DID JOHN SHAKESPEARE'S FAMILY SUFFER UNDER A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM TO HARASS CATHOLICS?

(Or general harassment of people fined by the crown?)

~ Prof. Glyn Parry of U. Roehampton searched the National Archives for more evidence of John Shakespeare's legal troubles. His discoveries expand our potential for understanding how the family life and legal/political troubles of his father may have shaped the thinking of William Shakespeare:

"The documents Parry found include multiple writs against John Shakespeare, and record his debts to the Crown, including one for £132 – around £20,000 today. They reveal how his property remained at risk of seizure by the Crown, hampering his credit as an entrepreneur, and that this continued until 1583.

"They also connect Shakespeare’s family with what Parry calls “a national scandal: the use of informers to enforce economic and social legislation”. Professional informers were part of a corrupt system which ultimately enriched the Queen and her courtiers….

"Parry believes that the situation would have influenced the teenage Shakespeare’s attitude to “power politics”, particularly when coupled with his schooling….” ~ Might Enforcing social legislation be another way of saying, "Harass the Catholics"?

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[Originally posted around the week of 9/17/18
on LinkedIn]
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Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
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#Shakespeare #Bible #Hamlet #Literature #LiteraryCriticism #Drama #Theatre #EarlyModern #religion #Renaissance #EnglishLiterature