V.a.292, leaf 138 verso
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Document-specific information
Creator: John Ward
Title: Notebook of John Ward [manuscript], 1662-1663.
Date: 1662-1663
Repository: Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, USA
Call number and opening: V.a.292, fols. 150, 140, 138v
View online bibliographic record
V.a.292, leaf 140 recto
Terms of use
Images that are under Folger copyright are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This allows you to use our images without additional permission provided that you cite the Folger Shakespeare Library as the source and you license anything you create using the images under the same or equivalent license. For more information, including permissions beyond the scope of this license, see Permissions. The Folger waives permission fees for non-commercial publication by registered non-profits, including university presses, regardless of the license they use. For images copyrighted by an entity other than the Folger, please contact the copyright holder for permission information.
Document-specific information
Creator: John Ward
Title: Notebook of John Ward [manuscript], 1662-1663.
Date: 1662-1663
Repository: Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, USA
Call number and opening: V.a.292, fols. 150, 140, 138v
View online bibliographic record
V.a.292, leaf 150 recto
Terms of use
Images that are under Folger copyright are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This allows you to use our images without additional permission provided that you cite the Folger Shakespeare Library as the source and you license anything you create using the images under the same or equivalent license. For more information, including permissions beyond the scope of this license, see Permissions. The Folger waives permission fees for non-commercial publication by registered non-profits, including university presses, regardless of the license they use. For images copyrighted by an entity other than the Folger, please contact the copyright holder for permission information.
Document-specific information
Creator: John Ward
Title: Notebook of John Ward [manuscript], 1662-1663.
Date: 1662-1663
Repository: Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, USA
Call number and opening: V.a.292, fols. 150, 140, 138v
View online bibliographic record
Terms of use
Images that are under Folger copyright are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This allows you to use our images without additional permission provided that you cite the Folger Shakespeare Library as the source and you license anything you create using the images under the same or equivalent license. For more information, including permissions beyond the scope of this license, see Permissions. The Folger waives permission fees for non-commercial publication by registered non-profits, including university presses, regardless of the license they use. For images copyrighted by an entity other than the Folger, please contact the copyright holder for permission information.
Document-specific information
Creator: John Ward
Title: Notebook of John Ward [manuscript], 1662-1663.
Date: 1662-1663
Repository: Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, USA
Call number and opening: V.a.292, fols. 150, 140, 138v
View online bibliographic record
Heather Wolfe, "John Ward's notebook: Only known account of Shakespeare's death and other references," Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/211.
Folger Shakespeare Library, V.a.292. See Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/211.
John Ward, vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon and physician, collected extensive notes on religion, medicine, and literature alongside miscellaneous gossip. This notebook contains several references to Shakespeare: the only known account of Shakespeare’s death; a reference to Shakespeare’s earnings, lifestyle, and “natural wit”; a reminder to himself “to peruse Shakespeare’s plays” so that he would not be “ignorant in that matter”; and mention of Shakespeare's two daughters, one whom married the physician John Hall and had a daughter, Lady Barnard of Abington. This is a reference to Shakespeare's grandchild Elizabeth. She married Thomas Nash in 1626, and then John Barnard in 1649.
[fol. 138v]
Shakespeare had but 2 daughters one whereof Mr. Hall the physician married and by her had one daughter, to wit the Lady Bernard of Abingdon.
[fol. 140r]
I have heard that Mr. Shakespeare was a natural wit without any art at all. He frequented the plays all his younger time, but in his elder days lived at Stratford: and supplied the stage with 2 plays every year and for that had an allowance so large that he spent at the rate of £1000 a year as I have heard.
Remember to peruse Shakespeare’s plays and be versed in them that I may not be ignorant in that matter.
[fol. 150r]
Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.
[fol. 138v (bottom of left-hand page)]
Shakespear had but 2 daughters one
whereof M. Hall the physitian married
and by her had one daughter, to wit the
Lady Bernard of Abbingdon.
[fol. 140r (bottom of right-hand page)]
I haue heard that Mr. Shakespeare
was a natural wit without any
art at all. hee frequented the
plays all his younger time, but
in his elder days liud at Strat
ford: and supplied the stage with
2 plays every year and for that
had an allowance so large that
hee spent att the Rate of a 1000l
a yeer as I hayue heard:
Remember to peruse Shake-
spears plays and bee uersd
in them that I may not bee ig=
norant in that matter:
[fol. 150r (top-middle of right-hand page)]
Shakespeare Drayton and
Ben Ihonson had a merry meeting
and it seems drank
too hard for Shakespear died
of a feavour there contracted.
Written by Heather Wolfe
Last updated May 17, 2020
