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Miscellaneous documents: Stratford-upon-Avon corporation
November 24,
1598

BRU15/1/124 recto

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BRU15/1/124 recto
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Institution Rights and Document Citation

 

Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

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The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has graciously contributed images under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical ShareAlike 4.0 International license.  Visitors may download, link to and cite the images for personal research only. Any further use, including, but not limited to, unauthorized downloading or distribution of the images, commercial or third party use, is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to request additional use, at: images.scla@shakespeare.org.uk

Document-specific information
Creator: Daniel Baker
Title: Miscellaneous documents: Stratford-upon-Avon corporation
Date: November 24, 1598
Repository: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: BRU15/1/124
View online bibligraphic record

Item Creator
Daniel Baker
Item Title
Miscellaneous documents: Stratford-upon-Avon corporation
Item Date
November 24, 1598
Repository
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call Number
BRU15/1/124

BRU15/1/124 verso

View Image Assets
BRU15/1/124 verso
Click image to enlarge

Institution Rights and Document Citation

 

Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Terms of use
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has graciously contributed images under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical ShareAlike 4.0 International license.  Visitors may download, link to and cite the images for personal research only. Any further use, including, but not limited to, unauthorized downloading or distribution of the images, commercial or third party use, is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to request additional use, at: images.scla@shakespeare.org.uk

Document-specific information
Creator: Daniel Baker
Title: Miscellaneous documents: Stratford-upon-Avon corporation
Date: November 24, 1598
Repository: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: BRU15/1/124
View online bibligraphic record

Item Creator
Daniel Baker
Item Title
Miscellaneous documents: Stratford-upon-Avon corporation
Item Date
November 24, 1598
Repository
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call Number
BRU15/1/124

Institution Rights and Document Citation

 

Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Terms of use
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has graciously contributed images under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical ShareAlike 4.0 International license.  Visitors may download, link to and cite the images for personal research only. Any further use, including, but not limited to, unauthorized downloading or distribution of the images, commercial or third party use, is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to request additional use, at: images.scla@shakespeare.org.uk

Document-specific information
Creator: Daniel Baker
Title: Miscellaneous documents: Stratford-upon-Avon corporation
Date: November 24, 1598
Repository: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: BRU15/1/124
View online bibligraphic record

Robert Bearman, "Letter from Daniel Baker to Richard Quiney including a possible reference to the money with which William Shakespeare’s help might be procured," Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/443.

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, BRU15/1/124. See Shakespeare Documentedhttps://doi.org/10.37078/443.

While in London during the autumn of 1598, Richard Quiney received at least four letters from Daniel Baker, written on October 17, October 26, November 13 and November 24, the last of which is shown here. Baker addresses Quiney as his uncle, and refers to Quiney’s wife as his aunt. This is difficult to explain but Baker was related to Sturley (who addresses Quiney as his brother) through his marriage to Joan, a step-daughter of Richard Hill, whose daughter Ann, by Hill’s first marriage, was Sturley’s wife.

Baker’s four letters deal exclusively with his own business dealings, and in particular debts which he owed to London dealers. In the letter shown here, he mentions a sum of £4 7s. 0d. due to Leonard Kempson, a feature in all four letters. Baker also refers to larger sums, first detailed in his letter of October 26, due to Francis Evington and Randolph Woolley. He had hoped that Sir Edward Greville, who was apparently £70 in his debt, would arrange to meet some of Baker’s obligations but there had clearly been delay and misunderstandings.

While detailing these, he mentions that he had learned from his “Aunt Quiney” (Richard’s wife) that Quiney was about to receive £20 or £30 in London. Baker goes on to suggest that part of this amount could be used as a stop-gap measure to meet some of his obligations. This has generally been taken to refer to the money Quiney had sought Shakespeare’s help in procuring. This may well have been the case, although the complex web of interlocking debts revealed by these, and others, letters could provide another explanation.
   
The letter, when folded and sealed, was addressed to “my Lovinge vnckle Mr Rychard Quyne of Stretford at the Signe of the bell in Carter Lane.”

Semi-diplomatic transcription

[recto]

Vnckle Quyne my Commendacions done etc I vnderstand by your Letter to Mr Alderman
that Mr Kympton is not yet paide his 4li 7s which I much marvayle of for that that
I appointed Mr Barber to appoint iijli to bee paide to Mr Kympton thys last
weeke yff hee weare not payd beefore otherwise to pay the 3li to Mr Woolly
& the monie was payde to Mr Woolly wherby it should seeme that Mr
Kympton was payd beefore. I pray you Know ceartainly yff hee bee payd &
yff not then vse som meanes eyther to pay hym speedely or eles send mee
word that I may sent it hym for I am ashamed that hee is so longe
unpayd. my Aunt Quyne telleth mee that you are to Receaue 20 or 30li
In London & that you will pay som monie for mee yff neede bee: &
in that Resspect I have Lent her som monie allredy to serve her occations
so yff you can pay mee 20li then disschardge Mr Kympton & the Ressadew pay
to Mr ffrauncis Evington at the Checker in watling street: yff Sir Edward
Grevile haue payd hym 10li then doo you pay hym 10li more. yff Sir Edward paid hym non then
pay Mr Evington 15li yff you can. or 20li yff your monie will hould owt: and
then yff you have any more spare monie Leave 10li for mee with my Cossen Vnderhill
uppon ludgate hyll. & I will write to hym wheer to pay it for mee. but yff you
thinck that you shall not haue monie for mee Let mee know with all speed that
I may otherwise provid & so in great haste I comyt you to god Stretford 24 November 1598

Yours ever  Daniell Baker 

[verso, endorsed: image rotated 180 degrees]

To my Lovinge vnckle Mr Rychard
Quyne of Stretford at the
Signe of the bell in Carter
​Lane give these

Written by Robert Bearman

Last updated May 11, 2020