Conan  Doyle, Sherlock Holmes
and Freemasonry
by William E. Parker MPS

One Spring day many years ago, ]
gazed with silent meditation and awe at
the down pouring of the Reichenbach
falls high in the Swiss Alps near the little
village of Meiringen. Looking into the
turbulent roaring cauldron of foaming
waters, I could almost sense the spirit of
Holmes battling his archenemy Profes-
sor Moriarty high above the torrent.
There, in 1891, Holmes supposedly fell
to his death during the mortal combat,
although popular demand later forced
Doyle to resurrect his hero.

I've often pondered about that mo-
ment and wondered who was this
Conan Doyle, this man who created a
fictional character so real in the eyes of
millions all over the world that fiction
has blended into reality, that Holmes is
seen as someone who actually lived.
Thousands of works have been penned
about both Doyle and Holmes, societies
have been created, countless media and
literary incarnations have emerged, and
mail is still sent to the detective's
fictional address, No. 221-B Baker
Street in London, current site of the
Abbey National Building Society which
has an employee assiduously answering
that mail.

Arthur Conan Doyle was born at Pi-
cardy Place, Edinburgh, May 22, 1859,
the name deriving from a colony of
French Huguenots who had settled
there. His family devoutly Roman
Catholic, he received his early educa-
tion in Jesuit institutions in England
and Austria, graduating from Edin-
burgh University in 1881 with a Ba-
chelor of Medicine Degree. It was at his
school on the Continent that he dis-
covered and was swept away by the
works of Edgar Allen Poe, a mesmeriz-
ing influence on Doyle and one which
would be later reflected in his own writ-
mgs.

As a part of his medical education, he
spent seven months in 1880 as a sur-
geon on a whaling ship in the rough
seas of the Arctic experiencing firsthand
the harsh, freezing waters and formi-
dable ice packs through falling over-
board and other incidents. Upon re-
ceiving his degree, he then spent four
months in 1881 as a ship's doctor on a
South African voyage, writing later
about the low pay, having African
Fever, and narrowly missing being a
shark's dinner.

Joining first with another doctor in
opening a practice, he later set up his
own office in 1882. While initially not
overly successful, in time it grew to a
fairly comfortable level. Early on, how-
ever, having a writer's urge, with time
to spare, and extra funds always wel-
come, he penned a couple of novels and
some short stories, some which were ac-
cepted and some which were not. Still,
his writing abilities apparently contri-
buted to both aiding his material needs
and writing urge during the early pe-
riod.

In 1887, the first Holmes story, "A
Study in Scarlet, " was published. If ini-
tial reaction was less than auspicious, it
would nonetheless prove the catalyst,
albeit perhaps reluctantly, for Doyle to
continue his hero's exploits. The "Sign
of (the) Four" appeared in 1890, al-
though public acceptance once again
was only lukewarm. Interestingly, it
could almost be seen as fortune smiling
that the story appeared at all. It was at a
dinner with an influential American
publisher one summer evening in 1889
that both Doyle and Oscar Wilde re-
ceived unexpected commissions for sto-
ries, Doyle producing the "Four" saga &
Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray. "

It wasn't until 1891 when "A Scandal
in Bohemia" appeared in the monthly
magazine The Strand that Holmes was
off and running. From that point on, an
eager public developed an insatiable ap-
petite for the moody detective and his
"chronicler" friend, Dr. Watson, un-
doubtedly one of the better duos to ever
emerge in literature. If writers have
generally treated Holmes' various in-
carnations well, the good Doctor has
not fared as kindly, his secondary but
essential assistant's role sometimes
being recast to that of merely a good-
hearted bumbler and foil to Holmes.

Known largely for his Holmes stories,
Doyle was, however, a prolific writer,
penning numerous historical and
fictional works, some of which were
eminently successful and highly re-
garded, but they have been virtually
eclipsed in the public eye by the tales of
Holmes. Doyle was so disappointed
that public acclaim for the detective
overshadowed his other writings. It was
that which induced him to "do away"
with his hero in "The Final Problem"
at the Reichenbach Falls.

