The Family

Who We Are

The Conan Doyle Estate consists of eight people, all but one of whom are the beneficiaries of the will of Dame Jean Conan Doyle, the youngest child of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Most of the family are relations of Sir Arthur, by marriage or blood.

Catherine Doyle

Catherine Ruml Doyle, born 1st January 1955. Daughter of John Reinhold Innes Doyle (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s nephew) and his first wife Ann Ruml who died in 1963.

Richard Doyle

Richard John Francis Doyle, born 3rd August 1965. Son of John Reinhold Innes Doyle (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s nephew) and his second wife Angela Firmston-Williams who died in 1975.

Richard Pooley

Director of The Conan Doyle Estate and Step Great Grandson of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Family History

The Conan Doyle Estate’s genealogy reveals a direct link to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself.

  • May 1859

    The Man

    Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle
    Born Edinburgh, Scotland 22nd May 1859.

  • March 1873

    The Brother

    John Francis Innes Hay Doyle (Pictured right)
    Born Edinburgh, Scotland 31st March 1873.

  • August 1911

    The Marriage

    John Francis Innes Hay Doyle married Clara Claudia Schwensen on 2nd August 1911.

  • June 1913

    The Nephew

    John Reinhold Innes Doyle, son of John and Clara.
    Born 24th June 1913.

  • January 1955

    The Great-niece

    Catherine Ruml Doyle, born 1st January 1955.
    Daughter of John Reinhold Innes Doyle and his first wife Ann Ruml who died in 1963.

  • August 1965

    The Great-nephew

    Richard John Francis Doyle, born 3rd August 1965. Son of John Reinhold Innes Doyle and his second wife Angela Firmston-Williams who died in 1975.

  • November 1997

    The Legacy

    Daughter of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Dame Lena Jean Conan Doyle died 18th November 1997, aged 84. Her Will passed the responsibility for her father's rights to 8 family members.

June 2005

The Conan Doyle Estate Limited

A new company is established by 8 members of the family all of whom are relations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by blood or marriage. The company is lead by a board of three family directors whose work continues to this day in promoting, protecting and developing the legacy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Board of The Conan Doyle Estate Limited.
Pictured above, left to right.
Richard Pooley (Step Great Grandson), Richard Doyle (Great-Nephew) and Catherine Beggs (Great-Niece). Photography by India Hobson. Location is Landing 42, The Leadenhall Building, London.

Friends of The Estate

The Conan Doyle Estate would like to thank the following friends for their contributions to The Estate and this website.

Jon Lellenberg - Author Dangerous Work, Diary of an Artic Adventurer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Benjamin Allison - Lawyer Bardacke Allison LLP
Santa Fe, N.M.


Catherine Cooke - Curator Conan Doyle Collection
Marylebone Library, London


Jill Gage - Curator Kittle Collection of Doyleana
Newberry Library, Chicago


Daniel Stashower - Author Teller of Tales: The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Carolyn Vega - Curator Berg Collection
New York Public Library


John Tibbets - Professor Film & Media Studies
University of Kansas


Clifford Goldfarb - Author The Great Shadow: Arthur Conan Doyle, Brigadier Gerard and Napoleon

Alex Werner - Curator Museum of London

Michael Dirda - Author On Conan Doyle; Or,
The Whole Art of Storytelling


Michael Gunton - Curator Richard Lancelyn Green Collection
Portsmouth Central Library


Mike Ashley - Author Adventures in The Strand: Arthur Conan Doyle and The Strand Magazine

Jessie Amaolo - Curator Arthur Conan Doyle Collection
Toronto Public Library


Saul Cohen - Lawyer Sutin, Thayer & Browne
Santa Fe, N.M.


Timothy Johnson - Curator Sherlock Holmes Collections
University of Minnesota Libraries


Rick Watson - Head of Reference and Research Services Harry Ransom Center
University of Texas


Mattias Boström - Author From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon

Derham Groves - Professor Melbourne School of Design
University of Melbourne


Douglas Kerr - Professor Editor-in-chief, The Edinburgh Edition of the Works of Arthur Conan Doyle

Neil McCaw - Professor English, Creative Writing and American Studies University of Winchester

Russell Merritt - Professor Film and Media
University of California at Berkeley


Marsha Pollak - Librarian Head, The Sub-Librarians Scion American Library Association

Randall Stock - Bibliographer The Best of Sherlock Holmes
www.bestofsherlock.com


Tom Ue - Assistant Professor of English Dalhousie University and Editor, Mapping Conan Doyle’s Modernities

Zach Dundas - Author The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes

Estate Experts

Sally Clark

Sally Clark


Brand & PRContact
Tim Hubbard

Tim Hubbard


Global LicensingContact
Jon Lellenberg

Jon Lellenberg


Corporate MemoryContact
Ben Allison

Benjamin Allison


Head of LegalContact
Daniel Stashower

Daniel Stashower


Conan Doyle BiographerContact

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