the shakespeare birthplace trust the national archives ... · 1.0 summary (max 200 words) ... his...

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Nomination form

International Memory of the World Register

1.0 Checklist

Nominees may find the following checklist useful before sending the nomination form to the

International Memory of the World Secretariat. The information provided in italics on the form is

there for guidance only and should be deleted once the sections have been completed.

Summary completed (section 1)

Nomination and contact details completed (section 2)

Declaration of Authority signed and dated (section 2)

If this is a joint nomination, section 2 appropriately modified, and all Declarations of

Authority obtained

Documentary heritage identified (sections 3.1 – 3.3)

History/provenance completed (section 3.4)

Bibliography completed (section 3.5)

Names, qualifications and contact details of up to three independent people or organizations

recorded (section 3.6)

Details of owner completed (section 4.1)

Details of custodian – if different from owner – completed (section 4.2)

Details of legal status completed (section 4.3)

Details of accessibility completed (section 4.4)

Details of copyright status completed (section 4.5)

Evidence presented to support fulfilment of the criteria? (section 5)

Additional information provided (section 6)

Details of consultation with stakeholders completed (section 7)

Assessment of risk completed (section 8)

Summary of Preservation and Access Management Plan completed. If there is no formal Plan

attach details about current and/or planned access, storage and custody arrangements (section

9)

Any other information provided – if applicable (section 10)

Suitable reproduction quality photographs identified to illustrate the documentary heritage.

(300dpi, jpg format, full-colour preferred).

Copyright permissions forms signed and attached. Agreement to propose item(s) for inclusion

on the World Digital Library if inscribed

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Nomination form International Memory of the World Register

The ‘Shakespeare Documents’, a documentary trail of the life of William Shakespeare

ID Code [2016-103]

1.0 Summary (max 200 words)

William Shakespeare’s genius endures through his creative works, his characters, stories and language. Understanding the man behind the works has long captured public imagination. The ‘Shakespeare Documents’ are the key archival sources for understanding the life of the world’s most celebrated poet and playwright. These unique handwritten documents, dating from within Shakespeare’s lifetime, name him and provide an evidential basis for understanding the narrative of his life and how this inspired and influenced his creative works. They provide glimpses into Shakespeare’s personal life, his birth, death, family affairs, property and business dealings, as well as his context within a period of history that saw major changes in cultural, religious and socio-political society. The privilege and responsibility for caring for this material is shared by archive repositories across the UK and one in the US. The dispersed nature of this material reflects both Shakespeare’s activities within his lifetime and his ongoing literary and cultural legacy .

The ‘Shakespeare Documents’ are also powerful beyond their evidential value. They provide a tangible connection to Shakespeare, allowing us to get closer to a man who died 400 years ago and continues to have an unparalleled influence on language and culture across the world.

2.0 Nominator

2.1 Name of nominator (person or organization)

Partnership nomination:

(i) Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) (ii) The National Archives (TNA) (iii) Folger Shakespeare Library (FSL) (iv) Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service (WAAS) (v) College of Arms (vi) The British Library (BL) (vii) London Metropolitan Archives (LMA)

2.2 Relationship to the nominated documentary heritage

Archive and library repositories, which preserve and provide access to the nominated material.

2.3 Contact person(s) (to provide information on nomination)

(i) Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) – Mrs Amy Hurst, Collections Archivist

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(ii) The National Archives (TNA) – Dr Katy Mair, Head of Early Modern Records (iii) Folger Shakespeare Library (FSL) – Dr Heather Wolfe, Curator of Manuscripts (iv) Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service (WAAS) – Dr Lisa Snook, User Services

Manager (v) College of Arms – Dr Lynsey Darby, Archivist (vi) The British Library (BL) – Dr Scot McKendrick, Head of Western Heritage Collections (vii) London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) – Ms Charlie Turpie, Head of Public Services

(Principal Archivist)

2.4 Contact details

(i) The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare Centre, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon,

Warwickshire, CV37 6QW, Tel. +44 (0) 17 8920 4016, Fax. 01789 262 073, [email protected]

(ii) The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, TW9 4DU, +44 (0) 20 8876 3444 (iii) Folger Shakespeare Library: 201 East Capitol Street, Washington, DC 20003, USA, 202-

675-0325, [email protected] (iv) Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service: The Hive, Sawmill Walk, The Butts,

Worcester, WR1 3PD. Tel +44 (0)1905 822866 (v) College of Arms: College of Arms, 130 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4BT, tel. 020

7248 2762, e-mail [email protected] (vi) The British Library: 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB, Tel. +44 (0)330 333 1144 (vii) London Metropolitan Archives: London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road,

London EC1R 0HB, Tel. +44 (0) 20 7332 3823

3.0 Identity and description of the documentary heritage

3.1 Name and identification details of the items being nominated

If inscribed, the exact title and institution(s) to appear on the certificate should be given

This is a multi-partner project involving major UK archives, regional repositories and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC:

(i) Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) (ii) The National Archives (TNA) (iii) Folger Shakespeare Library (FSL) (iv) Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service (WAAS) (v) College of Arms (vi) The British Library (BL) (vii) London Metropolitan Archives (LMA)

There is currently understood to be just over a hundred ‘Shakespeare Documents’ - that is handwritten records that name Shakespeare within his lifetime. The seven partner repositories care for ninety of these ‘Shakespeare Documents’. A full list of documents is provided in the table below, along with details of the custodian, owners and catalogue references. Please note that the documents are listed chronologically, which shows how the ‘Shakespeare Documents’ interconnect and together provide a narrative of Shakespeare’s life and times. A works

mailto:[email protected]



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chronology is also included for reference. The relationship between biographic and literary analyses is discussed in section 5.3 ‘Comparative Criteria’.

Custodian Owner Catalogue

Reference Description Chronology of

Shakespeare’s works1

SBT since 1966 (on receipt of the Stratford Parish records)

Parish of Stratford-upon-Avon

DR243/1 Parish register, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, baptism of William Shakespeare, 26 April 1564 (fol. 5r, baptisms)

Worcestershire Record Office from 1947, Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service from 2012

Diocese of Worcester

WAAS x716.093 BA2648/10(i)

An entry in the Bishop of Worcester’s Register recorded the grant of a marriage license to “wm Shaxpere et Anna whatley”, 27 November 1582


Diocese of Worcester

WAAS x797 BA2783

A bond for the marriage of “willm Shagpere... and Anne hatchway” under the special condition of a single asking of the banns, 28 November 1582



*DR243/12 Parish register, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, baptism of Susanna, daughter of William Shakespeare, 26 May 1583 (fol.20v, baptisms); baptism of Hamnet and Judith, children of William Shakespeare, 2 February 1585 (fol.22v, baptisms)

PRO since 1838, TNA since 1997

TNA KB 27/1311 rot.516

King's Bench, Coram Rege Roll, complaint of John Shakespeare against John Lambert, relating to property in Wilmcote, Stratford-upon-avon, 9 October 1589. Includes the first reference to William Shakespeare in the public records.

c. 1590, The Two Gentlemen of Verona c.1591, The Taming of the Shrew; The First Part of the Contention (2 Henry VI); Richard Duke of York (3

FSL since 1972.

FSL FSL V.a.460 fol.9r

Entry recording purchase of Venus and Adonis “per” Shakespeare, in the diary of Richard Stonley, 12 June 1593

1 The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, edited by Michael Dobson and Stanley Wells (Oxford University Press, 2001), p533. 2 *Please note that in this chronological list some records have been noted more than once, where they are relevant at multiple dates in Shakespeare lifetime.

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TNA E 351/542 m.207d

Exchequer, Pipe Office account, payments by the Treasurer of the Chamber to William Kempe, William Shakespeare and Richard Burbage for performing ‘severall Comedies or Enterludes’ before ‘her majestie’, 15 March 1595

Henry VI) c.1592, 1 Henry VI; Titus Andronicus c.1593, Richard III 1593, publication of Venus and Adonis 1594, Comedy of Errors; publication of The Rape of Lucrece c.1594-5, Love’s Labour’s Lost 1595, Richard II; Romeo and Juliet; A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1596, King John 1596-7, The Merchant of Venice; 1 Henry IV c.1597-8, The Merry Wives of Windsor; 2 Henry IV



*DR243/1 Parish register, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, burial of Hamnet, son of William Shakespeare, 11 August 1596 (fol.29r, burials)

College of Arms since 1684

College of Arms Draft Grant of Arms to John Shakespeare 1 and 2 (formerly MS Vincent 157 nos 23 and 24)

Two drafts of grant of arms to John Shakespeare of Stratford upon Avon. By William Dethick, Garter King of Arms (but probably not his hand), 20 October 1596. (These manuscripts were removed from volume Vincent 157 in 1933 and placed in a portfolio with Draft Grant 3)


TNA KB 29/234 King’s Bench, entry of writ of attachment Michaelmas Term 1596. Shakespeare bound to keep the peace in quarrel of William Wayte.


