On her marriage Anne left the cottage and lived in John Shakespeare’s house on Henley Street – now known as Shakespeare’s birthplace. Their first child was born in 1583 and twins in 1585. In 1590 Shakespeare left for London. WE then enter a period of darkness and Shakespeare does not emerge again until 1592 with the performances of his first plays. We do not know if Anne ever visited him in London but they did remain married until her death and Shakespeare financially supported her.


But what was in London for Shakespeare that would compel him to leave his wife and children? There are various reports that he became a soldier, a law clerk, butcher, glover, scrivener (a clerk or scribe), or merchant. One story even puts a young Shakespeare in London, holding horses outside of theatres for patrons.
This seems all very unlikely. Shakespeare’s Father had held a position of great esteem in Stratford – High Bailiff. But John Shakespeare then lost everything in 1576 because he had been illegally trading in wool and also money lending but also possibly because he was a Catholic.

Shakespeare would have been 12. One of John’s responsibilities was to arrange for payment of troupes of actors visiting Stratford so it is a reasonable bet that Shakespeare saw many plays and met groups of London actors. He would also have seen and perhaps performed in plays at school and studied Ovid.

What is fact is that there had been severe trouble between Thomas Lucy and the Arden family. Shakespeare’s mother was Mary Arden. The family were Catholics and Thomas Lucy, an ardent Protestant, chased them down. It was chasing Catholics that had earned him his knighthood. In 1582 Edward Arden, the head of the family and thought to be second cousin to Mary Arden, was arrested for his part in a conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth and was executed in 1583 the year after Shakespeare got married. Edwards son-in-law, John Somerville who was thought by Lord Burghley to be insane, had openly offered threats against Queen Elizabeth and he was put to the rack and as a result implicated several others. He was to be executed but was found strangled in his cell. So there was good reason for Shakespeare to have hated Thomas Lucy and wanted to make a life in London instead.

Shakespeare was supposed to have written a ballad that became very popular although there is no evidence of Shakespeare’s involvement.
It goes

A parliament member, a justice of peace,
At home a poor scarecrow, at London an ass,
If lousy is Lucy as some folks miscall it
Then Lucy is lousy whatever befall it

The Lucy luces (pike) in the coat of arms become louses.

He was also supposed to have satirised Lucy as Justice Shallow in Henry IV, Part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor.

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