Sources
The sources used on this page, grouped. Each also appears under the exhibit it supports.
Primary records and public-domain editions
- Malone, The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare, 1790, vol. 1 pt. 2 (the Spiritual Testament, pp. 162 to 166, 330 to 331)
- Halliwell-Phillipps, Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare, 8th ed. 1889, vol. 2 (the Malone and Jordan letters)
- Boswell-Malone Variorum, 1821, vol. II
- Chambers, William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems, 1930, vol. II
- Chambers, Shakespearean Gleanings, 1944 (the Hoghton will)
- Piccope, Lancashire and Cheshire Wills, Chetham Society 1860
- Peel, The Seconde Parte of a Register, 1915, vol. 2 (the Frith entry)
- Greg, The Book of Sir Thomas More, Malone Society 1911
- Bowden, The Religion of Shakespeare, 1899
- Stopes, Shakespeare’s Family, 1901
- Furnivall and Munro, The Troublesome Reign of King John, 1913
- The 1592 Warwickshire certificate, EHD transcription (Warwick University)
- Shakespeare’s will, Internet Shakespeare Editions transcription
- Act of Uniformity 1559, Act against Jesuits 1585, Act against Recusants 1593 (Hanover Historical Texts)
- The Articles of Religion, 1662 text
- Campion’s Brag (EWTN library)
- The Phoenix and the Turtle (RPO)
- Lee, DNB, Shakespeare, William
- Thurston, “The Religion of Shakespeare”, Catholic Encyclopedia 1912
- Collins, “Shakespeare’s Religion”, Baptist Quarterly 1945
- The Rambler, 1854 (EWTN library)
Shakespeare Documented (Folger)
- Baptism, 26 April 1564
- John Shakespeare’s 1568 precept as bailiff
- Corporation meeting, 19 November 1578
- Conveyance to Robert Webbe, 1579
- Exchequer account of King’s Bench fines, 1580
- Bishop’s register entry, marriage licence, 27 November 1582
- Baptism of Hamnet and Judith, 1585
- Removal as alderman, 6 September 1586
- Lane v. Shakespeare, 1587
- Second certificate of the Warwickshire commissioners, 25 September 1592
- Grant of arms, draft 1, 1596
- Draft exemplification of arms, 1599
- London lay subsidy roll, 1598
- Susanna Shakespeare cited, 5 May 1606
- Bellott v. Mountjoy, final order 1612
- Blackfriars Gatehouse purchase, 1613
- Burial, 25 April 1616
- The Halls granted a seat, 1633
- Henry Jackson letter in Fulman MS 304 (cited for Fulman and Davies)
Scholarship
- Steggle, “John Shakespeare’s ‘Spiritual Testament’ Is Not John Shakespeare’s”, Shakespeare Quarterly 75.1 (2024); PDF mirror
- Steggle, “William Shakeshafte, Player” (Bristol record)
- Bearman 2003 as summarised and answered by Bridgman, SHAKSPER 2004; Dennis Taylor, SHAKSPER 2004
- Parry and Enis, OUP blog 2021
- Orlin, OUP blog 2022
- Kastan, A Will to Believe, reviewed in THE 2014; NCR on Kastan
- Shell, Shakespeare and Religion, Living Church review; Church Times review
- Greenblatt, Hamlet in Purgatory (Project MUSE); Cantor’s review
- Beauregard, “Shakespeare on Monastic Life”, 2001; Beauregard, Renascence 2015
- Honigmann, Connotations
- Shaheen’s Biblical References, reviewed by Strittmatter 1995; Ryken 2009
- Alsop, “Religious Preambles”, JEH 1989
- Burke, British Catholic History 1977
- Lawrence, Renaissance Studies 2013 (Southwell and “W.S.”)