TNA CP 25/2/237 Easter 39 Eliz I

Common Pleas, foot of fine recording the sale of New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon to William ShakespeareEaster term 1597


TNA CP 24/1/15 Court of Common Pleas, final concord of sale of New Place to William Shakespeare, c. May 1597

SBT since 1863 (on receipt of Robert Wheler papers)

SBT ER27/4A Exemplification of final concord of sale of New Place to William Shakespearec. May 1597


TNA CP 26/1/251 Record of agreement regarding the purchase of New Place, 2-9 May 1597


TNA E 179/146/354

Exchequer, Certificate of London tax commissioners showing Shakespeare as resident in St Helen’s Bishopsgate, London, and defaulting on a tax payment of 5 shillings. 15 November 1597


TNA E 359/56 Exchequer, enrolled subsidy accounts for 1598-9 showing Shakespeare as a defaulter for subsidies granted in 1593 and 1597

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SBT since 1862 (on receipt of the Stratford Borough archive)

Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council

BRU15/1/135 Private letter from Abraham Sturley to Richard Quiney including mention that William Shakespeare was contemplating a purchase of land in Stratford: 24 January 1598

1598, Much Ado About Nothing 1598-9, Henry V; Julius Caesar



BRU4/1, p.44 Payment by Stratford Corporation to ‘Mr Shakespeare’ for a load of stone [this could relate to Shakespeare’s father John [died 1601]: 1597-98



BRU15/1/106 Stratford Corporation ‘noate of corn and malte’ recording William Shakespeare as possessing 10 quarters of malt, 4 February 1598


TNA E 179/146/369 Exchequer, indenture by London tax commissioners listing Shakespeare as one of the tax defaulters in St Helen’s Bishopsgate, London. His goods are valued at £5, 1 October 1598


SBT ER27/4 Letter from Richard Quiney to William Shakespeare asking for help with a loan of 30 pounds, 25 October 1598



BRU15/1/131 Letter from Adrian Quiney to Richard Quiney mentioning financial dealings with William Shakespeare: c. October/ November 1598



BRU15/1/136 Letter from Abraham Sturley to Richard Quiney making mention of William Shakespeare’s assistance with a loan: 4 November 1598


TNA C 142/257/68 Chancery, Inquisition Post Mortem of Thomas Brend, showing Shakespeare and others occupying the Globe playhouse, 16 May 1599

c.1599, As You Like It


TNA E 372/444 m. ‘Residuum London’

Exchequer, Pipe Roll, entry of Shakespeare's tax debts, with ‘Surrey’ noted in the margin indicating he had moved across the river to Bankside. 6 October 1599


College of Arms MS R.21 no. 347; MS R.21 f.285r

Draft exemplification of the arms of Shakespeare impaling Arden. John Shakespeare now of Stratford upon Avon, Gent. By William Dethick, Garter, and William Camden, Clarenceux Kings of Arms. 1599 (this manuscript was removed from

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volume R.21 in 1933 and placed in a portfolio with Draft Grants 1 and 2); page of arms granted to people of below-gentry status, with Shakespeare on the top row. Next to his arms is a smaller illustration of the arms of Lord Mauley, to which Shakespeare’s were considered to be too similar (as is shown by Dethick’s rebuttal of the accusation in W.Z.). c 1596-1603

College of Arms, date of acquisition unknown, possibly since time of creation

College of Arms MS Dethick’s Grants X fol.28r

This is a copy of a compilation made by Ralph Brooke, York Herald, titled 'A noate of some few Coates and Creasts Lately come to my hands Geuen by Willm Dethick, when he was York Herald and sithence he hath executed the Office of Garter king of Armes'. Volume signed and dated Bluemantle ('Blewmantle 10 feb 1599', i.e. 1600). This page includes the arms of Shakespeare, captioned 'Shakespeare the player by Garter,' 1600

c.1600-1, Hamlet, Twelfth Night

Henry and Emily Folger since 1901; FSL since 1932

FSL V.a.156, fol.1r; V.a.350, p. 28

Complaint of York Herald, Ralph Brooke, against arms awarded by William Dethick, Shakespeare appears fourth in a list of twenty-three names challenged; his arms are depicted in a later copy as 'Shakespeare the player by Garter', 1602

c.1602, Troilus and Cressida


TNA E 372/445 m. ‘Residuum Sussex’

Exchequer, Pipe Roll, entry of Shakespeare's tax debts, indicating he is now residing in Southwark. 6 October 1600


High Court WAAS 008.7 BA3585/125b 1601/16

Will of Thomas Whittington who names Anne Shakespeare, wife of William, and asks that she distributes 39 shillings to the poor of Stratford, 25 March 1601


TNA C 54/1722 m.7; C 54/1682 m.11

Chancery, Close Rolls. Indenture of bargain and sale of the Globe. Lists William Shakespeare as one of the tenants of the land that includes a ‘playhouse’, 7 October 1601 and 10 October 1601

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FSL V.a.355, pp. 9, 38

Manuscript copy of 2 Return from Parnassus, which refers to Shakespeare as author of Venus and Adonis and Rape of Lucrece, c.1601


College of Arms MS W.Z. fol. 276v

Fair-copy response by Dethick and Camden (who was also implicated in some of Dethick’s controversial grants) to accusations by Ralph Brooke. The entry with the Shakespeare arms in colour is the specific response to the charges relating to the grant to John Shakespeare, addressing the doubts raised over the design and the grantee’s social status. [1602]

British Museum since 1753, BL since 1973

BL Harley MS 5353 f.29v

Diary entry of John Manningham, which includes an anecdote about William Shakespeare and Richard Burbage: “Vpon a tyme when Burbidge played Rich. 3. there was a citizen greue soe farr in liking with him, that before shee went from the play shee appointed him to come that night vnto hir by the name of Ri: the 3. Shakespeare overhearing their conclusion went before, was intertained, and at his game ere Burbidge came. Then message being brought that Rich. the 3.d was at the dore, Shakespeare caused returne to be made that William the Conquerour was before Rich. the 3. Shakespeare's name William. (Mr. Curle.)", 13 March 1602


SBT ER27/1 Conveyance from William and John Combe to William Shakespeare of 107 acres in the common fields of Old Stratford, 1 May 1602

SBT since 1970 (on receipt of Lord Brooke papers)

SBT DR232/1 Unsigned counterpart of the same transaction, 1 May 1602

SBT since 1864 (on receipt of William Hunt papers)

SBT ER28/1 Copy of court roll of the manor of Rowington recording the assignment to William Shakespeare of a cottage in Chapel Lane, Stratford upon Avon, 28 September 1602

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TNA CP 25/2/237 Michaelmas 44 and 45 Eliz I no.15

Common Pleas, foot of fine, confirming the conveyance of New Place from Hercules Underhill to Shakespeare, Michaelmas 1602


FSL Folger MS Z.c.36 (110-111)

Purchaser (William Shakespeare) and vendor (Hercules Underhill) copies of the New Place final concord, Michaelmas term, 1602, Michaelmas 1602

SBT (part of a topographical deeds archive collected between 1883-1943)

SBT ER3/1979 Endorsement on lease of Clifford Charity land, showing William Shakespeare in possession of New Place Garden, 1603-1616

1603, Measure for Measure c.1603-4 composition of A Lover’s Complaint; Sir Thomas More


TNA PSO 2/22; C 82/1690

Privy Seal Office, warrants under the signet and privy seals for the issue of letters patent authorising Shakespeare and his companions to perform plays throughout the realm under royal patronage, 17/18 May 1603


TNA C 66/1608 m.4 Chancery, patent rolls. Enrolment of letters patent authorising Shakespeare and his companions to perform ‘Comedies Tragedies Histories, Enterludes Morals Pastoralls Stageplaies’ at the Globe and ‘anie other Cittie universities towne or Boroughe whatsoever’., 19 May 1603


TNA SO 3/2 Signet Office, Docquet books listing application for grant of status of Shakespeare’s company as the King’s Men 19 May 1603. Only recently discovered.


