Page from Annotated Copy of Hall's Chronicle
One of the most significant discoveries in Shakespeare studies was made by Alan Keen on June 22, 1940. On that date, Keen came across a copy of Hall’s Chronicle (1548) 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.
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 placed his copy of Hall’s Chronicle on loan with the British Library, where it is catalogued in the Manuscripts Reading Room as Loan 61. A microfilm copy is available (Micro. 146176).
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 copies of the last will and testament of Sir Richard Newport and other documents related to the annotated copy of Hall's Chronicle.
DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE ANNOTATED COPY OF HALL'S CHRONICLE
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 now 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 now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1538
Last will and testament, dated 27 November 1538, of Roger Corbet, uncle of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle now in the British Library 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 now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1550
Last will and testament, dated 22 September 1550, of Anne Corbet, aunt of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1558
Bill of complaint stating that Roger Corbet, whose sister Joanna Corbet was the mother of Sir Richard Newport, owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare, was a ward of the 13th Earl of Oxford
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 now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1565
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 now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1570
Last will and testament, dated 11 September 1570, of Sir Richard Newport, uncle of Humphrey Martyn, addressee of the Langham Letter, and the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be 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 now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare
1593
Last will and testament, dated 20 March 1593, of Dame Margaret Newport, wife of Sir Richard Newport, the owner of a copy of Hall's Chronicle now in the British Library containing annotations thought to be by Shakespeare