The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-14
SHAKESPEARE A BUTCHER"
Some Facts Regarding the rr.,,
ton or ITS Apprenticc.b,,

Inc tradition that SndHr.--,,r
~'apprenticcd tu u butcher" has 400.
been tr~iumphIntly ass. rjol IS ,ee.,
10y Bacouiaus. and sl'u,tiua. .'vt
graVely supported u. ShakoSpo,.n
Eu II is well TO study tho u..r,sS
Shahespearian traditions Tic s-,,
record Of It is w Mr.. pond Ms u",.
book. 1893: ~
"Tho clarke that showed mo -.
church is above ~ years old br ,,".
that this ~Shakospcar was f,ruo-ry ~
his own bound approntt :, ~
Butcher. but that he run from be ,,.
ter to London. and there was recely.a
into the play housc'
iialliwell-rhillipps goes out 90, NJ,
way TO urge acceptance If 'r na-r,
tive II should be "rec,ivei win :.
spcct as a faithful record of local ~,
lief. The best au,hor.ty on M,
point X William castle. then r,,.s
clerk. - There can hc no hesi,,,o,
IN receiving his narrative As Oh. ,-u.n'
full report Of 4 tradition accented
There is no allusion TO S-iakesn,a-.
having been a~pprentlced 10 a hu,chs,
In any Of the contemporary notes ,ho,,
his life. writes Charlotte C4rml,baa,
Stokes in the Atb'ndeunl The Len
tenant who visited the church In ls1s
heard nothing of that, though he dd
il'ti TOllI'lnlllt dbluA Nfll hfNfT frt1.flOn
that Shakespeare wrote Satire verses NJ,
John Combe. Spmuel Sro-natd vbn
visited STAFFORD before 1850. SAYS ro.h.
ing about Il John Ward O., dumb ON
that point In 1852, when he writes dow,
what he could CLEAN, and supp,s.s
more han he heard. There IS n, ain.
sion In the Str1tford records either N
the apprenticeship or the breaking a,
his bond. 1, would he very difficult 20
lit either event into his known lf..
Boys were generally apprenticei abou,
~ for seven or eight years. That would
set the date OF apprenticeship about
1873. Just at the beginning OF his father,
troubles. Four years after tina, SHAKE.
speare married; within a yea af,.-
that he vhrl.tensd a child I'm i5Si.S
he christened two-not very suitable
events to 1T into IN apprenticeship ~
al. escape from H. II he had held "a
his apprenticeship until the christening
of his twins lie would hardly have run
away then. Vet apparently William
Castle said So. Nobody else has var
supported him. Who was this Militant.
The CLARKE" said Mr.. Dowlal, bur
There is SOM. doubt as 10 his having
been a clerk" in the ordinary sense o.
the word. There is no record 90 his %.
pointment in the Nestry Book. TIE only
place in which such duties are ref.-.si
90 is the account for 1899 "ptil NJ
Mills his fees and William Castle lis
wages. Is. Cd. paid William Cast, for
a transcript for the last year. and 'or
washing, 6s.' II was IN 1883 tht, Nj
Dowdall met hirn. and apparently IN
the strength OF the transcript ,a.'.i
him clerk. But there is = very full
reference 20 his other post. that ~ ser.
ton, though the date Of his ,ppo.rtnsn,
even OF that l. not given.
IL Aubrey's Brief Lives" So dow
between 1875? and 1895. appear 'hs
earliest suggestion that John shake.
speire was a butcher.
w. Shakespeare. His father wtss
butcher. and | have been tols Heretofore
hy som" Of the neighhors 'ia' Raen
he was a boy he exercised his fathers
trade. but when he killet a .a.f n.
would do Il N u high style Ind make a
speech. There was AT the ! me agot.er
butch rs son IN the town Il II was uel
not At all inferior TO him for q natural
wit. his acquaintance and coe'aHear
dyed young
First as 10 John. In none % 'Ns
many references % him In the ~t.a''lri
records is there the slightes, h.' tat
ne eve was "a butcher" lie g. =.
corded as passing through all 'he g-1i.'
Of municipal offices. and Is f-"gu.7tv
described a. "yeoman" called "u?S'er"
after he had passed the cha.' IN S'-a'.
ford and 'lasscd among tie s-r''"-
mon and frcrholders Of WtrWirNsh'rs"
IN the state Papers Of 1850.
! 90 not see that II could be roSs'h'.
that at any time John Shakespeare
could be DESCRIBED as a 'uu'0:er'
further than that, a. a fayu". .
might have occasionally killed s'rr. ~
49,
tho time might DO. writes Mr. Slopes
II there were a Stratfori butche, jahn
Shakespeare. il must have hesr s1w"
other John than the well known "H.."
Then what becomes Of Wi.,itu 'cN'''
cising his fathers trade 'hu' ~. =
killed a calf he would 40 u ~ ID H'r'
style" Halliwcll-rhilhpps ''""S ~
reason TO doubt tn" a,cura ~ Ns
statement" and writes = lit'o 11o'N"'
about the other butchers s'y We
found that tho only other contemporary
butchers son was Nicholas, ITO s.r
Griffin ap Roberts. born Apr l,''
died June. l5So' III" may ave ''
pr.oo'ious talent" lIallWc'-l' '9''
goes on 20 81, TIA, moro ,.cd't Is &c
Ice given to mo Parish ,1c', 10 's''
than TO Aubrey Eu' II NE Ne" r rN'
and + Shakespeare MAS a~pp.c.''ei a
AL. II would he TO Gr,Nlu tp ~l,o'''s
My own opinion is thar 'h' -t"'
W..'itm CAST who told I''Nt = '"'
ice tho man who told Aunrc.. 80 iH,f
lc had been exercising the profCs-.'. "
sexton !oug hcf1rc 1880. and vas -
most likely man - gossip Wit 4 s'r''
ger such as Aubrey. II Is wei - -
mate al these statements AMI = re
,lcm carefully. 7 AVE SHOW. -
William Castle VS. not one W. 81 a.
thor.ty helped powdall, and 'H. A.
hIC,s informant was ~ rN n4''o'''
in regard TO John. and Wg - ""
mlN,iug for a I'm regard 10 "a
Shakespeare Further, Auhrot ca
transcripts of known "a - iD o'" Use
have hccn proved often % p" r
Nortl,. For instance 10 ar.t.'.
Ben IuNsou. 80 Vhom h" h.'N Nv
moro than a. Shakespeare. 10 "' 'f'.
to say. lie hi'loi Nj NARROW .'
ou Elua.Il coming from tl" ',f." '''
,.ll p~it,hruSc htt"- tp".'i
$50 ! Trims w "n st','
'h, assertion tn,r john ,e'-..
, rui u,u. ta WI ,s to 'r
''ft Wl''!uw ShakcSpc,'" "'r '
p.Cltlrc to ono
Perfectly ,Irar TO rit"t.
In My Varied Life, J.
lips tells an amusing story I'll.
l.~h Judge. the LAT" So ';c.'s
rra.n Nnh moot I'll. -. -..