TNA PSO 5/2 Privy Seal Office, Docquet book of signet bills, listing the letters patent authorising Shakespeare and his company to perform plays throughout the realm under royal patronage, listing monies paid for this status 19 May 1603


TNA LC 2/4/5 f.78 Lord Chamberlain’s Department. Account of the Master of the Great Wardrobe recording the issue of red cloth to Shakespeare and his fellows for the entry of King James I into London, 15 March 1604

1604, Othello

SBT since 1863 SBT ER27/5 Summons to Philip Rogers to 1604-5, All’s

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(on receipt of Robert Wheler papers)

appear at the Court of Record of the Borough of Stratford-upon-Avon in a plea of debt brought by William Shakespeare, July 1604

Well That Ends Well


BL Cotton MS Julius F XI, ff.265r-267v

Manuscript treatise “The Excellency of the English Tongue” by Richard Carew, which refers to Shakespeare’s writing in being as lively as Catullus, c.1605

1605, Timon of Athens 1605-6, King Lear


BL Add MS 11757, f.105

Letter from John Poulett to Sir Francis Vincent in which Shakespeare is mentioned in connection with a report of dangerous sports performed on stage, 10 October 1605


TNA E 178/4661 Exchequer, Land survey showing Rowington manor, which reports that Shakespeare holds there one cottage and garden of approximately ¼ acre and pays a annual rent of 2 shillings and 6 pence, 24 October 1604


TNA AO 3/908/13 Audit Office, Account of Edmund Tylney, Master of the Revels for 1604-5, listing plays performed at Court, including a number by ‘Shaxberd’November 1604-October 1605


TNA PROB 10/232 ff. 241v-242; PROB 11/105/387

Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Will (and registered copy of will) of player Augustine Phillips, which includes a bequest to Shakespeare of 30 shillings, dated 4 May 1605, proved 13 May 1605


SBT ER27/2 Assignment from Ralph Hubaud to William Shakespeare of a lease of part of the Stratford tithes, 24 July 1605



BRU15/2/3 Bond between Ralph Hubaud and William Shakespeare for the performance of covenants: 24 July 1605



BRU15/2/2 Draft of above, 24 July 1605


TNA LR2/228, f.199r

Office of the auditors of Land Revenue. Survey of the manor of Rowington, showing

1606, Macbeth, Antony and

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Shakespeare holding a dwelling house in Stratford, 1 August 1606

Cleopatra 1607, Pericles 1608, Coriolanus



BRU15/5/139 Order by the Court of Record to arrest John Addenbrooke to answer to William Shakespeare on a plea of debt, 17 August 1608


TNA C 54/1947 no.5

Close roll, Transfer of the Globe and other properties, which lists William Shakespeare among the tenants of land in Southwark 11 November 1608



BRU15/5/127a Order to empanel a jury for the case between John Addenbrooke and William Shakespeare, 21 December 1608



BRU15/5/127b Names of the jury empanelled for the case between John Addenbrooke and William Shakespeare, c. December 1608



BRU15/5/115 Other binding jurors to appear for the case between John Addenbrooke and William Shakespeare case, 15 February 1609

1609, publication of the Sonnets (composed c.1593-1603); The Winter’s Tale


SBT ER27/6 Order to produce John Addenbrooke at the next court in the same case, 15 March 1609



BRU15/5/116 Names of the final jurors and their verdict in the case between John Addenbrooke and William Shakespeare, c. March 1609


SBT ER27/7 Order to produce Thomas Hornby as a surety for John Addenbrooke in the case between John Addenbrooke and William Shakespeare, 7 June 1609

SBT since 1847 (on purchase of Shakespeare’s Birthplace)

SBT TR46/1/83 Conveyance of the property adjoining Shakespeare’s Birthplace to the east, describing William Shakespeare’s house as its neighbour, 20 July 1610

1610, Cymbeline


TNA CP 24/2/7; CP 25/2/365 Trinity 8 James I, no. 15

Concord and foot of fine recording the confirmation to Shakespeare, by William and John Combe, of a freehold (107 acres of land and 20 acres of pasture) in Old Stratford, Trinity

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1610



BRU15/1/4 William Shakespeare listed as a contributor to a fund to promote a Highways Bill: 11 September 1611

1611, The Tempest



BRU15/2/11 Draft bill of complaint in a case in Chancery relating to Richard Lane and others (including William Shakespeare) v. Lord Carew and others, concerning the Stratford tithes: c. 1611


TNA REQ 1/183, f.269r; REQ 1/199; REQ 4/1/3; REQ 4/1/4

Court of Requests, case of Stephen Bellot v. Christopher Mountjoy about a dispute over a dowry. Shakespeare’s name is mentioned 24 times and includes the earliest known example of his signature. The documents reveal that Shakespeare lodged with the Mountjoys in Silver Street in Cripplegate in 1604. 7 May to 19 June 1612



BRT2/1, p.59 Survey of Corporation property which includes a note referring to William Shakespeare as a tithe tenant, c. 1612

SBT since 1847 (on purchase of Shakespeare’s Birthplace)

SBT TR46/1/85 Conveyance of the property adjoining Shakespeare’s Birthplace to the east, describing William Shakespeare’s house as its neighbour, 22 January 1613

1613, the Globe burns down during a performance of All Is True (Henry VIII) 1613-14, The Two Noble Kinsmen


TNA C 54/2184, no.45

Close rolls, Enrolment of bargain and sale conveying the Blackfriars Gatehouse from Henry Walker to Shakespeare, 10 March 1613

TNA since 1839

TNA C 275/30, f. 536 ; 275/94, f. 45

Original registers to the Close Rolls, witnessing the Enrolment and bargain and sale conveying the BlackfriarsGatehouse from Henry Walker to Shakespeare, March 1613

LMA since 1843 (bought at auction)

LMA CLC/522/ MS03738

Counterpart of deed of sale between Henry Walker, citizen and minstrel of London, of the one part, and William Shakespeare, gentleman of Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, William Johnson, citizen and vintner of London,

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John Jackson and John Hemyng of London, gentlemen on the other part, whereby Henry Walker sells to the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, John Jackson and John Hemyng, a tenement with appurtenances and a plot of ground on the westside thereof, situated within the precinct of the Black Friars, in the City of London. now or late being in the tenure of one William Ireland. 10 March 1612/1613. Two pendant seals, each bearing the letters "HL" - initials of Henry Lawrence, a witness named on the back of the deed. Remaining two seals missing. Shakespeare's signature at bottom left; this is one of six undisputed signatures surviving. This is the vendor (Henry Walker)’s copy; the Folger Library hold Shakespeare (the purchaser)’s copy., 10 March 1613


FSL Folger MS Z.c.22 (45)

Shakespeare’s copy of the deed for his purchase of the Blackfriars Gatehouse, London (within 600 feet of Blackfriars theatre), signed by Henry Walker and dated 10 March 1613


BL Egerton MS 1787

Mortgage deed relating to Blackfriars Gatehouse, purchased by Shakespeare and others (William Johnson, John Jackson and John Hemming) from Henry Walker for £140, 11 March 1613



BRU15/1/94 Thomas Greenes' note of the ancient freeholders, including William Shakespeare, in the common fields of Old Stratford, 5 September 1614


SBT ER27/3 Agreement between William Shakespeare and William Replingham concerning the Welcombe enclosure, 28 October 1614



BRU15/13/26a-29

Thomas Greene’s diary concerning the Welcombe enclosures, with four references to William Shakespeare’s involvement, 1614-15

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TNA C 2/Jas 1/B11/9

Court of Chancery, Sir Thomas Bendish, William Shakespeare and five other against Mathew Bacon relating to the title of property in Blackfriars, bill of complaint 26 April 1615 and answer to complaint, 5 May 1615


TNA C 33/127 fol.1074r

Court of Chancery, Sir Thomas Bendish, William Shakespeare and five other against Mathew Bacon relating to the title of property in Blackfriars, final decree, 22 May 1615


TNA KB 27/1454 rot.692

Court of King's Bench, Coram Rege Roll, Thomasina Ostler against her father John Heminges regarding shares in the Globe and Blackfriars playhouses.Mentions Shakespeare as shareholder in both playhouses 7 times [9 October] 1615


TNA PROB 10/232 (Nov A-L); PROB 11/126/415

Original and registered copy of will of John Combe (dated 28 January 1613), which includes a bequest to Shakespeare of 5 pounds, proved 10 November 1615

SBT (part of a topographical deeds archive collected between 1883-1943)

SBT *ER3/1979 Endorsement on lease of Clifford Charity land, showing William Shakespeare in possession of New Place Garden, 1603-1616


TNA PROB 1/4; PROB 11/127 s.59; PROB 8/16 f.155r.

