John Hall (physician) facts for kids
John Hall (born in 1575, died on November 25, 1635) was a doctor, also known as a physician. He is famous for being the son-in-law of the well-known writer William Shakespeare.
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Early Life and Medical Career
John Hall was born in a place called Carlton, Bedfordshire. He went to Queens' College, Cambridge starting in 1589. He earned his first degree in 1593 and a master's degree in 1597.
Even though he didn't get a medical degree in England, he became a successful doctor. Some people think he might have studied medicine in France. He set up his medical practice in Stratford-upon-Avon. At that time, he was the only doctor in the whole town.
Family Life in Stratford
On June 5, 1607, John Hall married Susanna, who was William Shakespeare's daughter. They had one daughter together named Elizabeth.
Their family home in Stratford was called Hall's Croft. Today, you can visit this house as a museum. After Shakespeare passed away, John and Susanna moved into his old house, New Place.
John Hall and his father-in-law, William Shakespeare, seemed to have a good relationship. Records show they agreed on a local issue about land in 1613. They even traveled to London together for business in 1614.
A Local Disagreement
John Hall was a strong supporter of the Puritan faith in his community. He backed the local Puritan vicar, Thomas Wilson, who faced some opposition from others in town.
There was a disagreement involving John Hall and a person named Lane. On July 15, the Halls took their complaint about Lane to a local court. A man named Robert Whatcott, who later witnessed Shakespeare's will, spoke in favor of the Halls. Lane did not show up to the court. Lane was found to be in the wrong and was removed from the church community. He was later involved in a protest against the vicar, Wilson.
His Medical Writings
John Hall kept detailed notes about the medical cases he treated. He wrote these notes in two notebooks, hoping they would be published one day.
After Hall's death, a surgeon named James Cooke (1614–1688) bought these notebooks. Cooke translated them from Latin into English. He published them in 1657, which was 22 years after John Hall died. The book was titled Select observations on English bodies, or Cures both empericall and historicall performed upon very eminent persons in desperate diseases.
The earliest case in his notes from Stratford dates back to 1611. This shows that Hall was living and working as a doctor in Stratford at least since he got married. One of his original notebooks still exists today, but the second one has been lost.
Portrayals in Media
John Hall's life and the disagreement he had have been featured in plays and films:
- The play The Herbal Bed by Peter Whelan is based on the slander case. In the first performance of this play, Liam Cunningham played the role of John Hall.
- Tom Hiddleston played John Hall in the TV film A Waste of Shame: The Mystery of Shakespeare and His Sonnets. This film was shown on BBC Four on November 22, 2005.
- Hadley Fraser played him in the 2018 movie All Is True, which was directed by Kenneth Branagh.