The public was devastated at the loss
of their hero, thousands canceling
Strand subscriptions and wearing black
armbands in mourning. In truth, it was
akin to a national crisis, so popular was
Holmes. Even though "The Hound of
the Baskervilles," unquestionably
Doyle's most well-known Holmes work,
was serialized from August 1901 to April
1902, Doyle contended it was an older
adventure, it not being until 1903, fi-
nally relenting to public demand and an
irresistible financial offer, that Holmes
was resurrected in "The Empty
House. "

Doyle's early family life was somewhat
spartan. Of ten Doyle children, Arthur
was one of only seven who survived and
Mary Doyle, his Mother, struggled to
make ends meet on her husband's mod-
est income. While the family had well-
to-do relatives, his Father's career as a
minor Government employee was
limited and his passion as a painter also
only moderately successful. There ap-
parently developed a feeling of frustra-
tion and of failing to advance in the
hierarchy as he should have and there-
by support his family properly. Con-
sequently, each member of the family
aided to the extent possible while
Doyle's Father, spending much time
fishing, slowly drifted away from reality
into the world of daydreams, struggling
with alcoholism and epilepsy, and fi-
nally being institutionalized for the last
ten years of his life, dying in 1893.

Doyle's Mother, the pillar of strength
in the family, later turned to the Angli-
can Church and Doyle himself indicates
he became disenchanted with Christi-
anity in general. Rejecting the rigid
dogmatism of and departing from his
Catholic belief and learning toward the
agnostic, although never an atheist, he
always retained a faith in the wonders
of the universe, proclaiming a belief in a
universal and beneficent God.

In January of 1887, at the age of
twenty-seven, Freemasonry having
caught his interest, he was Initiated in
Phoenix Lodge No. 257, Southsea,
Hampshire, and Passed and Raised that
same year. While it appears he believed
strongly in the Masonic tenets of
Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, he
was never an energetic Craft Member,
with a somewhat off and on involve-
ment, ceasing active participation in
1911.

Nonetheless, his dedication to those
tenets created a passionate interest in
the criminal justice system and what he
felt were its failings. Facts often over-
looked in Doyle's life are that he was a
Member of the select London "Crimes
Club, " whose membership passionately
examined diverse criminal cases; he had
amassed an extensive personal crime li-
brary; and, possessed of an intuitive
mind and being well versed in past and
current English and Continental crime
and methodology, he was a first-rate
criminologist in his own right.

Citing but two incidents in which he
took an interest, in 1907 he publicly
took up the defense of a man he felt
wrongly accused and convicted of a
crime. Doyle's efforts ultimately re-
sulted in the man's freedom. Another
case which caught his eye also resulted
in expending much effort on behalf of
the accused, it being fourteen years
before the affair was successfully re-
solved. It would seem the author was
often emulating Holmes in the search
for justice - or was Holmes simply
Doyle's alter ego?

Doyle's first marriage, in 1885, was to
a Louise "Touie" Hawkins by whom
there were two children. His wife
passed away from tuberculosis in 1906
after a long illness, and in 1907 he
married a Jean Leckie, whom he had
known for some years, with three child-
ren from this second marriage.

He ran for Parliament in 1900 and
again in 1905 but was defeated on both
occasions. If he lost, perhaps due to the
"seats" being in difficult districts as
well as his voicing "honest" opinions
rather than playing a "political game, "
to his credit the contests were much
closer than had been anticipated. It ap-
pears though that he eventually
developed a distaste for the general
political arena and what he termed its
blind passions.

From 1899-1902, he served as a field
doctor in the South African Boer War
writing both a historical study and pam-
phlet of that conflict. It was during that
saga that his judicious eye began to dis-
sect and express dissatisfaction with
what he considered "obsolete" military
methods. There are also indications he
attended a Lodge meeting with Kipling
during that conflict and, upon his re-
turn home, on the occasion of a Lodge
lecture, he was made an Honorary
Member of the Lodge of Edinburgh
No. 1 (Mary's Chapel).

Ever ready to right a wrong, much in
the manner of Holmes, Doyle took to
heart a defense of British actions in the
Boer War. With considerable European
anti-British propaganda being circu-
lated as a result of the conflict, Doyle's
long "pamphlet" (60,000 words),
"The War in South Africa: It's Cause
and Conduct," was distributed widely
and perhaps more than any other action
marshalled world opinion to rally
around the British.

The late l9th and early 20th Centuries
were particularly eventful. By now a
successful and prosperous writer, and
having foregone his medical practice, he
traveled widely, lectured, and as-
sociated with notable men of the era
such as Lloyd George, Tennyson,
"Teddy" Roosevelt, H. G. Wells and
Harry Houdini.

This latter association evidenced a
long-held interest in psychic phenom-
ena which would occupy Doyle during
his later years. If his lecture tours were
highly acclaimed, his audiences invaria-
bly asked questions about Holmes, the
shadow of the detective unceasingly
dogging Doyle's very footsteps.

For services to the nation, he was
Knighted by the King on August 9,
1902, becoming Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle. Interestingly, he was at first in-
clined not to accept the honor, but later
relented. Holmes, conversely, expressed
a firm intent to decline any Knight-
hood, perhaps mirroring Doyle's senti-
ments.