Will of William Shakespeare, made 25 March 1616, proved 22 June 1616; registered copy and entry of probate.



*DR243/1 Parish register, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, burial of William Shakespeare, 25 April 1616 (fol. 46r, burials)

Short summaries of the material being nominated by each of the seven partners are also provided below: Summary of SBT documents: the thirty-one documents held by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust can be seen to tell the story of Shakespeare’s life in Stratford-upon-Avon. They reveal this midland market town as the place of his birth, where he spent his formative years, started a family and where his wife and children remained throughout his London career. It’s also apparent that Stratford-upon-Avon was where he made his most significant financial investments, where he returned through his life, and where he died and was buried.

Summary of TNA documents: the forty documents held by The National Archives provide the London perspective on Shakespeare’s life. They show Shakespeare appearing as a resident in the vibrant

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Elizabethan (later Jacobean) city, following a gap in the documentary trail – a gap that has invited academic speculation, though the broadest consensus is that he joined an acting company and was learning his craft during this time. We know from the Stratford records that Shakespeare had left behind a wife and three young children at home and we see him initially leading a somewhat precarious life in London. However, the documentary trail clearly shows a rise in fortune, professional and financial, reaching the heady heights of success at court. Summary of FSL documents: The six documents held by the Folger Shakespeare Library represent Shakespeare's professional and personal life. Two of the documents consist of Shakespeare's primary real estate purchases: New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Blackfriars Gatehouse in London. The dispute over his coat of arms is reflected in two documents connected to Ralph Brooke, York Herald. A diary entry by Richard Stonley shows the earliest purchase of Shakespeare's first work to appear in print, Venus and Adonis, while a university play refers to him as a poet and a playwright, citing and alluding to his works. Summary of WAAS documents: The three documents held by Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service document Shakespeare's personal life in Stratford rather than his literary life. They reveal the process through which he sought to marry, through the marriage licence entry and marriage bond, and this in turn reveals much about his circumstances at the time. His personal networks and connections in Stratford are revealed through the marriage bond, as well as the connections of his wife and her philanthropic work in the later will. Summary of College of Arms documents: The six manuscripts held by the College of Arms show the Shakespeare family’s interest in acquiring some of the outward symbols of gentry status, in common with others of a similar background during a period of increased social mobility. They thus place Shakespeare in the context of his times, and show ‘Shakespeare the Player’ as an unwitting participant in the controversy between different factions at the College of Arms over who was eligible to be armigerous. Summary of BL documents: The four documents held by the British Library date from the last fifteen years of Shakespeare’s life. The mortgage deed sheds light on Shakespeare’s financial affairs while the other three manuscripts provide us with tantalising glimpses of the opinions that Shakespeare’s contemporaries had of the man and his work. Summary of LMA documents: LMA holds a deed signed by Shakespeare which is the vendor’s copy witnessing his sale to Shakespeare of an income property in the Blackfriars area of London. It is one of only six surviving examples of Shakespeare’s signature, and witnesses his growing investments in London.

All the nominated documents: the ‘Shakespeare Documents’ nominated by the seven partners tell us about the man behind the creative works – about his personal and financial choices and perhaps his influences and psychology, which may be seen in the enduring importance of his home town, his risk taking in leaving Stratford-upon-Avon and launching himself into the London theatre scene. Together the material provides a documentary trail of a vibrant life and gets us closer to the most celebrated poet and playwright in English-speaking world.

3.4 History/provenance

Please see section 3.1 for a comprehensive list of the nominated material and information on the custodial history and ownership of all ninety ‘Shakespeare Documents’ held by the seven partners. Please note that the majority of the documents have been held in official custody since their creation.

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Shakespeare’s famous will, emblematically, moved from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury’s offices in Doctor’s Commons, to Somerset House, to the Public Record Office, and was finally incorporated into the collections at TNA. However, some of the material nominated by SBT, FSL and LMA has come from private collections and it is no longer possible to trace full custodial history. However, this material may not have come to light or even survived if it had not be subject to historic interest in Shakespeare’s biography – particularly in the UK and USA in the latter 19th century. In this context, copies, drafts and related documentation are even more important in underpinning authenticity and supporting our understanding of documents’ creation and use.

4.0 Legal information

4.1 Owner of the documentary heritage (name and contact details)

Please see section 3.1 for a comprehensive list of the nominated material, which includes information on ownership of all ninety documents. Owners: The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare Centre, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon,

Warwickshire, CV37 6QW The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, TW9 4NR Holy Trinity Church Parish Office, Old Town, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6BG Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council, Sheep Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6EF Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, Washington, DC 20003, USA Diocese of Worcester, The Bishop’s Office, The Old Palace, Deansway, Worcester WR1 2JE High Court, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2A 2LL College of Arms: College of Arms, 130 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4BT The British Library: 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB London Metropolitan Archives: City of London Corporation, Guildhall, London, EC2P 2EJ

4.2 Custodian of the documentary heritage (name and contact details if different from the owner)

Please see section 3.1 for a comprehensive list of the nominated material, which includes information on the custodial history regarding all ninety documents. Custodians: (i) The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (ii) The National Archives (iii) Folger Shakespeare Library (iv) Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology (v) College of Arms (vi) The British Library (vii) London Metropolitan Archives

4.3 Legal status

Provide details of legal and administrative responsibility for the preservation of the documentary heritage

Please see section 3.1 for a complete list of the nominated material, which details ownership and custodial history.

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The owners of the nominated material - and a brief description of the organisations - are provided below:

The National Archives: a public national archive, an executive agency of the Ministry of the

Justice of the UK (est. 1837) – owns 40 of the nominated documents. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: a conservation and education charity (charity no. 209302)

(est. 1847) – owns 13 of the nominated documents. Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council: a local public town council (est. 1974), and one of the

successor bodies of the medieval guild of Stratford (1196-1547) and subsequent Corporation (1553-1819) and Borough (1819-1974) – owns 17 of the nominated documents.

Holy Trinity Church: a Church of England Parish Church, in Parish of Stratford-upon-Avon, Diocese of Worcester (est. c.1210) – owns 1 of the nominated documents.

Folger Shakespeare Library: Trustees of Amherst College acting through the Folger Shakespeare Memorial Library – owns 6 of the nominated documents.

Diocese of Worcester: A Church of England Diocese (established c.670) – owns 2 of the nominated documents

High Court: Royal Court of Justice, Probate Division – owns 1 of the nominated documents College of Arms: an incorporated body, operating under royal charter granted in 1555 – owns

6 of the nominated documents The British Library: the national library of the United Kingdom, a Non-Departmental Public

Body – owns 4 of the nominated documents London Metropolitan Archives: As a local authority archive service - owns 1 of the nominated

documents

The owners and custodians of the nominated material - and a brief description of the statutory basis of responsibility - are provided below:

The National Archives (owner & custodian): TNA holds all its collections, including the

nominated material, under the Public record of the United Kingdom, as defined by the Public Records Act 1958.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (owner & custodian): the SBT is a registered conservation and education charity. The nominated records owned by the SBT fall within our remit, as defined by the 1961 Act of Parliament.

Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council (owner): the archives of the former Corporation of Stratford-upon-Avon were deposited with the SBT in 1862 by Stratford Borough. This material is now owned by a successor body, the Stratford Town Council, under the Local Government (Records) Act 1962.

Holy Trinity Church (owner): the SBT is the Diocesan Record Office for the Parish of Stratford. The nominated first Parish Register for Holy Trinity Church, Stratford, was deposited with the SBT in 1964 and is held under the Parochial Registers and Records Measure (1978).

Folger Shakespeare Library: Folger Shakespeare Library was built by Henry Clay Folger and deeded to Amherst College in his will along with his collection and an endowment to provide support. Amherst College is incorporated as The Trustees of Amherst College (the “Corporation”) and it administers several divisions including the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. (the “Library”). The Library has its own distinct assets and operations. The assets and operating results of the Library are reflected separately and then combined in the Corporation’s financial statements. Responsibility for establishing and maintaining the Library was transferred to the Corporation under Henry Folger’s will. Authority and responsibility for oversight of all aspects of the Library, except for control of investment of its financial assets, are delegated to the Folger Library Board of Governors by the Board of the Corporation.

Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology (custodian): WAAS is the Diocesan Record Office for the Diocese of Worcester. The nominated Marriage Bond and Bishop's Register were

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deposited with WAAS in 1956 and held under WAAS's designation as Diocesan Record Office. The items are freely available in digital format during our standard opening hours. WAAS is also a Place of Deposit and Accredited Archive Service. The nominated will was transferred from the Diocese of Worcester to the Birmingham Probate Registry, who subsequently deposited the probate records for Worcestershire with WAAS in the 1950s under an official order from the President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division. The records remain subject to the control of the High Court and the provisions of probate rules and orders.

College of Arms: building and contents are owned by the corporation of the Kings, Heralds and Pursuivants of Arms

The British Library (owner): the BL is the national library of the United Kingdom, formed in 1973 under Section 1(1) of the British Library Act 1972 (the Act). Section 1(2) of the Act placed it under the control and management of the British Library Board, the duty of which is to manage the Library as a national centre for reference, study and bibliographical and other information services in relation both to scientific and technological matters and to the humanities. The BL is a Non-Departmental Public Body funded by a combination of grant-in-aid, allocated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and income secured through commercial, fundraising, sponsored and charging activities.

City of London (owner): As a local authority archive service LMA operates under section 224 of the Local Government Act 1972 which requires principal councils to ‘make proper arrangements with respect to any documents that belong to or are in the custody of the council or any of their officers’; LMA has custody of archives other than those produced by its own administration under the Local Government (Records) Act 1962 which gives councils discretionary powers to carry out various activities in relation to the records of other individuals and organisations, including official private and voluntary sector bodies. LMA operates under other statutory authorities – please see our collections policy https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/london-metropolitan-archives/about/Documents/collections-acquisition-and-management-policy.pdf

4.4 Accessibility

Describe how the item(s) / collection may be accessed

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: Catalogues of the nominated material are available remotely via our online catalogues. Original material can be accessed onsite via our Reading Room. The material is also regularly promoted and interpreted via onsite exhibitions and talks, as well as via online galleries and blogs.

The National Archives: Catalogues of nominated materials are available remotely via Discovery, our catalogue, and images of all documents can be seen on Shakespeare Documented. Original material can be accessed onsite via our reading rooms and some have been made available recently in By me William Shakespeare, an exhibition at Somerset House. TNA’s website hosts information about recent efforts to conserve some of these documents, creating access to the heritage science behind collection.

Folger Shakespeare Library: High resolution digital images and descriptions of the nominated material may be accessed remotely via Shakespeare Documented, as well as through the Folger's digital image collection (luna.folger.edu) and online public access catalogue (hamnet.folger.edu). The New Place final concord and the Blackfriars gatehouse bargain and sale are also available through the World Digital Library. Most of the documents are described and imaged in published catalogues, including The Pen's Excellencie (Folger, 2002) and Infinite Variety (Folger, 2007). Original material can be accessed by registered readers in the reading rooms of the Folger, which are open Monday through Friday, 8:45am to 4:45pm and Saturday, 9am to 4:30pm. The Shakespeare material is regularly promoted in blog posts and through social media.

Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service: Access is encouraged in surrogate form,

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/london-metropolitan-archives/about/Documents/collections-acquisition-and-management-policy.pdf

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/london-metropolitan-archives/about/Documents/collections-acquisition-and-management-policy.pdf

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either in digital or microfilm, but items can be viewed under supervision during our standard opening hours. Access to the original marriage bond and Bishop's Register requires advance notice. WAAS is open to the public for 25 hours per week, including one late night (until 7pm) and a Saturday. Viewing of items in surrogate form can take place on a self-service basis at The Hive for 100 hours per week (8:30-22:00 7 days a week). The items are also promoted via exhibitions, talks and tours.

College of Arms: Images of all documents can be seen on Shakespeare Documented. The originals may be viewed by contacting the Officer in Waiting in the first instance (contact details available on the College’s website and via TNA’s ‘Find an Archive’ facility), thence the Archivist, who will assess whether it is necessary to view the original rather than the digital surrogate on Shakespeare Documented.

The British Library: The nominated materials are described in the BL’s online catalogue ‘Explore Archives and Manuscripts’. All four documents have been digitised and copies are freely accessible on the Shakespeare Documented website. Original documents are consulted in the British Library’s Manuscripts Reading Room. Aside from the mortgage deed, the nominated documents may be consulted freely by anyone holding a British Library reader pass. The mortgage deed is normally on display in the BL’s Treasures Gallery and with some of the other nominated documents will feature in the British Library exhibition, Shakespeare in Ten Acts (15 April-6 Sept 2016). Special permission is required to consult the mortgage deed in the Library’s Reading Room (see below).

London Metropolitan Archives: LMA is open at least four days a week to the public, with an extensive online catalogue. The Shakespeare deed has been exhibited to the public as the centre of one of our popular exhibitions (April – September 2013) and also in the Heritage Gallery (operated by LMA) in the City of London’s Guildhall Art Gallery (January-March 2016). Future intermittent displays in the Heritage Gallery are intended.

All access restrictions stated below:

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: the nominated material is accessible via the Reading Room, but to only to ‘blue ticket’ holders, i.e. registered Readers who have provided academic references and explained the need to access original material rather than surrogates.

The National Archives: All these original documents can be seen only by those who have registered as readers at The National Archives. Some must be seen under supervision in an invigilation room.

Folger Shakespeare Library: The Shakespeare documents at the Folger are available to registered readers (see http://www.folger.edu/become-reader). Readers must consult the digital surrogates for the New Place and Blackfriars deeds in the first instance and state a material-specific reason for viewing the originals. Permission is then granted by the curator and the items are viewed under supervision by Reading Room staff.

Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service: CARN (County Archive Research Network) Reader Ticket is required for access to all original material, which must be viewed under supervision. Access to the marriage bond and Bishop's Register requires advance notice.

College of Arms: These manuscripts can be viewed only by readers who have provided academic references and explained the need to access original material rather than digital surrogates. There is also a daily fee for using the archives.

The British Library: Three of the four nominated documents may be consulted by anyone who has registered for and holds a valid British Library reader pass. The mortgage deed is classed as a highly restricted document, and permission to examine it (other than by viewing it in its exhibition case) is required from the Head of Western Heritage Collections.

London Metropolitan Archives: The Shakespeare deed at LMA can only be viewed by appointment and under supervision. Readers are usually encouraged to consult a high quality surrogate unless their research requires access to the original deed.

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Digitisation: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: all the nominated material has been digitised. The National Archives: all the nominated material has been digitised. Folger Shakespeare Library: all the nominated material has been digitised. Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service: all the nominated material has been

digitised. College of Arms: all nominated material has been digitised. The British Library: all the nominated material has been digitised. London Metropolitan Archives: all the nominated material has been digitised.

4.5 Copyright status

Describe the copyright status of the item(s) / collection

All of this material that has been previously published is out of copyright. Any that remain unpublished will be in copyright until the year 2039 under the terms of the 1988 Copyright Act.

5.0 Assessment against the selection criteria

5.1 Authenticity.

The nominated ‘Shakespeare Documents’ include only material that has received longstanding and robust scholarly support with regard to their connection to William Shakespeare (i.e. the actor/poet/playwright and not another person of that name) and authenticity (i.e. the items are what they purport to be and their context and provenance is credible). Documents of dubious connection or authenticity have not been included in the nomination. However, document SBT BRU4/1, p.44, which refers to a Mr Shakespeare purchasing stone from the Stratford corporation in 1598, is generally regarded to be William Shakespeare though his father, John Shakespeare, was still alive and living in Stratford at this date. However, the general academic consensus is that this shows William Shakespeare renovating/expanding his recently purchased large family home, New Place, and is part of a suite of documents which demonstrate his disposable income during this time. It has therefore been included in this nomination. All the nominated material together supports the authenticity of the others – the whole being greater than the sum of the parts – including drafts and contemporary copies. This is particularly important due to both the scarcity and diversity of sources required to piece together Shakespeare’s biography, as well as the scrutiny of the evidenced narrative of Shakespeare’s life. Please see section 3.1 and 3.4 for details regarding the various provenances of the nominated material and the bibliography and referees for confirmation of the broad academic consensus.

