several characters from early on in the series that is only known by surname. Others include Mrs. Graham and Mr. Crook.
TV Series[]
Scottish actress Kathryn Howden portrays Mrs. Baird in the STARZ Outlander television series.
References[]
- ↑ In the American printing of Outlander, Claire goes through the stones on May 1, 1945. The date was changed in the UK printing (published as Cross Stitch) to May 1, 1946, which the editor thought was a more reasonable time for Claire and Frank to make their post-war trip to the Highlands. For more about this discrepancy, see The Outlandish Companion.
- ↑ Ancestry: Baird name meaning – accessed 11 May 2016.