During WW- 1, he toured combat
areas for the British Government, writ-
ing of his experiences and producing a
monumental six-volume history of the
British European campaign. A clear-
sighted visionary in some respects, such
as propounding more modern military
methods, tactics, and weapons, and
being a strong early proponent of a
Channel tunnel to France, his visions
eventually took a different form, being
manifested largely in spiritualism.
Somewhat paralleling his oft-overlooked
interest in criminology is the fact that
Doyle's later years were largely dedi-
cated to studying matters of the occult
and lecturing and writing extensively
thereon with several books published on
the subject.

As for Sherlock Holmes, perhaps no
other "fictional" character has stood
the test of time as well. There have been
innumerable incarnations on stage, in
the movies, on radio, on television, and
even in comic books. One account cites
at least 264 movies, 630 radio plays, 32
stage productions and 25 television
shows, and other productions such as a
ballet and a musical. The total con-
tinues to increase, however, particularly
the television count in recent years with
some 40 new British productions.

The Holmes character has proven so
popular he has even been transported to
a more modern era, as in Basil
Rathbone's film interpretations of the
1940s where Victorian criminals were
not the prey but rather NAZI spies and
saboteurs. Likewise, there have been
numerous literary and media characters
embodying Doyle's format, sometimes
with a man as the protagonist, such as
Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, some-
times a woman, as in the popular T. V.
series "Murder She Wrote, " and
others, all emulating the "Holmes
style." Sharing the same "birth date"
as Holmes, January 6th, although
different years, and having devoured
his exploits from an early age, I perhaps
feel a particular affinity with the great
detective.

Although not numerous, there are
several Masonic references in the
Holmes saga, or Canon, as it is known
to devotees, interestingly one made
prior to Doyle joining the Craft. If the
question thus arises as to when he first
came into contact with Freemasonry,
members thereof, or perhaps heard al-
lusions thereto, such considerations are
of only secondary import to our story.
There are also allusions by some that
Holmes was himself a Mason, but with
no substantive evidence to support such
claims.

Insofar as definite Masonic references
are concerned, they appear in four sto-
ries (some believe it to be five) with per-
haps oblique references in several others,
depending upon one's interpretation.
Some references are so tenuous in nature,
however, it requires a fair bit of supposi-
tion and imagination to form a liaison.

"A Study in Scarlet" - 1887: A gold
ring with a Masonic emblem, pre-
sumably a square and compasses since
no specific details are noted is found at
a murder scene. It eventually develops
that the victim was a Mormon and, that
Sect having long been at odds with the
Craft, it might be supposed the ring is
an important element of the story line
as some have suggested. After the first
brief mention, however, the ring
quickly passes into obscurity.

In that the victim's adherence to the
Mormon Sect is only made clear at a
later part of the story, the reason for the
ring's mention is somewhat uncertain,
although there has been conjecture the
victim may have used it to surrepti-
tiously enter Masonic Lodges. If Joseph
Smith, the "Prophet" of the "Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"
(the Mormons), his brother Hyrum,
and many other Mormons became Ma-
sons (likely for political reasons) during
the early period of that Church's his-
tory, by the end of the l9th century the
animosity of the Mormons against and
prohibition on joining Freemasonry
was well established. The animosity un-
doubtedly developed due to the Mor-
mons' expulsion from the Craft as a re-
sult of un-Masonic actions. Thus, if the
"entry" theory has any validity, it is
not likely any Lodge entry but surrepti-
tious could have then been gained by a
Mormon.

"A Scandal in Bohemia" - 1891:
Holmes makes reference to "a wonder-
ful sympathy and freemasonry among
horsey men. Be one of them and you
will know all that there is to know."
Doyle may well have been referring to
the Craft and the close ties of fellowship
among Members, but the allusion is
vague and Doyle's intent uncertain.
This allusion is particularly perplexing
to Masonic historians in trying to deter-
mine lts meaning.

"The Red Headed League" - 1891:
Holmes makes reference to a Masonic
breast pin worn by a prospective client,
although the particular design of the pin
described is at variance with the usual
Masonic emblem of square and com-
passes. Nor does Doyle paint a particu-
larly bright picture of either the client
or his clothing, one being left with the
impression of a well-meaning but dis-
tinct clod. As for the breast pin, while
English practice frowns on an overt dis-
play of Masonic jewelry, there is no
specific edict forbidding it, contrary to
Holmes' observation. We can thus see
that even the "Master" is not infallible.

