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I suppose, in due time apprized of their error, the heralds, when they drew up their defence in form, deserted their original ground, and made no precise mention of the landed property of his father.

John Shakspeare was, however, certainly possessed of a freehold estate, derived from his wife, which I have already estimated; and of another small landed property, consisting of two houses, situated in Henleystreet, in Stratford, with a garden and orchard annexed to each, which he purchased, in the year 1574, from Edmond and Emma Hall, for forty pounds; and which, at his death, descended to his eldest son. Whether, antecedent to his purchasing these houses, he lived in either of them, as a tenant, is uncertain; and consequently the precise place of our poet's birth, like that of Homer, must remain undecided. At the court leet, held in October, 1556, the lease of a house in Greenhill-street was assigned to Mr. John Shak

This appears from the chirograph of a fine now before me levied to John Shakspeare by Edmund Hall and Emma his wife, in Michaelmas term, 17 Eliz. [1574] which was obligingly communicated to me by the late Charles Boothby Schrympshire Clopton, Esq. grandson of Sir Hugh Clopton, of Stratford upon Avon. That these two houses were situated in Henley-street, is ascertained by a deed executed in 1639, by our author's granddaughter and her husband, for which I was indebted to the same gentleman. Joan Hart, our poet's sister, to whom by his last will he devised one of them for her life, lived in it in 1639; and Joan Hiccocks, widow, in the other. One of these houses, a few years afterwards (1647), was the Maidenhead Inn, which was then kept by John Rutter, and was, in 1794, the property of Thomas Hart, a butcher in Stratford, the sixth in descent from Joan Hart. The other was a few years ago sold by his father, Thomas Hart, to Mr. John Peyton of the same town,

speare, by George Turnor, who was one of the burgesses of Stratford, and kept a tavern or victuallinghouse there; and another, in Henley-street, was, on the same day, assigned to him, by Edward West, a person of some consideration, who, during the reign of Edward the Sixth, had been frequently one of the wardens of the bridge of Stratford. Concerning any other land that he possessed or occupied, beside that which has been already mentioned, I have met with no notice whatsoever, except what was furnished by various searches in the chapel of the rolls, where I found that, in the year 1570, he held, under William Clopton, of Clopton, Esquire, a field, of about fourteen acres, known by the name of " Ingon, alias Ington meadowe," situated at a small distance from that estate which his son afterwards purchased'. Of

9 "Stratford super Avon. Vis fra Pleg. cum cur. et Session pais tent.ibm. secundo die Octobris annis regnorum Philippi et Marie, Dei gratia, &c. tertio et quarto [October 2, 1556].

"It. pre. [presentant] quod Georgius Turnor alienavit Johë Shakespere et hered. suis unum tent. cum gardin. et croft. cum pertinent in Grenehyll stret, tent. de Dño libe P cart. Predd. inde dão Pannu vid et sect. cur. et ide Johes pd. in cur, fecit dño fidelitatem P eisdem.

"It. quod Edwardus West alienavit pd. eo Johe Shakespere unu tent. cum gardin. adjacen. in Henley street P redd. inde dño

ann. vid. et sect. cur. et idē Johes pd. in cur. fecit fidelitatem." Greenhill-street, where one of these houses was situated, was at the end of Rother-street, and seems to have been partaker more of the country than the town; for in the leet, Oct. 1, 1557, I find the following entry: "Raf Hilton [presented] for his wyfe beyng a hedge-breker, and takynge and carryeng away of Nichols hedge in Grenehyll stret. And he stands amersyd."

In an indenture made June 11, 1581, is (in substance) the following recital: "Whereas William Clopton by a former in

this little farm, the annual rent was eight pounds 2; which is above eleven shillings an acre, and near three times more than the usual rent of that time. Some peculiar circumstances attending the ground must have been the occasion of so high a price having been paid for it. Probably there was a good dwelling-house and orchard upon it 3.

