Plaque to Richard Quiney's Letter, London

Here鈥檚 a little gem of literary history: this plaque marks the only surviving piece of mail connected to William Shakespeare鈥攅ither to him or from him. One lonely letter. The original is now kept under serious lock and key at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford.

The letter dates back to 1598 and was written by Richard Quiney, a merchant and local bigwig from Stratford-upon-Avon. Addressed to his "loving good friend Mr. William Shakespeare," it is basically an Elizabethan way of asking for money鈥擰uiney was seeking a loan of 拢30, which would be about 拢3,750 today. Not exactly pocket change...

Fun twist: Richard鈥檚 son, Thomas Quiney, would later marry Shakespeare鈥檚 younger daughter. So yes, they kept it in the family, after all.

At the time, Richard was stuck in London for four long months, trying to plead Stratford鈥檚 case to Parliament after a nasty new tax had the town in serious financial trouble.

Now, here's the kicker: it鈥檚 pretty likely Shakespeare never even saw the letter. It was later found stuffed among Quiney鈥檚 papers after he died in 1602. Still, records suggest Shakespeare tried to help anyway鈥攑ossibly through a face-to-face meeting.

And in the end, Stratford caught a break. Queen Elizabeth herself granted relief, and Quiney got reimbursed for all the drama and travel expenses. A happy ending... just without the loan.

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Sight Name: Plaque to Richard Quiney's Letter
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

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