10-11 Carter Lane

Make sure that you are at position 10 on the map.

The plaque commemorates a letter sent by Richard Quiney, a mercer, and council official from Stratford-upon-Avon, to William Shakespeare, asking for a loan of £30.

But why a plaque for a letter? Well, this is the only surviving letter to, or from William Shakespeare.  It is now held by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on Stratford.

It is not known if WS came up with the money, and it is thought that the letter was never sent as it was found in Quiney's effects when he died.  This might have been because WS was also in London at the time and he was personally visited.  It is known that WS knew Quiney as later on in 1616 (just before WS died) Shakespeare's younger daughter Judith married Quiney's son Thomas.

See here for more information: http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/exhibition/document/only-surviving-letter-shakespeare-letter-richard-quiney-asking-shakespeares

Now move further down Carter Lane until you get to Wardrobe Place on the left (11 on the map).  Go into Wardrobe place.

Wardrobe Place is so named because it is the site of the the Royal Wardrobe, sometimes called the Kings Wardrobe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Wardrobe

The Wardrobe was the place that royal clothes were made, mended and stored, not only for the royals themselves, but also for royal servants. When James I first came to London in 1604, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (the players company that WS belonged to) became the Kings Men.  As such, they became royal servants.  So, in order that they could be part of the celebrations, the important people in the Kings Men, were issued with four and a half yards of scarlet cloth each, so that they could have costumes made to appear in the celebrations.

He is listed first in the Players section of the account of the Master of the Great Wardrobe, recording the issue of red cloth to Shakespeare and his fellows for the entry of King James I into London.

See  http://www.shakespearedocumented.org/exhibition/document/account-master-great-wardrobe-recording-issue-red-cloth-shakespeare-and-his for more details.

Now go out of Wardrobe place, turn left and continue down Carter Lane.  Turn left into St Andrew's Hill and continue down looking for a plaque on the wall on the right (12 on the map).  Information about this is in the next stage.

This will be explained in the next Stage.


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