Overview

Following Shakespeare’s death in 1616, four women were crucial in ensuring the original work of the Bard was not forgotten. This was the Shakespeare Ladies Club. Formed in 1736, the club was a quartet of ‘Women of Quality’; three from the aristocracy and one a writer who ran a stationery shop, all educated and so enraptured by the plays of William Shakespeare that they met to read and discuss his transcendent genius. Not content with this, they used their power and influence to campaign successfully for a statue of their literary idol to be placed in Westminster Abbey – shamefully, to this day their efforts remain overlooked, as credit for the statue is still given to a group of men. These women put their considerable wealth behind their lobbying for more Shakespeare plays; they convinced theatre managers to put on the original versions by promising to underwrite any financial losses. They had to overcome a post-Puritan culture that believed theatre to be immoral and no place for respectable women. After nearly 300 years, this book finally tells their remarkable story. In the authors’ words: ‘The obstacles they faced were daunting, yet Susanna Shaftesbury, Elizabeth Boyd and the two Marys, Montagu and Cowper, each like the goddess Diana the archer, fired an aesthetic arrow that would strike a bullseye in Britain and, eventually, the entire world, as reviving Shakespeare has positively affected human culture to this day.’

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9781398127449

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Reviews

'Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth's book is readable, accessible and sensibly laid out, comprising short biographies of each of the women before bringing their threads together. It examines how they campaigned for a statue of Shakespeare and more productions of his plays, and generally brought Shakespeare back into the limelight, with each contributing to the status he enjoys today.' -- All About History Magazine, July 2025 'This is a book for anyone with an interest in Shakespeare, 18th-century history, or hidden stories of the women who have shaped our cultural landscape. The Hainsworths have rescued the story of the Shakespeare Ladies' Club from obscurity, and given these four remarkable women the long-overdue recognition they deserve.' -- The Writing Desk, June 2025 'This was such a fascinating book, full of brand-new stories to me and women that I had never heard of before until I read this book. It was meticulously researched, and it felt like a passion project for the Hainsworths. If you want to learn about how Shakespeare’s legacy survived for centuries and the women who helped fight for his cause, I would highly recommend you read “The Shakespeare Ladies Club: The Forgotten Women Who Rescued the Bawdy Bard” by Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth.' -- Adventures of a Tudor Nerd, June 2025

'Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth's book is readable, accessible and sensibly laid out, comprising short biographies of each of the women before bringing their threads together. It examines how they campaigned for a statue of Shakespeare and more productions of his plays, and generally brought Shakespeare back into the limelight, with each contributing to the status he enjoys today.' -- All About History Magazine, July 2025 'This is a book for anyone with an interest in Shakespeare, 18th-century history, or hidden stories of the women who have shaped our cultural landscape. The Hainsworths have rescued the story of the Shakespeare Ladies' Club from obscurity, and given these four remarkable women the long-overdue recognition they deserve.' -- The Writing Desk, June 2025

Author Information

Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth have a passion for historical investigation and challenging the ‘conventional wisdom’ regarding famous historical subjects. The husband-and-wife team bring a wealth of life experience to the task. Christine gained insight into societal challenges while working for the Australian government on a program to re-connect lone parents with education and employment. Jonathan, educated in Britain and Australia has over three decades of experience as a high school teacher of Modern and Ancient History and English.

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