"The Yellow Face" - 1893: A theory
has been propounded which links this
story both to the Jack the ripper legend
(the brutal murders of five London
prostitutes in 1888) and Freemasonry, of
which more will be said later. There is
no Ripper mention, however, in this
story nor in another Homes tale for that
matter. It might appear an effort by
someone or some group to either capi-
talize upon the Holmes tales, discredit
the Fraternity, or perhaps both. This
particular tale appears to be far re-
moved from either any possible "Rip-
per" or "Masonic" connection and it
takes imagination to even suggest any
such allusions.

"The Stockbroker's Clerk" - 1893:
One author has created a rather com-
plex and tortuous connection to the
Craft in this story, but it is a connection
which requires extreme imagination
and is a highly unlikely liaison.

"The Musgrave Ritual" - 1893: An
unusual bit of ritualistic catechism in
the story is considered by some to per-
haps have been inspired by Masonic
Ritual, but this is supposition only. It
must be remembered there have been
and still are other groups using cryptic
ritualism, thus the supposition remains
just that - supposition.

"The Norwood Builder" - 1930:
Again, Holmes notes that a prospective
client is wearing a Masonic insignia, in
this instance a watch charm. Although a
specific Masonic reference, other than
one mention, it appears the charm has
little direct bearing upon the story, ex-
cept that emphasis which Holmes him-
self may lend to it.

"The Valley of Fear" - 1914: While
there are no direct Masonic references
in the story, a mark on a murder vic-
tim's arm, a triangle inside a circle, has
been noted as perhaps suggestive of
Royal Arch Masonry, and a passage
with ritualistic proceedings of a lodge of
"Freemen" could be interpreted as
suggestive of the Craft. The story line,
much of which is placed in America,
implicates the "Freemen" lodges in the
vilest of crimes including murder.

Written three years after Doyle ceased
active Masonic participation, consider-
ing his high moral integrity, it seems
unlikely he consciously patterned the
" Freemen " after the Craft. Further,
there is no indication Doyle was even
acquainted with Royal Arch sym-
bolism, although such is a possibility.

In a far more plausible vein, during an
April 1913 visit between Doyle and the
renowned American detective William
J. Burns at "Windlesham, " Doyle's
home at Crowborough in Sussex, Burns
recounted details of the "Molly Ma-
guires," a secret organization active in
the late 1800's among the Irish miners
in the Pennsylvania coal regions. The
"Molly Maguires," a deviant group of
lodges of a fraternal organization
known as the "Ancient Order of
Hibernians," with roots stemming
from secret societies in Ireland, ter-
rorized the coal regions for many years.
The bloody history of violence perpet-
uated by the "Mollies" in Pennsylvania
is a tragic episode of the era, but not
within the scope of this paper except as
it impacts upon the Holmes story. One
author also indicates Doyle met Allan
Pinkerton's son during a transatlantic
crossing and also discussed the Mollies
at that time. In any event, Doyle was
keenly taken with the coal mine saga
and it is virtually certain his imagina-
tive mind immediately grasped the lit-
erary potential of combining the
"Molly" foundation with other ele-
ments for his classic story.

Doyle himself made little secret of the
fact that he sought out Allan Pinker-
ton's "The Molly Maguires" 1877) as a
source document. Not surprisingly,
therefore, Part II of "The Valley of Fear"
closely parallels actual events of the era
from the action of story's chief protago-
nist, a secret Pinkerton operative, to the
title of "Bodymaster" itself, the designa-
tion used the Irish Molly groups to des-
ignate the Lodge's leader. In fleshing out
his epic, Doyle essentially changed only
actual names and places.

"The Retired Colourman" - 1926:
In this instance, one of the characters is
twice noted as having a Masonic pin on
his tie, but the references do not appear
to be directly story related.

The last Holmes story was penned in
1927. It is likely that had Doyle not
developed an overriding passion in the
occult, more epics in the Canon would
have resulted. That, unfortunately, did
not happen, the final count resting at 56
short adventures and 4 novels.

It can be seen, then, that both direct
Masonic references and allusions in the
Canon are few. This is not unusual
since, in general, Masonic references in
literature, either historical or fictional,
tend to be meager. With but few excep-
tions, it is only in what may be termed
essentially "Masonic" works that one
finds mention of the Craft. This is un-
fortunate in that the impact upon his-
tory of men who may have been
Freemasons has often been significant
indeed, as they have imprinted their
high moral precepts through their ac-
tions.

