After William Shakespeare made his name in London, established himself as a gentleman at home, he returned to Stratford Upon Avon to seek his status as a gentleman, acquiring not only a coat of arms, but the second largest house in town. New Place was brought with considerable legal wrangling, however, and the story of how Shakespeare came to own his famous house is filled with fights, suspicion, murder, and even a few ghosts. It’s a tale fit for a playwright and here to share this story with us is the man who wrote the book on the Shakespeare history of Stratford Upon Avon, the author of Shakespeare’s Country Families, Mr. John Taplin.

John’s book represents over a decade worth of what he calls “sifting through many a quiet archive shelf” combing over documents, records, and legal language to piece together the story of Shakespeare’s life from the little details a shrewd historical investigator like John can uncover with enough patience to sort it out.

John began working Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 2002, where his inspiration for this project first began. Now also a successful author about Shakespeare, John regularly contributes articles and scholarly research to the Shakespeare history community. We are delighted he has agreed to share some of his time with us today.