In the short notes, which I have had occasion particularly to consider, the heralds mention that Mr.

denture tripartite dated Dec. 11, 13 Eliz. [1570] and enrolled, between William Clopton and William Sheldon of the first part, Rice Griffin of the second part, and Edward Griffin of the third part, in consideration of 15507. did fully and absolutely give, grant, bargain and sell to the said Rice Griffin all and singular the lands, tenements, &c. in Bishop Hampton, Stratford upon Avon, Ingon, the old towne of Stratford, &c. in the said former indenture particularly mentioned, that is to say, one leasehold or pasture, &c. .... and also one other freehold with the appurtenants, called or known by the name of Ingon alias Ington meadowe, containing by estimation fourteen acres, be it more or less, then in the occupation of John Shaxpere or his assigns." Rot. Claus. 23 Eliz. p. 10.

This spelling of our author's name, which, as we have already seen, was then very common, ascertains beyond a doubt how it was pronounced in his own time.

2 This appears from an indenture made May 30, 1568, between William Clopton, Esq. of the one part, and Sir Robert Throckmorton, Sir Thomas Lucy, Knight, Edmond Plowden, Esq. Ralph, son of William Sheldon, Esq. William Underhill, of Newbold Revel, in the county of Warwick, Esq. John Acombis, of Stratford upon Avon, in the said county of Warwick, gentleman (and others), on the other part. Claus. 10 Eliz. p. 13. Ingon meadow was not then in the possession of John Shakspeare.

3 This meadow, it is observable, is described as "a freehold, with the appurtenances." See Claus. 13 Eliz. p. 6, and 23 Eliz. p. 10.

John Shakspeare was a justice of peace; from which, however, we are not to suppose that he was in the commission of the peace for the county of Warwick. He was, in fact, only a justice of peace in Stratford, during the year when he exercised the office of bailiff, and the year when he was elected chief or capital alderman; each of whom, while they filled those stations, were invested, by the charter, with the full power and authority belonging to a justice of peace, within the precincts of the borough. Lest, however, any doubt should be entertained on this subject, I think proper to add, that I have examined a manuscript list of the justices of peace, in each county in England, made, in the year 1579, by order of Lord Burghley, and that the name of John Shakspeare is not found among them.

4 See the list of aldermen in a lease made to Ralf Cawdrey in the year 1555, p. 71, n. 2.

5 MSS. Reg. 18 D. 3.

Another paper in the same volume furnishes a remarkable proof of the inaccuracy of our ancestors in the computation of miles; and which, therefore, may be worth recording, though not connected with the present subject. It contains an account of the posts which, it is said, were laid towards Ireland, "for her majesties speedier and better service, both for the carrying of packets and expedition of messengers," in 1579, 1580, and 1581. The road through Lichfield to Chester is estimated at one hundred and thirty-three miles; and from Chester through Rhydland and Beaumarris to Holyhead, at fifty-four miles. Total from London to Holyhead, one hundred and eighty-seven miles. The real distance is two hundred and seventy-eight miles. At that time one packet-boat only sailed every week from Holyhead to Dublin.

SECTION VII.

In the age of Queen Elizabeth, to read and write, it is well known, was not nearly so common as at present, but was considered a valuable accomplishment. Fitzherbert, about thirty years before she ascended the throne, advises those gentlemen in the country, who could not write, to aid their memory by making notches on a stick. About the time of our poet's birth, the majority of the corporation of Stratford appear to have been entitled to the eulogy bestowed by Jack Cade upon those who "do not use to write their names, but have a mark of their own, like honest plain-dealing men; " for out of nineteen persons who signed a paper, relative to one of their body who had been elected bailiff, ten of whom were aldermen, and the rest burgesses, seven only could write their names; and among the twelve marksmen is found John Shakspeare'. To the order that has furnished me with

6" The Boke of Husbandry, very profitable and necessarie for all persons." 8vo. 1534.

7 The mark of the bailiff is thus pompously introduced: "The sign manuel of George Whateley, high Bailiff." Among the aldermen, Roger Sadler, Ralph Cawdrey, and Lewis ap Williams, make their marks. Adrian Quiney, Humphrey Plymley, William Smythe, mercer, William Bott, and Richard Hill, sign their names.

The mark of John Shakspeare is considerably below his name, in consequence of the town clerk's having written it so close to the name immediately above, that if he had made his mark directly opposite to his name, it would have intrenched on that of the person who preceded him. It was, indeed, his usual custom to set his mark lower than his name. In the latter part of his VOL. II.

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