Very few characters in the Arthur Conan Doyle canon stories play a recurring role, and those who do are usually treated as of relative importance. However, Mrs. Hudson, the landlady of 221b Baker Street breaks that rule. She is mentioned in some capacity in 11 of the 60 canon stories, but only speaks three times for a total of 26 lines of dialogue, although some consider any mention of a housekeeper mention of Mrs. Hudson. For comparison, Moriarty, the infamous villain, only appears ‘on stage’ in one story (Doyle, Annotated, 713-745), but on that occasion his importance is evident in the fact that in his one appearance, he is given 21 lines of dialogue, nearly as much as the entirety of Mrs. Hudson’s entire involvement (“How Much Do We Really Know About Mrs. Hudson?”). In addition, as mentioned before, her character is given no description, leading to a wealth of speculation among fans. She is usually considered to be a widow, due to the use of the title ‘Mrs.’. However, many women of a similar situation during the Victorian era used this as an honorific, regardless of their marital status. It was instead an indication of status and respect, although may also provide some indication of age, as young women were rarely called Mrs. (Cooke, 18).

Additional speculations about Mrs. Hudson have arisen from every mention of her, comment about her, or comment possibly about her in the canon. In The Naval Treaty, Holmes notes that “Mrs. Hudson has risen to the occasion … Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as a Scotch-woman,” which has led to speculations both that Mrs. Hudson is therefore Scottish, and that she therefore cannot possibly be Scottish (Doyle, Annotated, 706). Similarly, Watson in A Study in Scarlet, compares the “more stately tread of the landlady” to the pattering of the maids footsteps, leading to conceptualization of the character as a “portly, motherly (or grandmotherly) woman”, although this again is pure speculation (Doyle, Complete, 27; “How Much Do We Really Know About Mrs. Hudson?”). All of these instances allowing fans a chance to participate in an interpretive engagement with the canon text.

The relationship between Holmes and Watson and Mrs. Hudson in the canon is similarly constrained. There are hints of affection from the side of Mrs. Hudson. In The Dying Detective, when she believes that Holmes is dying (Doyle, Annotated, 1341-1361). In addition, a fair amount of dedication to the detective is shown in her actions in Holmes return story, The Empty House, in which she turns the bust in the living room of 221b on her knees every quarter hour, no insignificant contribution to the plans of Holmes (Doyle, Annotated, 781-828). However, nowhere in the canon do these hints of affection and dedication from Mrs. Hudson receive reciprocation from Holmes or Watson, although Watson acknowledges her long-suffering endurance of the goings on at Baker Street.

An explanation for this seemingly unbalanced relationship was proposed on the fan webpage “I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere” as being a product of the time period in which the stories were written and set. As governed by Victorian class, social customs, and gender politics, a relationship of service provider and consumer, or at most of motherly landlady and unemotional detective, would make much more sense than a more involved and emotional relationship as portrayed in later adaptations (“How Much Do We Actually Know About Mrs. Hudson?”).