Bellott v. Mountjoy: Witness Book listing Shakespeare and others to be examined on Bellott's behalf in Easter Term

Shown here is the Witness Book, from Easter term 1612, for the first round of depositions in Bellott v. Mountjoy. The lawsuit, begun on January 28, 1612, was between Stephen Bellott and Christopher Mountjoy, head of a French Huguenot family living in Silver Street in Cripplegate Ward, just north of Cheapside and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Members of the household included Christopher and Marie Mountjoy, their only child Mary, and Stephen Bellott, an apprentice in the family business, the fabrication of elaborate and fashionable headpieces called “tires.” The lawsuit concerns negotiations which led to the marriage of Stephen and Mary on November 19, 1604. Bellott complains that his father-in-law subsequently reneged on an agreement to support the young couple financially. On May 11, 1612, William Shakespeare deposed as a witness. Depositions in the case reveal that Shakespeare, then a lodger in the Mountjoy household, had been engaged to persuade Bellott to enter the marriage.

The Court of Requests initiated three rounds of depositions in Bellott v. Mountjoy. In each round, Stephen Bellott is identified as the complainant, and Christopher Mountjoy as the defendant. Here, for the first round, on behalf of the complainant, the witnesses are identified as Daniel Nicholas, Joan Johnson wife of Thomas Johnson, and William Shakespeare, gentleman. The depositions for the first round were given on May 11, 1612.

Twenty-six documents survive from Bellott v. Mountjoy. This is one of twelve documents that refers to Shakespeare explicitly or implicitly (including one with his signature). The lawsuit is generally unremarkable and Shakespeare’s involvement is minor. However, the case does contribute to our understanding of Shakespeare's life: that in 1604 he was living in Silver Street with a family of French Huguenot tiremakers. In 1909 Charles William Wallace and his wife Hulda Berggren Wallace discovered Bellott v. Mountjoy in the Public Records Office, now The National Archives.