5.2 World significance

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The significance of the ‘Shakespeare Documents’ relates directly to William Shakespeare’s unrivalled literary achievements, his status as England’s national bard, and the impact of his literary and cultural legacies around world. The ‘Shakespeare Documents’ are early modern English documentary sources, but Shakespeare’s legacy is not constrained by time and place. By the late 18th century Shakespeare had become regarded as the English national poet, but there is a parallel narrative of his developing cultural significance globally. Romantic poets of the early 19th century spread interest in Shakespeare across Europe, the British Empire introduced Shakespeare performance to Asia and Africa, and a strong interest in Shakespeare solidified western relationships with China and Japan throughout the 20th century. For the English speaking world, particularly as countries broke ties with Britain, Shakespeare became an important cultural icon, providing a link to shared heritage but separate from the contemporary nation from which they wished to distance themselves. Today Shakespeare’s plays and poems have been translated into nearly every world language and are taught in over 65 countries. Over the past two years, the Globe to Globe tour has performed Hamlet in almost every nation on earth. The timeless themes and seemingly universal stories presented by the early modern playwright means that these works have been performed almost continuously for four hundred years. Thus the ‘Shakespeare documents’, original sources for information about his life and contemporary performance of his plays, are of invaluable significance to world culture. The loss of the ‘Shakespeare documents’ would deprive current and future generations of sources to explore and examine Shakespeare’s life and how his character, experiences and historic context informed his literary output. Given this context, it is not surprising that the ‘Shakespeare Documents’ have long been the focus on international scholarship. The material was discovered as a result of painstaking research in the centuries since Shakespeare’s death. The international academic community remains strong with some 600 delegates from 36 countries at the last World Shakespeare Congress. Interest in the ‘Shakespeare Documents’ has received particular attention this year, including two archive panels at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. Shakespeare also has an important role in cultural tourism. Last year over 50% of SBT’s 800,000 annual visitors were from outside the UK. And recent exhibitions by the partners featuring the ‘Shakespeare documents’ in the UK and US have been high profile, such as By me, William Shakespeare a life in writing (http://www.bymewilliamshakespeare.org) and Shakespeare Life of an icon (http://www.folger.edu/exhibitions/shakespeare-life-icon). An appetite to understand and engage with Shakespeare, the man behind the genius, is also demonstrated via global celebrations and media interest in Shakespeare’s life, particularly during 2016 with the 400th anniversary of his death (e.g. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Shakespeare-lives-on/articleshow/51922549.cms; http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/04/23/happy-400th-anniversary-william-shakespeare-your-genius-still-fires-our-imaginations.html) The very nature of the partnership project also reflects the aspiration to meet the growing demands of our international audiences. Much of the nominated material is currently accessible to wider audiences via online exhibitions and MOOCs. For example, the Shakespeare Documented e-exhibition (http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/), Shakespeare and his World MOOC (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/shakespeare-and-his-world) have found audiences around the world – the former saw over 10,000 visits in its first 20 days online. The collaborative element of these projects has been essential to

http://www.bymewilliamshakespeare.org/

http://www.folger.edu/exhibitions/shakespeare-life-icon

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Shakespeare-lives-on/articleshow/51922549.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Shakespeare-lives-on/articleshow/51922549.cms

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/04/23/happy-400th-anniversary-william-shakespeare-your-genius-still-fires-our-imaginations.html

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/04/23/happy-400th-anniversary-william-shakespeare-your-genius-still-fires-our-imaginations.html

http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/shakespeare-and-his-world

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/shakespeare-and-his-world

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creating resources that provide a complete picture of the early modern world. In the context of Shakespeare’s vibrant literary and cultural legacies it is clear that our users - the curious readers around the world who consume Shakespeare’s words every day - are not interested in geographical or institutional boundaries. Shakespeare does not belong to England, but has become a world poet. We hope this nomination will support us in articulating the value of documentary heritage to our current and potential audiences – providing evidence, connection and engagement with Shakespeare’s life, works and times.

5.3 Comparative criteria:

Does the heritage meet any of the following tests? (It must meet at least one of them.)

1 Time

While Shakespeare’s works are ‘timeless’ his era is important to fully understanding his literary output. All the nominated material dates from within Shakespeare’s lifetime and reveals the significance of Shakespeare’s context in the historic narrative – a century of socio-political and religious change and a golden-age of English theatre. [Please note that discussion of how Shakespeare’s personal biography, particularly key events in his life, inspired and influenced his creative works is provided in section 5.3.3 ‘People’.] The documents are of their time in that many of them reflect the administrative processes that Shakespeare interacted with throughout the different stages of his life and career. They reflect a period in English history when the church had recently begun recording births, marriages and burials (SBT DR243/1); a time when tax was collected on an occasional rather than regular basis (e.g. TNA E 179/146/354 and E 359/56); and a culture which closely controlled social status (COA Draft Grant of Arms to John Shakespeare 1 and 2, MS R.21 no. 347; MS R.21 f.285r, MS Dethick’s Grants X fol.28r, MS W.Z. fol. 276v; FSL V.a.156, fol.1r; V.a.350, p. 28). Shakespeare’s plays indicate a working knowledge with the contemporary procedures of the various legal courts, a knowledge he would have gained from his direct experience of the legal processes of the time (e.g. TNA REQ 1/183, f.269r, REQ 1/199, REQ 4/1/3, REQ 4/1/4s). The form of each document is dependent on its function, and differs in significant ways reflecting the varied manuscript culture of the day, and they are written in both English and Latin, reflecting a period where Latin was still very much the bureaucratic language of the day although English was gradually beginning to take its place (e.g. in SBT DR243/1, Stratford’s first Parish Register, Shakespeare’s baptism is recorded in Latin and his burial in English). The development of playhouses in London as purpose-built spaces for public performance in the second half of the sixteenth-century was an innovation, and sparked an unprecedented period of artistic production. Many of the documents contribute to our understanding of this development from those that trace Shakespeare's part-ownership of the Globe, to a letter revealing the nature of some performances (letter from John Poulett to Sir Francis Vincent: BL Add MS 11757, f.105). Running in parallel with the popularity of the playhouses and their accessibility to the general public was their success with royal and courtly audiences. The accession of James I heralded an important new phase of royal patronage for playing companies, and the documents witness the elevation of Shakespeare's company from the Lord Chamberlain’s Men to the King's Men (e.g. TNA SO 3/2), the granting of red cloth for Shakespeare and the King's Men as part of James's accession celebrations (TNA LC 2/4/5 f.78), as

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well as two rare lists of the plays performed at court (including the first recorded performance of The Tempest) (TNA AO 3/098/14). The ‘Shakespeare documents’ also provide insights into Shakespeare’s experience of socio-political events. The ‘noate of corn and malt’ (SBT BRU15/1/106) is a survey of grain holdings of Stratford residents from late 1590s when a series of disastrous summers led to small harvests and increased corn prices. The survey was undertaken by the Stratford corporation in an attempt deflect rumours of hoarding and avert potential riot, as there had been in counties across midland England. As a midlander, this experience may have influenced Shakespeare’s writing in the menacing opening scenes of Coriolanus set in the context of plebeian riots in Rome. The material also connects Shakespeare to another controversial issue of the period – enclosure of common fields. The Replingham agreement (SBT ER27/3) shows Shakespeare agreeing not to object to a proposal to enclose common fields near Stratford on the understanding he will be compensated for any financial loss should the plans go ahead. Like the ‘noate of corn and malt’ we see Shakespeare very much imbedded in the establishment of Stratford, and acting to protect his financial interests. It’s worth emphasising that Shakespeare did not propose the enclosure and may have only felt obliged to protect his financial legacy, but it is interesting that while his creative works have depicted an idealised rural idyll (e.g. As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale) his own understanding and experience of rural society was clearly more pratical. The documents demonstrate that Shakespeare's plays were not isolated from the contemporary world of their author, but rather are a product of the economic, social and environmental factors that shaped life in early modern England. Outbreaks of plague regularly forced the closure of playhouses and the many references in his plays indicate his familiarity with death and disease (The Tempest 1.2.426; Timon of Athens 4.3.120, King Lear 2.4.242; Romeo and Juliet 5.2.7). The enforced break from writing for the playhouse repertoires would have had a direct impact on Shakespeare's income, and may have allowed for more sustained periods of creativity. The fragmented distribution of this collection of documents across various archives and libraries

and the different types of documents (for example legal documents, property deeds, royal

grants) within the collection demonstrates the wide-range of evidence needed to build a secure

picture of Shakespeare’s life. In the absence of modern forms of life-writing, such as private

diaries and his letters, these documents are the only means by which it is possible to construct a

chronology of his life, and most importantly they allow us to connect William Shakespeare of

Stratford-upon-Avon with William Shakespeare the poet and playwright. The most significant

‘gap’ in the documentary trail is known as the second ‘lost years’ - a period between the birth of

Shakespeare’s twins in Stratford (SBT DR243/1 fol. 22v, baptisms) and his appearance in London

as an established member of the theatre scene. This gap has been filled by many imaginative

theories which assume that Shakespeare would require personal experience to create works of

fantasy. The more likely explanation is perhaps more mundane, that he joined a group of

travelling players passing through Stratford and developed his craft and built relationships with

his theatre peers. The links that these documents provide between Shakespeare and the Globe,

the documents that show independent contemporary recognition of Shakespeare as a

playwright (FSL V.a.355, pp. 9, 38; BL Harley MS 5353 f.29v), the evidence of his connection to

the world of playing through his bequests to fellow actors Burbage and Hemmings in the will

(TNA PROB 10/232 ff. 241v-242; PROB 11/105/387).

