This document discovered at Shakespeare’s home may rewrite the story of his family

Getting to the bottom of historical events can be a labor-intensive process of analyzing objects and digging through archives. However, thanks to digital technology and research libraries making their troves of resources available online, the endeavor has been made somewhat easier these days.

Just such resources helped Professor Matthew Steggle, from the Department of English at Bristol University, reveal who the real author of a religious document found in William Shakespeare’s family home in Stratford-upon-Avon.

150-year-old Shakespearean mystery solved

Discovered hidden in the rafters by a bricklayer around the year 1770, the parchment document is a religious tract that espoused “radical” religious beliefs. The writer pledged to die a good Catholic death and it had long be attributed to the famous playwright’s father John as it was signed ‘J. Shakespeare’.

“I will willingly accept of death in whatsoever manner it may befall me, conforming my will unto the will of God; accepting of the same in satisfaction for my sins and giving thanks unto his divine majesty for the life he hath bestowed upon me,” part of the document read.

Being a Catholic in Elizabethan England was a dangerous proposition as people risked being tortured for their faith. John Shakespeare was said to have been a devout Protestant until his death in 1601. This lead many to believe the document was either a forgery or that he was actually a zealous secret Catholic.

However, the document contained many citations from an obscure 17th century Italian religious text called The Last Will and Testament of the Soul, which gave Steggle a starting point for his research into its providence. Using Google Books and other internet archives, he was able to track down early Italian editions as well as others in six other languages.

His findings prove that the religious tract was from several years after John died, meaning that he could not have written the document that was found in 1770. However, there was another ‘J. Shakespeare’ in the family, William’s younger sister Joan.

Steggle argues that she is the only possible person that could’ve written the document. He credits the availability of digital library resources for aiding him in his discovery.

“Even thirty years ago, a researcher approaching a problem like this would have been based in a single big research library, using printed catalogues and even card catalogues to try to find copies of this text,” he explained in a statement posted by Bristol University.

“But research libraries have now made many of their resources available digitally, so that it is possible to look across many different libraries in different countries at once, and what’s more, you can look through the whole text, not just at the title and other details.”

This is highlighted by the fact that in many cases, only a single copy of The Last Will and Testament of the Soul survives. Furthermore, those individual copies are scattered across various libraries throughout Europe.

Who was William Shakespeare’s sister?

Joan lived from 1569 to 1646, and very little is known about her. She is only mentioned by name in seven surviving documents from her lifetime. It is thought that Joan married a penniless tradesman, and they had four children together.

She outlived her husband and famous brother by 30 years, quietly living out her life in part of the old Shakespeare family house. She was the only significant living relative of the playwright other than his wife, Anne Hathaway, and two daughters, Susanna and Judith.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.