SHAKESPEARE’S HOME

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1930, Page 9

SHAKESPEARE’S HOME

WHEN BROKERS WERE IN.

•DISTPvAINT IE VIED ON GOODS.

Shakespeare’s house once had tho brokers in. Documentary evidence of this has been found, by Air. Frank Marcham at the Record. Office, in the Calendar of Chancery Cases. The very rare signature of the poet’s eldest daughter, ■Susanna Hall, is appended to the document. Only three such signatures are known. The other two are at Stratford-on-Avon.

“The Lard’s eldest daughter,” said Mr. Marcham to a Daily Chronicle representative, “married Dr. John Hall, who had an. extensive medical practice in Warwick. “William Shakespeare died in 1016, but Susanna and her husband lived on at the house in New Place, Stratford-on-Avon, and in 1638 the study, which was once. Shakespeare’s, was invaded by the two brokers’ men. Anthony Smythe and Edward Rawlins, who, as sheriff’s officers, had to execute the judgment given to recover the sum of £77 which debt had been proved by Baldwyn Brookes, a wealthy local mercer. “'The document which I have found, and which has now been transferred to the Museum, where it was inspected by the Master of the Rolls, is ‘the answer of Susan Hall, widow, and Thomas Nashe, gent., to the Bill of Complaint/ Nashs, of course, was Susan’s son-in-law. Ho married Shakespeare’s granddaughter. “Special features of this document are the references it contains to ‘William Shackspeare, gent., her late father. Deceased?

“Ths defendants state- that the sheriff’s officers did ‘breake dow i the Doores

and Studdy or the said house and rashlye seize uppon and taka divers book co, boxes, De'skes, monyes... goodca... of the said John Hall’s as of this defendant Thomas Nashe.’ “In his will John Hall mentions ‘my studdy of Bookes? He also mentions the MSS. in his study, but what treasures of Shakespeareana wei’h taken away by the brokers never likely to bs known.” ■ L ‘ Mr, Marchant Is oubßs!ling, r ahortly aL .■ ■ ■ ■ ■ t>-''; ; -j..

the documents in this suit, and those in a cross-suit by Susan Hall, as well as an earlier’ suit against John Hull. The re-discovered document is on parchment, in an excellent state of preservation. It was sworn on May 3 at Stratford and delivered to Master Robert Riche, the Court of Chancery then being at Westminster. In the statement Susan admits that Hall’s goods and chattels were worth lldOO/t tyid it was in re-

Bptx?t-of theaa that th» brokers raldel ; Shakespeare's house to distrain for tte £77 under the judgment.