The material is also interesting in its association with Shakespeare cultural legacy. There is a long history of interest in Shakespeare’s life story. Early biographies - the first being in the Rowe edition (1709) - are a mix of myth and misinterpretation of the known sources, but are followed

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by increasingly worthy scholarly attention, particularly in the late 19th century when many major ‘Shakespeare document’ discoveries were made. It is generally believed that knowledge of Shakespeare’s biography is sparse, but we known more than would generally be expected of a individual of his status for the period. The ‘Shakespeare documents’ are the result of hundreds of years of searching of archives for glimpses of Shakespeare and new material still comes to light (TNA SO 3/2, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/new-shakespeare-discovery-reveals-fee-for-royal-favour/). Each of the documents supports and corroborates the next, from ephemeral items, like drafts or parts, to endorsed legal records. Continued interest in Shakespeare’s biography was shown in the scale and breadth of celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare death in April 2016 (recorded in SBT DR243/1 fol.46r, burials) - see section 5.2 for examples of anniversary activities of partners.

Shakespeare’s works have become the most enduring legacy of a unique era in English history, a

fact borne out in the historic and ongoing interest in this material. The ‘Shakespeare Documents’

are rich sources for understanding Shakespeare’s life and times, which underpins our

understanding of Shakespeare’s role in the period and support interpretation of his works within

their historic context.

2 Place

Place is also a significant factor in the interpretation of Shakespeare's life and works. As has already been touched upon, there were two key places in Shakespeare’s life: his provincial home town of Stratford-upon-Avon and the city of London, where his career flourished. The nominated documents trace Shakespeare’s life in these two influential locations. Stratford was the place that Shakespeare spent his formative years and had his family. The influence of midland England on Shakespeare’s works can be seen frequently in his use of regional language and knowledge of rural occupations (e.g. the Warwickshire word “breeze”, meaning gadfly, “the breeze upon her, like a cow in June”, Antony and Cleopatra, 3.10.14). London was an exciting creative opportunity, exciting and bustling - the focal point of a brief, but vibrant cultural explosion during late 16th and early 17th centuries, as discussed in section 5.3.1 ‘Time’ above. The theatre scene provided Shakespeare with a unique environment in which to develop his craft and strive to produce great works.

The tax records held by TNA provide the only evidence for where he was living between 1596

and 1600, and trace his relocation from Bishopsgate to Southwark in order to be closer to the

newly-built Globe theatre. By 1604 the documents in TNA's REQ 4/1 series allow us to place

Shakespeare in Silver Street, Cripplegate, lodging with Huguenot refugees in an area known

for its large immigrant community. These documents provide evidence that he performed

the a hand-fasting for his landlord’s daughter and the subsequent dowry dispute that arose

seems to have provided inspiration for some of the themes in Measure for Measure, written

at around the same time. His exposure to a French-speaking community also appears to have

influenced his writing, specifically in the French dialogue in Henry V. The various locations

that Shakespeare lived in go some way in explaining the representations of diverse

communities and social classes that appear in his plays, and suggest that living 'cheek-by-

jowl' with Londoners directly influenced his artistic output. The documents allow us to 'place'

him at more specific locations as well – his presence at court at Whitehall in the winter

seasons of 1604-5 and 1611-12, and his likely participation in the royal procession (LC 2/4)

show that he also took his place within elite social circles - again this exposure to the royal

court can be seen to directly influence his work.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/new-shakespeare-discovery-reveals-fee-for-royal-favour/


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The material also reveals the continued importance of Stratford throughout Shakespeare’s life. The presence of his family there (SBT DR243/1; COA Draft Grant of Arms to John Shakespeare 1 and 2, MS R.21 no. 347; MS R.21 f.285r, WAAS 008.7 BA3585/125b 1601/16) and large financial investments (see section 5.3.3. ‘People’ for further detail of property, land and business dealings), strongly suggest he cared about their (and his) comfort and status in the town. While there were undoubtedly long absences the documents suggest a ‘to and fro’. Thomas Whittington’s will which leaves money to Anne Shakespeare (WAAS 008.7 BA3585/125b 1601/16) can be interpreted as confirmation of Shakespeare’s absence at this time. Also, the purchase of New Place, a large of comfortable family home, (TNA CP 25/2/237 Easter 39 Eliz I, CP 24/1/15; SBT ER27/4A; TNA CP 26/1/251, CP 25/2/237 Michaelmas 44 and 4 Eliz I; FSL MS Z.c36 110-111; SBT ER3/1979), would have given Shakespeare even more reason to return ‘home’. Although it is often suggested that Shakespeare retired to Stratford and withdrew from London life in 1610, his purchase of the Blackfriars Gatehouse and his continued attempts to secure all the documentation needed to prove his ownership (TNA C 54/2184, no.45, C 275/30, f. 536 ; 275/94, f. 45; FSL Folger MS Z.c.22 (45); BL Egerton MS 1787; TNA C 2/Jas 1/B11/9, C 33/127 fol.1074r, KB 27/1454 rot.692; LMA CLC/522/ MS03738) demonstrates he maintained an interest in London and quite possibly visited the city regularly. Indeed, in his last will and testament (PROB 1/4; PROB 11/127 s.59; PROB 8/16 f.155r.) Shakespeare left bequests to both his friends and family in Stratford and his friends in London, again indicating that his time was split between both places throughout his life.

There is no documentary evidence of Shakespeare travelling to Europe, a common supposition for the second ‘lost years’, given Shakespeare’s penchant for foreign and imagined settings. Without evidence to the contrary it seems more likely that Shakespeare expanded his knowledge of the world through reading – in the context of the Elizabethean/Jacobean information age, where the dissemination of knowledge via the still relatively new invention of the printing press was as explosive and exciting as the 20th century birth of the internet. Tantalisingly, no inventory survives with Shakespeare’s will, so we do not know if he amassed a library or whether he perhaps accessed the libraries of his patrons. In this way, the ‘Shakespeare documents’ collection is a source for examining Shakespeare’s experience and knowledge of travel.

The ‘Shakespeare documents’ also have relevance to the history of cultural tourism and

Shakespeare ‘pilgrimage’, which can be dated back to the 18th century and David Garrick’s

jubilee celebration of Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and London. The Stratford

celebrations became something of a national joke, due to a combination of bad weather and

Garrick’s flamboyant ideas. However, it was successful in connecting Shakespeare and Stratford-

upon-Avon in the national consciousness and can be seen to have paved the way for subsequent

Shakespeare celebrations, ultimately leading to both the purchase of Shakespeare’s Birthplace,

by national subscription, and the establishment of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on the site of

the Garrick’s 1769 jubilee pavilion. While there is no record of any of Shakespeare’s plays being

performed in Stratford during his lifetime, a public desire to make an authentic connection to

Shakespeare has drawn the two strands of his personal and creative lives together. A similar

form of cultural pilgrimage can be seen with the reconstructed Globe theatre in London, since

it’s opening in 1997.

The material provides evidence of Shakespeare’s connection to London, and the theatre scene, and to his family and home town in Stratford-upon-Avon. In this way, the ‘Shakespeare documents’ are vital sources for exploring the role of place in Shakespeare’s personal and creative lives. The nominated material can also be seen as part of his historic and ongoing

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cultural legacy, which sees streams of visitors to Stratford and London wishing to make an authentic connection with Shakespeare.

