The earliest recorded performance of Richard II was on 9 December 1595. The play was performed for Sir Robert Cecil at Sir Edward Hoby’s house in Canon Row. On 7 December 1595 Sir Edward Hoby had written to Robert Cecil inviting him to supper and to see a performance of the play: Sir, finding […]Continue reading
When James VI of Scotland became James I of England immediately after the death of Elizabeth I, one of his dearest wishes was a full political and legal union between England and Scotland. In 1606, he issued a royal decree for a new flag, used for maritime purposes, to represent the union between the […]Continue reading
Shakespeare acted in some of Ben Jonson’s plays when they were performed by his playing company. He was listed in the cast of Sejanus His Fall as the first ‘principal tragedian’ in 1604. Shakespeare also acted in a performance of Ben Jonson’s Every Man in His Humour. In the 1616 publication of The Works of Benjamin Jonson, […]Continue reading
The earliest confirmed performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor took place on 4 November 1604 at Whitehall Palace. The play may have also been performed for Elizabeth I at the Garter Feast on 23rd April 1597, and possibly in January 1593 at Windsor castle for Elizabeth I and her court. The Merry Wives […]Continue reading
After receiving a royal charter in 1553, Stratford-upon-Avon was given the right to hold its own Court of Record. This court heard civils claims under the value of £30 and enforced a swift resolution of business disputes. One case was brought by Thomas Such against John Shakespeare when he attempted to recover £8 10s from […]Continue reading
On 11 June 1592, the Lord Mayor wrote to Lord Burghley, Lord High Treasurer, about riots in Southwark. A mob of apprentices, motivated in part by resentment against immigrants, had rioted outside the public playhouses. Shortly after the riot, the Privy Council ordered ‘that there be no plays used in any place near thereabouts, as […]Continue reading
The Sea Venture was part of a fleet making a third voyage to Jamestown, the new colony in Virginia. It left England on 2 June 1609 with supplies and colonists bound for the new world. About six weeks into their ill-fated journey, and only a week away from their destination, the Sea Venture was separated […]Continue reading
Church records at Holy Trinity Stratford record the baptismal of William and Anne Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna on 26 May 1583. She was born only six months after her parents’ wedding! In fact, her existence was the reason for their hasty marriage. William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway needed a special marriage license which would speed the process […]Continue reading
What was an astrologer’s verdict of The Winter’s Tale in 1611? Simon Forman was an Elizabethan astrologer and mathematician who promoted himself as a medical practitioner in early modern England. He was also an enthusiastic playgoer and made detailed notes on the performances he had seen at the Globe and other playhouses around London. On […]Continue reading
New Place was the second-largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon. When he bought the property on 4 May 1597, Shakespeare was preparing to return to his hometown as a successful playwright and businessman. New Place had been built by Sir Hugh Clopton in 1483. By the time Shakespeare acquired it, it had three storeys, five gables, two […]Continue reading
