Conan Doyle and his detective 'Sherlock' (mail from Tintin)
CiL
on the origin of name of Sherlock Holmes
++++++++++ TINTIN +++++++++++
The accepted version of why Conan Doyle called his detective
'Sherlock' is that it was after a bowler named Frank Shacklock
http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/21/21295/21295.html
I read it even in David Frith (Fast Men, 1975), who is one of the most
unimpeachable of sources.
But a few months back, I also came across the two volume 'Annotated
Sherlock Holmes' (1967) which is an *extremely* well researched book.
The author goes to the extent of tracking every little thing mentioned
in the books - like determining the day of the adventure from the
mention of the phases of the moon in the book, or the exact train a
character took.
This is was 'Annotated SH' tells about Sherlock :
"Mr. John Dickson Carr in his brilliant 'Life of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle' tells us that the author hit on the Irish name of Sherlock
'entirely at random'. But the Sherlocks were landowners in the
very part of Ireland where the Doyle family had once held their
estates - County Wicklow - and Conan Doyle, a student of heraldry, may
well have seen the name in family papers. Again, Conan
Doyle in a newspaper interview unearthed by Mr. Vincent Starrett was
once quoted as saying that 'years ago I made thirty runs against a
bowler by the name of Sherlock, and I always had a kindly
feeling for that name'. We may take this quote for the little it is
worth."
The match mentioned was not fc. There are only two Sherlocks listed
(surnames), one played in SAF in early 1900s, and the other much more
recently.
The curious thing is that Conan Doyle clearly mentions 'Sherlock'.
Shacklock played his last match in England when Conan Doyle was 24.
From the stats, he seems to be a big player at the time and it seems
most unlikely that CD would mistake his name for 'Sherlock'. Wonder
what the source of the Shacklock version of the story is. If there
was some other source connecting CD with Shacklock the
'Annotated ...' would have mentioned that.
Btw, this is what the book tells about the Holmes part :
"As a student, Conan Doyle had gone without lunches to buy Oliver
Wendell Holmes' Autocrat, Poet and Professor at Breakfast table (as
well as many other books). And Holmes (Oliver Wendell, Sr)
was very much in the news in that May of 1886 - he was making a famous
and much publicized visit to England. 'Never have I so known and loved
a man whom I had never seen', Conan Doyle wrote later. 'It was one of
the ambitions of my lifetime to look into his face, but by the irony
of Fate I arrived in his native city just in time to lay a wreath on
his newly turned grave'."
bye,
++++++++ Tintin ++++++++
CiL
Conan Doyle first put down the character's name as ' Sherringford
Holmes ' then changed it to sherlock holmes.
And The Society at
http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/The_Society/Arthur_Conan_Doyle/Arthur_Conan_Doyle.htm
++++
As far as Holmes' name, his last name may have been based on American
jurist and fellow doctor Oliver Wendell Holmes and his first name may
have come from Alfred Sherlock, a prominent violinist of his time.
++++
Anybody else has got more info?
Bob Dubery
Robert Henderson
<mega...@hotmail.com> writes
>Doyle had only one FC wicket to his name - but it was a pretty good one.
Let me guess, W G Grace. Doyle was a very decent club cricketer. RH
--
Robert Henderson
phi...@anywhere.demon.co.uk
Blair Scandal web site at http://www.geocities.com/blairscandal/
Personal web site at http://www.anywhere.demon.co.uk
Robert Henderson
<cricke...@rediffmail.com> writes
>
>The curious thing is that Conan Doyle clearly mentions 'Sherlock'.
>Shacklock played his last match in England when Conan Doyle was 24.
Nope. Conan Doyle (his full surname incidentally, Conan was not a
Christian name) was born 22 5 1859. Shacklock played his last game for
Notts in 1893 when Conan Doyle was 34. RH
Andrew Dunford
"Robert Henderson" <Phi...@anywhere.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:umNRlSAf...@anywhere.demon.co.uk...
> In article <e8f67309.04061...@posting.google.com>, Bob Dubery
> <mega...@hotmail.com> writes
> >Doyle had only one FC wicket to his name - but it was a pretty good one.
>
> Let me guess, W G Grace.
London County v MCC
23-25 August 1900 at Crystal Palace Park
London County second innings:
WG Grace c Storer b Conan Doyle 110
<snip>
Andrew
CiL
<Phi...@anywhere.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <dao8d094228n8f0rn...@4ax.com>, CiL
><cricke...@rediffmail.com> writes
>>
>>The curious thing is that Conan Doyle clearly mentions 'Sherlock'.
>>Shacklock played his last match in England when Conan Doyle was 24.
>
>Nope. Conan Doyle (his full surname incidentally, Conan was not a
>Christian name) was born 22 5 1859. Shacklock played his last game for
>Notts in 1893 when Conan Doyle was 34. RH
So more reason for Conan not to forget his name,.. so original doubt
remains.. who was sherlock based on.
was it that violinist.?
Bob Dubery
> <mega...@hotmail.com> writes
> >Doyle had only one FC wicket to his name - but it was a pretty good one.
>
> Let me guess, W G Grace. Doyle was a very decent club cricketer. RH
wrote a poem about it.
Tim
> remains.. who was sherlock based on.
>
> was it that violinist.?
Maybe we'll never know. But he took names from around him, I am almost
sure - during his time at South Norwood he had a neighbour called 'Charles
Augustus' Gifford and I can't help thinking... can someone confirm if the
chronology ties up?
Tim
Robert Henderson
<adun...@artifax.net> writes
Ah, William Storer, the best wicket-keeper batsman of the age, better
veven than Dick Lilley. RH
><snip>
>
>Andrew