BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Watson's Marriage

**Posted by Wholocked** April 3, 2012 10:41 am

In the original books, Watson is married and living with his wife, and then is single and living back with Holmes. I can't seem to figure out when the marriage ended or how - have I somehow missed that or did ACD just not bother to cover it?

Last edited by Wholocked (April 3, 2012 10:42 am)

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 3, 2012 11:02 am

I haven't quite worked that one out yet either...because I'm kind of reading the stories out of sequence, just picking them at random. From what I can gather, even when he was married he seemed to spend most of his time hanging around with Holmes so maybe his wife just had enough, lol. Or maybe she was very understanding and didn't mind her husband living with Sherlock Holmes instead of her?

**Posted by kazza474** April 3, 2012 11:13 am

He married Mary. Things are a little haphazard with the details of their marriage because Watson trots off with Holmes during their marriage to solve mysteries. What we do know is that she died between Holmes 'dying' at the Falls and him coming back for the Empty House case. Watson wrote something about Holmes learning of 'my own bereavement'. It was never mentioned how she died, that I remember.
There's also talk of interpreting the stories in such a way that he had up to 6 wives, though in reality I think it's more like 2.
I think he remarried later on after the Empty House.
But all these things are a little sketchy, I mean Conan Doyle called him James instead of John for one whole book!

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 3, 2012 11:32 am

kazza474 wrote:
But all these things are a little sketchy, I mean Conan Doyle called him James instead of John for one whole book!

LOL, too much 7% solution.

**Posted by Wholocked** April 3, 2012 12:16 pm

Haha yes I've heard that there's a whole story where he's called James but I've yet to come across it. Now you mention it I do recall something about the bereavement in the Empty House. Quite odd that it's never expanded upon, and yet not odd as well, since these are all supposedly Watson talking about Holmes' lemon cases rather than stories about their lives so I guess it kind of does make sense.

**Posted by kazza474** April 3, 2012 2:06 pm

The Man with the Twisted Lip is the story where he is called James. There's a theory that his wife called him that as his second name is Hamish which is Scottish for James. There's no proof of that being the case but it does put Conan Doyle in the clear for mixing his name up, lol.

**Posted by Tantalus** May 25, 2012 7:33 pm

For all those new to Doyle's Holmes, there is but one necessary book. Well, actually it's a three-volume set entitled The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, by Leslie S. Klinger, arguably the living authority on Sherlock Holmes and all that makes up his world. Perhaps the book's greatest feature is that it perpetuates the "gentle myth" that Holmes and Watson were actual persons from history, which makes the hundreds and hundreds of side notes absolutely fascinating.

Things do get somewhat convoluted, as kazza mentions, because Doyle was rather sloppy at times in his writing of the stories, and thus Mary Morstan dies, then Watson is married again, then he's back living at Baker Street, then he's married again, etc. Trying to harmonize the 60 stories is a science of its own, and Klinger explores all of those details and more in his delightful book.

I collect volumes of the stories whenever I can find them, but I only read from Klinger's edition, as I simply can't live without the wonderful notes. (Okay, small confession: I do have the stories on my Kindle, for ease of reading when traveling, but when I'm home, it's always Klinger.)