- Jensen, Religion and Revelry; Goldman on The Winter’s Tale
- ISE, King John critical survey; ISE, Harsnett introduction
- Miola, First Things 2008; Cox 2009; McCoog, Thinking Faith 2011; Mirus 2008
- Shapiro on Asquith (Banner of Truth reprint); Barton, NYRB 2006
- Bate, Spectator 2012
- Sillars, NJES 2005
- Faber, Christian Scholar’s Review 2025
- Boston College on Dennis Taylor 2023
- Liverpool Hope on Torevell, Schneeberger and Taylor 2025
- ODNB, Shakespeare (Holland)
- Stone, NYRB 1977; Haigh, Historical Journal 1978
- CIA Historical Review, “The English Mission” (on Gerard’s Autobiography)
Folger pages and other reference
- Folger Collation, “Censorship and the Valladolid Folio”; catalogue record; collection highlight
- Folger, Responding to Measure for Measure
- Folger, Oldcastle and Falstaff
- Folger, Blackfriars Gatehouse deed
- Folger blog, Shakespeare in the News, December 2025
- Folgerpedia, The Phoenix and the Turtle
- Folger Shakespeare play texts: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Measure for Measure, Romeo and Juliet, King John, Henry V, Henry VIII, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest
- LEMDO Douai Shakespeare Manuscript, Textual Essay
- Catholic Herald on the Saint-Omer First Folio
- Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, The Great Doom; The Halls; Mary Arden
- Giles, Internet Archaeology 2017; The Conversation on the Guild Chapel
- The Shakespeare Blog (Morris), Susanna; Gunpowder; Mary Arden
- Eric Sams archive, Stratford kinsfolk; Sams, “The Shakespeare Mystery”
- h2g2, Shakespeare’s will and his beneficiaries
- princehamlet.com on the Testament
- Tudor Society, Edward Arden; Catholic Encyclopedia, Edward Arden
- Catholic Encyclopedia, Penal Laws; Agnus Dei; Campion
- National Archives, Recusant Rolls E 377; National Archives blog on the will
- Gunpowder Plot Society: Baddesley, Hindlip, Grant, Rookwood, Garnet
- National Trust, Coughton Court; Harvington Hall; Tudor Times, Leopards and Little John; Lyons on Topcliffe; Britannica, English Martyrs
- Hoghton Tower, history page
- Portsmouth Institute, past symposia
- Shakespeare Navigators on Bryant; Tempest Epilogue notes
- ISE, “Bare ruined choirs”
- SEDARC, King Lear teacher hub (on Greenblatt)
- WSU, Brooke’s Romeus
- Richard Wilson, “Shakespeare and the Jesuits”, TLS 1997 (mirror)
- Wikipedia: Religious views of William Shakespeare, John Shakespeare, Joan Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s will, Thomas Lucy, Thomas Cottam, Robert Dibdale, Robert Catesby, Henry Garnet, Ben Jonson, Richard Field, Robert Southwell, Anne Line, Richard Topcliffe, John Gerard, Nicholas Owen, Flower portrait, Hamnet (film), Will (TV series), Equivocation
News and press
- University of Bristol, “Shakespeare’s Sister Speaks”, 25 March 2024
- Pearce, Catholic World Report, 26 April 2024
- Pearce, The Catholic Thing, 2022; Pearce, NCRegister, 2023
- CNN via KTVZ, Munro and the Blackfriars house, 15 April 2026
- NCRegister, “Shakespeare’s Secret Faith”, 2011
- Pearce, Imaginative Conservative, January 2025
- America, September 2009; America on Equivocation, 2009
- TVLine on Will, 2017; Fine Books 2017
- TES on In Search of Shakespeare, 2003; SHAKSPER on Wood, July 2003
- Independent Catholic News on All Is True, 2019
- The Numbers, Hamnet; Arlington Catholic Herald on Hamnet; The Catholic Thing on Hamnet, 2026
- Marketing Lancashire on Shakeshafte, 2017
- Times Higher Education, 1997 (the Hoghton claim)
- SHAKSPER on Winstanley, December 2017; SHAKSPER, June 2002; SHAKSPER, July 2001; SHAKSPER, April 2008; Duncan-Jones on SHAKSPER, November 2003
- Mere Orthodoxy summarising Miola, 2008
- Kirkus on Wills, Witches and Jesuits