If Doyle's citations prove the excep-
tion to the rule, careful study of the
Holmes stories would indicate that, for
reasons of his own, he simply wanted to
use such references occasionally. They
seemingly serve no overt useful story
line purpose other than to draw atten-
tion to Holmes' astute eye for details.
Doyle placed much emphasis on
Holmes' initial visual assessment of
people, however; thus, his Craft cita-
tions may have been intended as having
deeper meanings, possibly being enig-
matic clues for Holmes to ponder. In
other instances though, the fact of
Doyle's Craft background may well in-
fluence some to more readily "see"
Masonic allusions in stories than would
otherwise be the case.

A more serious and far-reaching con-
cern arises, however, from writers who
have taken extreme literary license with
both Doyle's hero and Freemasonry,
tying both Holmes and the Craft to the
"Jack the Ripper" legend. Stephen
Knight's 1976 book, "Jack the Ripper-
The Final Solution," the 1978 film
"Murder by Decree," and l991's
"The Ripper and the Royals " are
prime examples. Such blatant and
virulent fantasies are a gross disservice
to Doyle, to Holmes, to Freemasonry,
and in the final analysis a serious distor-
tion of historical fact.

At the time of the Ripper affair, thou-
sands of letters to the police and count-
less theories were then, and are still
now, forthcoming but the Ripper's
identity proved as mysterious then as
now. During the past 100 years, an ap-
parently inexhaustible flow of literature
has poured forth on the subject. Citing
but two modern examples, one writer
has an elusive Ripper time-traveling,
being chased through two centuries by
H. G. Wells, while another has the Rip-
per, a nebulous entity capable of "in-
vading" and "controlling" human bo-
dies, a part of the classic Star Trek
science fiction series.

In recent years, it has become profi-
table for some, through the sale of
media products, to propound a theory
which casts suspicion upon the Masonic
Fraternity. Since there has never been a
universally accepted solution, writers
such as Knight apparently feel at liberty
to invent their own fanciful Ripper
theories which, unfortunately, are then
presented as factual history.

The Canon never at any point makes
mention of the Ripper affair (White-
chapel) murders and/or Holmes partici-
pation in the affair although Doyle him-
self reportedly looked into the mysteri-
ous case. Nonetheless, writers continue
to perpetuate bizarre Ripper scenarios
casting Holmes and/or Freemasonry in
a leading role. The 1978 "Murder by
Decree" film production is a prime ex-
ample, where Holmes confronts senior
Government officials, identifying them
as high-ranking Masons, and accusing
them of culpability and conspiracy.

Nor do the fantasies end there. Some
reek of science fiction as in Holmes' ad-
venture with the Invisible Man or
amusing stories as in Holmes in (the
land of) Oz, while others, such as
Holmes becoming a Jack the Ripper
himself, are pulp fiction at its worst. Re-
cent comic book stories also emulate
Knight's fantasy in either having
Freemasonry involved with the Ripper
murders, or in having Holmes tem-
porarily allied with Count Dracula
against the sinister Professor Moriarty
in a battle raging through foggy Vic-
torian London. Such fantasies, how-
ever, are easily clarified through refer-
ence to the Canon and, in any event,
are clearly recognized as fictional enter-
tainment.

The theory associating Freemasonry
with the Ripper affair is a more com-
plex issue, although it has nonetheless
been thoroughly demolished by re-
sponsible historians. There are those,
however, for monetary, religious, or
other reasons, who continue to perpet-
uate "The Great Lie." These anti-Ma-
sonic writers cleverly combine conjec-
ture, innuendo, supposition and false-
hoods around known factual data, fab-
ricating what, superficially, appears to
be a plausible tale and only by close
review can such assertions be shown as
totally unfounded. Separating fact from
fantasy in these missives requires re-
search which most persons have neither
time nor inclination to pursue. Like
Hitler's mad ravings, therefore, if the
lie is repeated often enough some may
begin to believe it.

In brief, the allegations of a Masonic
conspiracy in the Ripper affair have
been thoroughly discredited, an issue
admirably explored by Ill. Bro. C.
DeForrest Trexler in the August 1991
Northern Light, thus need not be
treated here in great detail. If Knight's
well publicized fantasies have been a
springboard upon which other modern
writers have built anti-Masonic themes.

The New York Times Book Review said:
"Conan Doyle was one of the most
genuinely interesting men in the
world. " Doyle lived a long and eventful
life, full of amazing adventures, includ-
ing wartime services, being an excellent
sportsman, world traveler, public de-
fender, successful author, and numer-
ous other accomplishments. He died
July 7, 1930, in Sussex, and was buried
at the family home in Surrey.

The Game's still afoot Watson. When
the legend surpasses reality, keep the
legend. The saga of the "world's first
consulting detective" will live on
forever.

