A Conan Doyle letter

UPDATED. I took the plunge recently and managed to buy a letter written by Arthur Conan Doyle. I'll have it put in a frame. Let's take a look at it. It's a single sheet of watermark vellum paper that measures 7 in. x 4 1/2 in. There is foxing (those are the brown spots) and the letter has been folded in half.

Transcript

Connie's

Thursday Wednesday May 2nd

My Dear Clara,

Very many thanks for your kind

letter. I shall meet Stratten at the 5.5. (I have

an afternoon appointment as well) and come

back with him next morning (I have a lunch

engagement). I am looking forward to seeing

you both immensely.

Yours very cordially,

A Conan Doyle

Touie can't get about much but is very jolly.

There are several points of context we can determine for this letter.

The letter is addressed from 'Connie's'. That is Constance Amelia Monica Doyle (1868-1924), Arthur's sister. She married E.W. Hornung in 1893, they had a son in 1895, and by 1901, Connie was living in Kensington, London. ACD says "I am looking forward to seeing you both", suggesting Connie was already married.

Many Doyle letters have no date. Here, we at least have day and day/month information - but no year. A latest date for the letter can be inferred from the statement 'Touie can't get about much but is very jolly'. Doyle's wife Louisa Hawkins (whom he called 'Touie') died in July 1906, so the years that match 'Thursday May 2nd' during which Touie was alive are 1895 and 1901. 

The letter is addressed to Clara. Doyle had a sister-in-law named Clara, but she didn't marry John Francis Innes Hay Doyle (called Innes) till 1911, and so it is not her. Clara is very likely the wife of 'Stratten' - this particularly makes sense in the context of the letter.

So, who is Stratten? It can be inferred that he was to meet with ACD at the 5:50 train ("5.5" - or does that mean 5:30? or 5:50?) to head into London together. I shared this blog post on social media asking 'Who is Stratten?' and 'Selv' came back with the answer.

Stratten Boulnois was a succesful English businessman, but I was surprised how little information I could find. Selv noted that 'they were both on the board of the Horniman Museum in SE London'. Boulbois was Chairman of the Board from 1895 to 1912, and Doyle continued on the board till at least 1917. Electoral registers show that Boulnois lived in Chertsey (Surrey), which means he could easily meet Doyle on his train line from Haslemere (near his home of Hindhead). 

Sratten and Doyle must have been quite close. When Doyle married Jean Leckie on Wednesday September 18, 1907 at St. Margaret's Westminster, the Evening Standard reported that only old friends and relations were invited. Among the old friends were 'Colonel and Mrs. Stratton Boulnois'. 

To close the loop on this letter - it is addressed to Clara. Censuses and the Probate Calendar for Stratten Boulnois' deah in 1912 show that his wife's name was Clara. Clara W Stringfield married Stratten on February 4 1888 at the British Consul-General in Florence, Italy. The ACD Encyclopedia notes that Doyle's youngest sister Ida received £500 and jewelry from the Clara Boulnois' will in1920.

So this letter from Doyle was to Clara, wife of Stratten Boulnois. Given how unwell Touie is, the letter was likely written in 1901.