Wentworth Smith facts for kids

Wentworth Smith (born 1571 – died in or after 1614) was an English writer from the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He wrote plays, but none of his works are still around today. Some people think he might have written some plays that were later thought to be by William Shakespeare.

Life of Wentworth Smith

Wentworth Smith was born in London, England. He was baptized on March 9, 1571, at a church called St James Garlickhythe. His father's name was William Smith.

In 1594, Wentworth married Agnes Gymber. At that time, he worked as a scrivener, which was someone who copied documents and wrote things for others. He kept this job for many years.

Agnes, his first wife, passed away in 1602. Later, in 1607, Wentworth married Mary Poteman. They had two children: Katherine, born in 1607, and a son also named Wentworth, born in 1610. Sadly, his son Wentworth died in 1614. We don't know when Wentworth Smith himself died.

Career as a Playwright

We know Wentworth Smith was a writer because his name appeared in the records of Philip Henslowe. Henslowe was a businessman who owned the Rose Theater in London. He kept detailed notes about the plays and writers he worked with.

Between 1601 and 1603, Smith helped create fifteen plays. These plays were performed by popular acting groups like the Admiral's Men and Worcester's Men. Sometimes he wrote plays by himself, but most of the time he worked with other playwrights.

It's a bit sad, but none of the plays he wrote are still available today. They have all been lost over time. The last time we know for sure that Smith was involved in plays was in 1605. After that, Henslowe stopped writing down the names of the writers, so we don't know if Smith kept writing plays or not.

Plays with "W.S." or "W. Smith"

Some plays from that time were published with the initials "W.S." or "W. Smith" as the author. People have wondered if Wentworth Smith wrote some of these.

For example, plays like Locrine (from 1595), Thomas Lord Cromwell (from 1602), and The Puritan (from 1607) were published with "W.S." on them. However, it's more likely that publishers used these initials to make people think the plays were written by the famous William Shakespeare. This would make more people want to buy them!

There was also another writer named William Smith, who was a herald (someone who deals with coats of arms and ceremonies). He wrote a play called The Hector of Germany. Sometimes people get Wentworth Smith confused with this other William Smith.

Known Works

Here are some of the plays that Wentworth Smith is known to have worked on:

For the Admiral's Men (1601-1602):

• The Conquest of the West Indies, written with John Day and William Haughton.
• Cardinal Wolsey, Part I, written with Henry Chettle, Michael Drayton and Anthony Munday.
• The Six Clothiers, Part I, written with Richard Hathwaye and William Haughton.
• The Six Clothiers, Part II, also with Richard Hathwaye and William Haughton. This play was likely never finished.
• Too Good to be True, written with Henry Chettle and Richard Hathwaye.
• Love Parts Friendship, written with Henry Chettle. Some think this play might have been published later as The Trial of Chivalry.
• Merry as May be, written with John Day and Richard Hathwaye.

For Worcester's Men (1602-1603):

• Albere Galles, written with Thomas Heywood.
• Marshal Osric, written with Thomas Heywood. This might be an early version of The Royal King and the Loyal Subject.
• The Three Brothers, also called The Two Brothers.
• Lady Jane, Part I, written with Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker, Thomas Heywood and John Webster. This play is thought to be similar to Sir Thomas Wyatt.
• The Black Dog of Newgate, Part I, written with John Day, Richard Hathwaye and another writer.
• The Black Dog of Newgate, Part II, also with John Day, Richard Hathwaye and another writer. These two plays were likely about a famous criminal named Luke Hutton.
• The Unfortunate General, written with John Day and Richard Hathwaye.
• The Italian Tragedy.