William Henry Ireland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Henry Ireland
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William Henry Ireland, hand-coloured stipple engraving by Frederick Mackenzie after Unknown artist, 1818, National Portrait Gallery, London.
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| Born | 2 August 1775 London
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| Died | 17 April 1835 (aged 59) Sussex Place, St George's-in-the-Fields, London
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| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | clerk, writer, illustrator |
| Known for | Ireland Shakespeare forgeries |
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Notable work
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Vortigern and Rowena |
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William Henry Ireland (1775–1835) was an English writer who became famous for creating fake documents and plays. He pretended these works were written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare. Besides being known as a forger, he also wrote poems, gothic novels (spooky stories), and history books.
Contents
William Henry Ireland: The Shakespeare Forger
William Henry Ireland was born in London on August 2, 1775. His father, Samuel Ireland, was a successful publisher. Samuel also loved collecting old items, especially anything related to Shakespeare. At that time, it was very hard to find anything written in Shakespeare's own handwriting. None of his 37 plays exist in his original writing. There are also no letters from Shakespeare to his friends or publishers. This lack of original writings made it easy for someone to create fakes.
Early Life and Inspiration
William Henry also enjoyed collecting books. He was very interested in the story of Thomas Chatterton, another young forger who died tragically. He also knew about the Ossian poems, which were later found to be fakes. A book called Love and Madness was often read aloud in his home. This book talked a lot about Chatterton and the Ossian poems.
When William Henry became an apprentice to a lawyer, he started to experiment. He found old, blank pieces of paper and began practicing fake signatures on them. He made several fake documents. Soon, he felt ready to show them to his father.
The Fake Shakespeare Documents
In December 1794, William told his father a surprising story. He claimed he had found a secret collection of old documents. He said they belonged to a friend who wanted to stay anonymous. Among these papers, he claimed, was a deed with Shakespeare's actual signature! William Henry gave this document, which he had made himself, to his father. His father was overjoyed because he had been searching for such a signature for many years.
William Henry then made more fake documents.
- He created a letter that he said Shakespeare wrote to thank the Earl of Southampton for his support.
- He "found" a promissory note (a promise to pay money).
- He also made a written declaration of Protestant faith.
- He even forged letters to Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, with a lock of hair attached.
- Another fake letter was supposedly from Shakespeare to Queen Elizabeth.
He claimed all these items came from his anonymous friend's chest. He even "found" books with Shakespeare's notes in the margins. He also produced "original" handwritten copies of famous plays like Hamlet and King Lear. Many experts at the time believed these fakes were real.
On December 24, 1795, Samuel Ireland published a book about these papers. It was called Miscellaneous Papers and Legal Instruments under the Hand and Seal of William Shakespeare. The book had many pictures and copies of the fake documents. As more people became interested, the truth slowly began to come out.
The Play That Failed
In 1795, William Henry became even more daring. He created an entire new play called Vortigern and Rowena. After some talks, a famous playwright named Richard Brinsley Sheridan bought the rights to put on the play. It was to be performed at London's Drury Lane Theatre.
Sheridan read the play and thought it was quite simple compared to Shakespeare's other works. John Philip Kemble, an actor and manager at the theatre, later said he had serious doubts about the play's authenticity. He even suggested the play open on April Fool's Day, but Samuel Ireland disagreed. The play was then scheduled for the next day.
Even though some important people believed the Shakespeare papers were real, others had doubts from the start. As the opening night of Vortigern got closer, newspapers were full of arguments. People debated whether the papers were genuine or fake. On March 31, 1796, a Shakespeare expert named Edmond Malone published a detailed study. It was called An Inquiry into the Authenticity of Certain Miscellaneous Papers and Legal Instruments. His book was over 400 pages long and showed clearly that the papers had to be modern fakes. Malone's arguments convinced many scholars.
Vortigern and Rowena opened on April 2, 1796, just two days after Malone's book came out. Reports from that time differ, but most agree the first three acts went smoothly. The audience listened respectfully. However, later in the play, Kemble, the actor, hinted at his doubts. He repeated a line from the play: "and when this solemn mockery is o'er." Malone's supporters had filled the theatre. The play was met with loud boos and catcalls from the audience. It was performed only once and was not put on again until 2008.
The Truth Comes Out
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When critics started accusing Samuel Ireland of forgery, his son, William Henry, published a confession. It was called An Authentic Account of the Shaksperian Manuscripts. However, many critics found it hard to believe that such a young man could have created all the fakes by himself. One newspaper even published a caricature (a funny drawing) showing William Henry being amazed by the "findings" while the rest of his family secretly made more fakes. Samuel Ireland's reputation never fully recovered before he died in 1800.
In 1805, William Henry published another book, The Confessions of William Henry Ireland. But his confession did not help his reputation much. He took on various writing jobs but was always short of money. In 1814, he moved to France and worked at the French national library. He continued to publish books in London during this time. When he returned to England in 1823, he was still very poor. In 1832, he published his own version of Vortigern and Rowena, but it was not very successful.
Recently, some scholars have become interested in his later Gothic novels and his poetry. His illustrated Histories were popular. So, it's probably not completely true to say that Ireland died unknown. However, he was always poor. He even spent time in debtors' prison and often had to borrow money. When he died, his wife and daughters asked for help from a literary fund. They received only small amounts of money.
