What evidence exists about the claim that Jonathan Swift secretly married Esther Johnson?

Although it has been asserted that the author Jonathan Swift secretly married Esther Johnson—known as "Stella"—in 1716, there is no evidence to support this claim.12

The assertion is contradicted by the fact that the two never lived together. While Swift maintained a lifelong, affectionate friendship with Johnson, whom he tutored as a child while employed by Sir William Temple, he consistently characterized their relationship as a friendship rather than a romantic union. Scholars remain uncertain regarding the precise nature of his relationships with Johnson and Esther Vanhomrigh, and various melodramatic theories regarding his private life lack any solid foundation.123