2 Charles William Wallace 



Certain Hamlet problems are also involved as an essential part 

 of the investigation into the history of the children companies. 



In carrying out his investigations in the Public Record Office 

 concerning "Blackfriars" and "Whitefriars," taking into account 

 all the index subheads, — not only "theater" and "playhouse," 

 but also "lands," "messuages," "rooms," etc., — the writer came 

 in natural course upon the following documents. Aside from 

 being classified they had apparently not seen the light for nearly 

 three hundred years until they came into the present hands. 



These records are the result of a suit in the Court of Chancery 

 in which William Shakespeare was one of the plaintiffs and 

 Mathew Bacon defendant. The suit relates to the titles of cer- 

 tain "dwelling houses or messuages" owned by Shakespeare and 

 fellow plaintiffs a little east of the famous old Blackfriars theater. 



The three documents. Bill, Answer, and Decree, date respect- 

 ively April 26, May 5, and May 22, 161 5, — the closing year of 

 the poet's life. The property in question was formerly owned 

 by the Blackwells and Ann Bacon, widow. According to the 

 custom of placing records of property in private hands for safe 

 keeping in "box, bag, or chist" in lieu of a public repository for 

 such things, certain "deeds, charters, letters patent," etc., essential 

 to the titles of property possessed by Shakespeare and neighbor- 

 ing owners had been "left in trust with Ann Bacon," rightly say 

 the plaintifTs, for their "use and behoof." But "Ann Bacon being 

 lately dead," these papers came into the hands of her son and 

 sole executor, Mathew Bacon, who as defendant denies knowl- 

 edge of any trustship by either his mother or himself. He 

 admits possession of the papers simply as executor and holds 

 he can not make legal delivery vmtil discharged by the court, 

 even though willing. He feels, therefore, the suit is unjust. 



The Lord Chancellor's decision establishes the justice of the 

 cause by granting to Shakespeare and associates the full request 

 made in their Bill. Moreover, he gratuitously suggests that they 

 may take further action to secure themselves if they will. As 

 the decision was of such favorable nature, the plaintiffs had no 

 reason to doubt the Court's just disposition of the papers, and 

 did not avail themselves of the suggested privilege. I find no 

 record of farther suit. 



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