3 People

The ‘Shakespeare Documents’ are defined and elevated by their connection to William Shakespeare, who is widely regarded as the greatest poet and playwright of all time. They are the key sources for piecing together his biography and relationships, which in turn provides unique insights into his inspirations and character. The root of interest in Shakespeare’s personal story relates to a desire to understand and connect with a man who created works of enduring literary genius. It is within this perspective that authorship conspiracies have arisen – a sense that the ordinariness of Shakespeare’s background, revealed by the documentary sources, is not in-keeping with his exceptional creative output. Notably, the questioning of Shakespeare’s authorship can be seen to directly correspond to the growth in regard for his works, with the first conspiracy theory not arising until the mid-19th century. Its continued presence in the popular discourse is a testament to Shakespeare’s enduring cultural impact. The ‘Shakespeare documents’ allow audiences to examine and engage with the evidence and make an authentic connection to the man behind the creative works. The ‘Shakespeare Documents’ provide us with the bookends of his life – his birth and death in Stratford (SBT DR243/1, fol. 5r, baptisms, fol. 46r, burials) and much in between – twists and turns, successes and tragedies. While it is simplistic to try and directly connect life events to his plays and poetry – works of imagination and creativity, drawing on a rich inner world – it is possible identify glimpses of his character, and understand the experiences and relationships that he may have drawn on:- The nominated material places Shakespeare in the provincial market town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the eldest surviving child of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker (SBT DR243/1 fol. 5r, baptisms). We have no records from his childhood activities, though it is generally assumed he attended the local guild school. The documentary trail picks up again with Shakespeare’s unconventional marriage at 18 (the DR243/1 register shows that 24 was the average age for a local man to marry) and that the marriage was hurried (WAAS x716.093 BA2648/10i; WAAS x797 BA2783) with a child arriving less than 9 month later (SBT DR243/1 fol. 20v, baptisms). While we can only speculate on the particulars of the situation the unusual nature of the marriage suggests something of his boldness and the heat of young love. Shakespeare’s first child is followed by twins (SBT DR243/1 fol. 22v, baptisms) and it is at this point the expected narrative of Shakespeare’s life diverges. There is a gap in the documentary trail, often called the second ‘lost years’ (the first being his childhood) after which the records show Shakespeare as an established member of the vibrant Elizabethan London theatre scene (TNA E 351/541 m.207d, BL Cotton MS Julius F IX, ff.265r-267v). Looking to the chronological table of documents (section 3.1), it is clear that rather than abandoning his family and peers in Stratford for the bright lights of the London theatre scene, the two ‘worlds’ interconnect throughout his life. The ‘Shakespeare documents’ show him to be increasingly financially successful, and investing his money almost exclusively in Stratford - large family home (TNA CP 25/2/237 Easter 39 Eliz I, CP 24/1/15; SBT ER27/4A; TNA CP 26/1/251, CP 25/2/237 Michaelmas 44 and 4 Eliz I; FSL MS Z.c36 110-111; SBT ER3/1979), land (SBT ER27/1, DR243/1, ER28/1; TNA E 178/4661, LR2/228 f.199r, CP24/2/7, CP 25/2/365 Trinity 8 James I no. 15) and investments/business dealings (SBT ER27/2, BRU15/2/3, BRU15/2/2, BRU15/1/94, ER27/3, BRU15/13/26a-29). In this way, in Stratford Shakespeare becomes regarded as a local notable with a Stratfordian peer approaching him for help with a large loan as part of the endeavours to petition the Privy Council on behalf of the

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town (SBT ER27/4, BRU15/1/131, BRU15/1/136). In contrast his London life is less respectable – including tax avoidance (TNA E 359/56, E 179/146/354, E359/56, E179/146/369, E 372/444 m. ‘Residuum London’, E 372/455 m. ‘Residuum Sussex), amorous anecdotes (BL Harley MS 5353 f.29v), dangerous stunts (BL Add MS 11757 f.105) and a dispute regarding his family’s suitability for a Coat of Arms (COA Draft Grant of Arms to John Shakespeare 1 and 2, MS R.21 no. 347, MS R.21 f.285r, MS Dethicks Grants X fol.28r; FSL v.a.). The ‘Shakespeare documents’ together build a picture of a complex character - bold, canny and concerned with status and legacy. Concerns that can be seen in recurring themes of his plays, ambition, loyalty, appearance and reality, guilt and sin. Some of the ‘Shakespeare documents’ are particularly revealing. The ‘Exemplification of Fine’ (SBT ER27/4A) is a specially commissioned elaborate copy of his purchase document for New Place in 1597 (a large family home - the most expensive residential property in the town at the time of purchase and located in a high profile central location) The commission certainly suggests that Shakespeare was proud of his purchase. However, that usual ornate ‘E’ of Elisabeth I is not present on the document. The implication is that while Shakespeare was concerned with articulating his wealth as well as worried about preserving it. The arc of life, revealed by the ‘Shakespeare documents, can also be seen as reflected in his works - youthful exuberances (e.g. Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), tragedy and darker tones of maturity (e.g. The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, and then Othello, Hamlet and King Lear) and then perhaps a mellowing with age (e.g. Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest). The material also provides unique insights into how specific life experiences and relationships may have influenced his creative works. For example, his youthful romance with Anne Hathaway (WAAS x716.093 BA2648/10i; WAAS x797 BA2783) is generally regarded as depicted in the early sonnets (e.g. sonnet 145, which includes a possible pun on ‘Hathaway’). The souring of this relation often speculated upon – with particularly attention to given to absences in London, the lack of further children after the twins, and perhaps most famously Shakespeare’s bequest of the “second best bed” (PROB1/4), as well as unflattering depictions of wives in his works (e.g. The Taming of the Shrew). The tragic death of his only son age of 11 in August 1595 (SBT DR243/1 fol, 22r, burials) has long been related to the speech of Lady Constance concerning the her absent son Prince Arthur (King John, 3, 4.93-8) starting “Grief fills the room up of my absent child”. And, twins, and separation of twins, is a repeating idea in his works, e.g. “We came into this world like brother and brother; and now let’s go hand in hand, not one before the other” (Comedy of Errors, 5.1.425). His experience of legal cases (SBT ER27/5, BRU15/5/139, BRU15/5/127a, BRU15/5/127b, BRU15/5/115, ER27/6, BRU15/5/116, ER27/7, BRU15/2/11; TNA REQ 1/183, f.269r, REQ 1/199, REQ 4/1/3, REQ 4/1/4), may explain his dexterity with legalese seen in Measure for Measure. His business deals and loans (SBT ER27/4, BRU15/1/131, BRU15/1/136) may have inspired the dealings in Merchant of Venice. Also, while Shakespeare rose to fame under Elizabeth I, he was really Jacobean playwright - performing at James I’s court least 107 times between the grant of letters patent in 1603 and his death in 1616 (TNA C66/1608 and PROB1/4). The influence of this royal relationship can be seen his later works, particularly Macbeth (1605), which was not only set in Scotland but included witches, a preoccupation of James I’s. In this way, understanding Shakespeare’s life story supports understanding of works and, in turn, the creative works can also be seen to illuminate his personal response to these experiences. Shakespeare’s brilliance endures through his characters, their stories and the agility of his language to cut to the quick of the human condition. The ‘Shakespeare documents’ provide the key sources for establishing the narrative of Shakespeare’s life, which can be used to examine how his experiences and relationships may have influenced and inspired his poetry and plays - fulfilling an un-abating public appetite to connect with and understand the man and the genius.

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4 Subject and theme

n/a

5 Form and style

n/a

6 Social/ spiritual/ community significance:

n/a

6.0 Contextual information

6.1 Rarity

There are currently only one-hundred and two known ‘Shakespeare Documents’, i.e. handwritten documents, which name Shakespeare within his lifetime, and therefore provide the key evidential basis for his biography. These have been identified following centuries of scholarly attention, but it is still possible for new material to come to light. For example, the recent TNA discovery within a Signet Office Docquet book: SO 3/2 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/new-shakespeare-discovery-reveals-fee-for-royal-favour/). The nominating seven repositories have the responsibility and privilege of caring for the major share of the known ‘Shakespeare documents’ – the ninety documents nominated for inclusion in the register. In terms of their scarcity, evidential value and the powerful connection they provide to Shakespeare, they can certainly be regarded as extremely rare.

6.2 Integrity

The documents nominated, as discussed previously, sit within a wide variety of library and archive collections in the nominating repositories, ranging from church and government to court and private records. The differing media (paper and parchment), formats (manuscripts and archival documents) and custodial histories (institutional and private records) means the documents vary in condition, though all may be regarded as complete, stable and fit for production or display.

