‘OLD OAK FROM SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE’ A Relic of 19th Century Bardolotary

Carved oak removed from Shakespeare’s birthplace during the restoration of 1858 which followed the building’s purchase for the nation - with a presentation inscription written by the Stratford carver John Marshall who worked on the renovation himself.

The length of oak is 22x5cm. On the flat side is written in black ink: ‘Old Oak from Shakespeare’s Birthplace (Restored in 1858) Stratford-on-Avon To Gertrude Berrell August 29th 85 [ohn] M.[arshall]’. The wood is triangular in section with a single peg hole, perhaps a rail or section of architrave or coving. At one end it has been hand sawed; at the other it is raggedly broken.

In the years following the purchase and restoration of the Shakespeare Birthplace in Stratford John Marshall set himself up in business carving ‘relics’, having been involved in the renovation project itself in 1858 when he helped remove ‘damaged’ timber during the repair process. At the very least this chunk of oak seems to have provenance leading directly to Stratford and Marshall himself in the 1880s. It bears witness to the atmosphere of bardolatry that prevailed during the late nineteenth century and may plausibly trace descent to Shakespeare’s birthplace itself.