[1] Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are visited by John Hector McFarlane, a young lawyer from Blackheath who has been accused of murdering one of his clients – builder Jonas Oldacre.

McFarlane explains to Holmes that Oldacre had come to his office the day before and asked him to draw up his will in proper legal form.

Holmes remarks to Lestrade that Oldacre's plot was nearly perfect, but he went one step too far by planting the thumbprint (from a wax seal that McFarlane had pressed).

The story however was penned some time after this date, and Oldacre is described as living in "Deep Dene House, at the Sydenham end of the road of that name".

McFarlane spends the night in The Anerley Arms, a pub that still exists and which has a derelict upper floor (no more overnight guests).

The wax thumbprint reproduction idea was devised by, and bought from, Bertram Fletcher Robinson (1870–1907), who also helped plot The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901).

[1] It was included in the short story collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes,[1] which was published in the US in February 1905 and in the UK in March 1905.

[8] The story was adapted as a short silent film released in 1922 as part of the Stoll film series starring Eille Norwood as Sherlock Holmes and Hubert Willis as Dr. Watson, with Cyril Raymond as John McFarlane and Teddy Arundell as Inspector Hopkins.

[9] The Granada Sherlock Holmes television series with Jeremy Brett was faithful to the original story with a few exceptions.

In the first episode of season two of Elementary, Holmes mentions the Norwood Builder as a case he and Lestrade worked on in London.

The episode was adapted by Edith Meiser and aired on 13 April 1931, with Richard Gordon as Sherlock Holmes and Leigh Lovell as Dr.

[11] Felix Felton adapted the story for the BBC Home Service as part of the 1952–1969 radio series starring Carleton Hobbs as Holmes and Norman Shelley as Watson, with Felton as Inspector Lestrade and John Turnbull as Jonas Oldacre.

It featured Peter Sallis as Jonas Oldacre, Donald Gee as Inspector Lestrade, and David Holt as John McFarlane.