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University College London

Ireland Catalogue of Shakespeare's Library

IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0103 MS OGDEN 54

Held at: University College London

Title: Ireland Catalogue of Shakespeare's Library

Date(s): c1796

Level of description: Collection (fonds)

Extent: 1 volume containing 7 folios

Name of creator(s): Ireland | William Henry | 1777-1835 | forger of Shakespeare manuscripts

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born, 1777; son of the author and engraver Samuel Ireland; baptised William Henry, but sometimes called Samuel; educated at private schools in Kensington, Ealing and Soho; sent to schools in France, c1790-c1794; articled to William Bingley, a conveyancer in chancery of New Inn; as a boy, collected rare books; composed verses in imitation of early authors; his father was an admirer of Shakespeare, and with his son visited Stratford-upon-Avon, accepting as true many false traditions concerning Shakespeare, c1794; the younger Ireland's familiarity with old legal documents enabled him to forge a mortgage deed to which Shakespeare was purported to have been party, 1794; supplied his father with similar documents, and with verses and letters bearing Shakespeare's forged signature; produced early printed volumes in which he had inscribed Shakespeare's name and forged annotations; an exhibition of the documents arranged by the elder Ireland was attended by the chief literary men of the day, many of whom were convinced of their authenticity, 1795; the younger Ireland continued to add documents to the collection; his father published some of the documents in facsimile, 1795; critics denounced the documents as forgeries; after much negotiation Sheridan agreed to produce the forged play `Vortigern' at Drury Lane, 1795; despite doubts of those concerned, it was performed once, being greeted with ridicule, 1796; the elder Ireland's faith in the authenticity of the documents endured; his son eventually admitted his forgeries, but his father was also believed to be responsible for the deliberate deceit, to his distress, 1796; the son left home; his father continued to defend the documents, and published both Vortigern and Henry II, 1799; died, unreconciled to his son, 1800; his son opened a circulating library in Kennington, 1798; sold imitations in his feigned handwriting of the famous forged papers; book-collectors employed him to `inlay' illustrated books; employed by Princess Elizabeth, afterwards landgravine of Hesse-Homburg, to prepare a `Frogmore Fête', 1802; settled at York before 1811; his extravagance led to a temporary imprisonment in the castle; obtained fairly regular employment from London publishers; died at Sussex Place, St George's-in-the-Fields, 1835. Publications: numerous, including Authentic Account (1796) and Confessions (1805), concerning his forgeries, and other works including poetry, novels and political satire.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Manuscript catalogue of the library of William Shakespeare, forged by Samuel Ireland, c1796. With the title on the spine: Shakespeare's MSS catalogue of his books.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

Conditions governing access:

Open.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Normal copyright restrictions apply.

Physical characteristics:

Bound in green leather. Consisting mostly of blank leaves.

Finding aids:

Handlist at University College London Special Collections.

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

Archival history:

Part of the library of Charles Kay Ogden (1889-1957), linguistic psychologist, founder of the Orthological Institute and originator of the language system Basic English, whose interests in language systems are reflected in the subject matter of his collection, which comprised individual manuscripts and manuscript collections dating from the 14th to the 20th century.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Part of the C K Ogden Library purchased by University College London in 1953 with a grant from the Nuffield Foundation.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related material:

University College London Special Collections also holds Ireland's forged 'Shakespearean' annotations in his copy of Francis Bacon's A declaration of the practices and treasons ... (London, 1601) (Ref: OGDEN A313); and Ireland's signature in Mary Champion's Bloody newes from Dover (London, 1647) (Ref: OGDEN A667).

The British Library, Manuscript Collections, holds correspondence and papers of Samuel Ireland relating to his son's Shakespeare forgeries. Papers of (Samuel) William Henry Ireland, including in some cases examples of his forgeries, are held at the British Library, Manuscript Collections; Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Records Office, Stratford-upon-Avon; Oxford University, Bodleian Library, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts; Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections; and, in the USA, Boston Public Library; Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC; Huntington Library, San Marino, California. For further details see the National Register of Archives.

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Archivist's note: Sources: Dictionary of National Biography; National Register of Archives. Compiled by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project.