The Secret of the Unicorn Rackham's looks and costumes were also inspired by the character, Lerouge, who appears in C. S. Forester's novel, "The Captain from Connecticut", and by the 17th-century French buccaneer Daniel Montbars. The name of Marlinspike Hall— in French—was based upon the name of the real Belgian town, Sart-Moulin. The actual design of the building was based upon the Château de Cheverny, albeit with the two outer wings removed. In introducing Francis Haddock to the story, Hergé made Captain Haddock the only character in the series (except Jolyon Wagg, introduced later) to have a family and an ancestry. "The Secret of the
Captain Haddock the time of their last completed and published adventure, "Tintin and the Picaros", Haddock had become such an important figure that he dominates much of the story. Captain (Archibald) Haddock's ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock, is hinted at being the illegitimate son of the French Sun King (Louis XIV), a possible reference to Hergé's own family history— Hergé liked to believe that his father was the illegitimate son of the Belgian king Leopold II. As Hergé was considering names for his new character, he asked his wife, Germaine, what she had cooked for dinner. She told him, “a sad English fish—haddock.”