Page from Annotated Copy of Hall's Chronicle
One of the most significant discoveries in Shakespeare studies was made by Alan Keen on 22 June 1940 when he came across a copy of Hall’s Chronicle (1550) containing numerous handwritten annotations which correspond closely to the early history play, The Famous Victories Of Henry The Fifth, as demonstrated by Keen in 1954 in The Annotator, and by Seymour Pitcher in 1961 in The Case For Shakespeare’s Authorship Of The Famous Victories. For the annotations, see pp. 1-22, 23-46, 47-69, and 70-93.
Among the annotations is the name 'Edward', once written (see image below), and once pricked out with a pin.
Surviving copies of Oxford’s correspondence are in an italic hand. However, features of the secretary hand in Hall’s Chronicle strongly resemble Oxford’s italic hand, and it seems likely that a comparison of the two hands by handwriting experts would demonstrate that Oxford wrote the annotations in Keen’s copy of Hall’s Chronicle.
Alan Keen left the annotated Hall's Chronicle as security for loans totalling £15,000 to Tudor Players (Rufford) Ltd., incorporated as a private limited company, Number 00489559, under a memorandum of association dated 18 December 1950, and dissolved 17 May 1973. In 1968, three trustees for Tudor Players (Rufford) Ltd., Roger Fleetwood Hesketh, Cuthbert Fleetwood Hesketh, and John Anthony Sanderson Hall, placed the annotated Hall’s Chronicle on loan with the British Library, where for four decades it was catalogued in the Manuscripts Reading Room as Loan 61. In 2007 it was withdrawn from the British Library by Lady Hesketh as 'sole surviving trustee' 'of the Settlements that are the owners of this book', and placed at Lancaster University. It was withdrawn from Lancaster University in 2010, and since then has been in the possession of Lord and Lady Hesketh as trustee for Tudor Players (Rufford). The volume is now at Eton College, Windsor. A microfilm copy (Micro. 146176) is available at the British Library.
A modern spelling version of the annotations and a detailed discussion of the provenance of Alan Keen’s copy of Hall’s Chronicle are available in issues 32, 33, 34, 39 and 56 of the Edward De Vere Newsletter on this website.
Below are images of the name 'Edward' and of the signatures of Sir Richard Newport in the annotated Hall's Chronicle, as well as transcripts of the wills of Sir Richard Newport and others, and a pedigree chart showing the relationships between the Newport, Corbet, Bromley, Trentham and Sneyd families and the Earls of Oxford.
DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE ANNOTATED COPY OF HALL'S CHRONICLE
IMAGES
Annotated Hall's Chronicle, f. 13v
The name 'Edward' written in the annotated copy of Hall's Chronicle. Compare with the handwriting of BL Lansdowne 6/25, f. 79, written when Oxford was thirteen years of age. The name 'Edward' is also pricked out with a pin on f. 81v in the section on Henry VIII. There is also a symbol pricked out with a pin on f. 47r in the section on Edward IV.
Annotated Hall's Chronicle, f. 32r
Signature of Sir Richard Newport in the annotated copy of Hall's Chronicle
Annotated Hall's Chronicle, f. 45r
Signature of Sir Richard Newport in the annotated copy of Hall's Chronicle
Annotated Hall's Chronicle, f. 114r
Initials of Sir Richard Newport and the date '6 April 1565' in the annotated copy of Hall's Chronicle
1500
Last will and testament, dated 19 August 1500, of Robert Harding, whose nephew, Robert Harding, was the grandfather of John Pakington, who married Elizabeth Newport, the sister of Sir Richard Newport, owner of a copy of Hall’s Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1509
Last will and testament, dated 23 April 1509, of Sir Robert Corbet, father-in-law of Thomas Newport, whose son, Sir Richard Newport, was the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1512
Last will and testament, dated 14 September 1512, of John Newport, grandfather of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lord Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1515
Last will and testament, dated 22 August 1515, of Robert Harding, grandfather of John Pakington, who married Elizabeth Newport, the sister of Sir Richard Newport, owner of a copy of Hall’s Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1538
Last will and testament, dated 27 November 1538, of Roger Corbet, ward of the 13th Earl of Oxford, and uncle of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1548
Last will and testament, dated 24 July 1548, of Thomas Newport, father of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lord Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1549
Last will and testament, dated 6 September 1549, of William Harding, uncle of John Pakington, who married Elizabeth Newport, the sister of Sir Richard Newport, owner of a copy of Hall’s Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1550
Last will and testament, dated 22 September 1550, of Anne (nee Windsor) Corbet, wife of Roger Corbet, a ward of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, and aunt of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1555
Last will and testament, dated 14 September 1555, of Humphrey Pakington, whose son, John Pakington, married Elizabeth Newport, sister of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1558
Bill of complaint stating that the wardship of Roger Corbet, whose sister Joanna Corbet was the mother of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare, was sold by the executors of the 13th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 18 December 1558, of George Newport, first cousin of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lord Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1559
Last will and testament, dated 23 March 1559, of William Newport, uncle of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lord Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
Last will and testament, dated 8 November 1559, of Thomas Newport, whose father was a first cousin of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lord Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1561
Last will and testament, dated 28 May 1561, of Thomas Lee, who names as his trustee Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
Last will and testament, dated 26 September 1561, of Reginald Newport, brother of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lady Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1563
Last will and testament, dated 25 August 1563, of Elizabeth Harding Pakington,whose son, John Pakington, married Elizabeth Newport, sister of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1564
Last will and testament, dated 5 October 1564 of Richard Corbet, uncle of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1565
Last will and testament, dated 28 May 1565, of Richard Newport, first cousin of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
Last will and testament, dated 26 August 1565, of Reginald Corbet, uncle of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1570
Last will and testament, dated 11 September 1570, of Sir Richard Newport, brother of Elizabeth Newport, aunt of Humphrey Martyn, addressee of the Langham Letter, and the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lord Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1571
Last will and testament, dated 12 May [1571], of William Sneyd, maternal grandfather of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, whose eldest son, Ralph Sneyd, married the daughter of Sir Richard Newport, owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle thought to contain annotations by Shakespeare
1572
Last will and testament, dated 20 December 1572, of Oxford's brother-in-law, Edward Windsor, 3rd Baron Windsor, nephew of Roger Corbet, a ward of the 13th Earl of Oxford, and uncle of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall’s Chronicle containing annotations thought to have been made by Shakespeare
1583
Last will and testament, dated 24 May 1583, of Walter Corbet, first cousin of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1587
Last will and testament, dated 13 February 1587, of Hugh Newport, brother of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lady Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1593
Last will and testament, dated 20 March 1593, of Margaret Bromley Newport, wife of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lord Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1598
Last will and testament, dated 14 February 1598, of Oxford's half-sister, Katherine de Vere, wife of Edward Windsor, 3rd Baron Windsor, nephew of Roger Corbet, a ward of the 13th Earl of Oxford, and uncle of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall’s Chronicle containing annotations thought to have been made by Shakespeare
1600
Last will and testament, dated 14 December 1600, of Edmund Newport, brother of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle, formerly Loan 61 in the British Library, now in the hands of a trustee, Lady Hesketh, containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1601
Last will and testament, dated 18 August 1601, of Ellen Harding Knyvet Browne, a first cousin of John Pakington, who married Elizabeth Newport, the sister of Sir Richard Newport, owner of a copy of Hall’s Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1622
Last will and testament, dated 18 February 1622, of Sir Francis Newport, son of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare