 Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford | |
| Abbreviation | DVS |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Charles Beauclerk [1] |
| Legal status | Registered charity [2] |
| Location |
|
Area served | Global |
Chairman | Alexander Waugh |
Honorary President | Kevin Gilvary |
| Website | deveresociety |
The De Vere Society is a group set up to propose, contrary to the scholarly consensus, that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was the author of the works of William Shakespeare. It was first registered as a society of Oxford University in 1987. [3]
The society was founded by Charles Beauclerk, who is a descendant of De Vere. It is dedicated to the belief that the works of Shakespeare were written by Edward de Vere.
The society publishes a quarterly newsletter for members. Two books have been published by the society:
The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and poems traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare. Though literary scholars reject all alternative authorship candidates, including Oxford, interest in the Oxfordian theory continues. Since the 1920s, the Oxfordian theory has been the most popular alternative Shakespeare authorship theory.
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Edgar the Atheling and held by him from 1066 to 1068, and later offered to Aubrey III de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141, one of four counties he could choose if Cambridgeshire was held by the King of Scotland. On Aubrey's acceptance, his family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. The de Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of Master Chamberlain of England from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625. Their primary seat was Hedingham Castle in Essex, but they held lands in southern England and the Midlands, particularly in eastern England. The actual earldom was called 'Oxenford' until at least the end of the 17th century. Medieval sources thus refer to 'my lord of Oxenford' when speaking of the earl.
John Thomas Looney (luni) was an English school teacher who is notable for having originated the Oxfordian theory, which claims that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550–1604) was the true author of Shakespeare's plays.
William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, KG was an English nobleman and politician. Stanley inherited a prominent social position that was both dangerous and unstable, as his mother was heir to Queen Elizabeth I under the Third Succession Act, a position inherited in 1596 by his deceased brother's oldest daughter, Anne, two years after William had inherited the Earldom from his brother. After a period of European travel in his youth, a long legal battle eventually consolidated his social position. Nevertheless, he was careful to remain circumspect in national politics, devoting himself to administration and cultural projects, including playwriting.
Charles Francis Topham de Vere Beauclerk is a British aristocrat who is heir to the title Duke of St Albans. Beauclerk first came to public attention when he attempted to interfere with a debate in the House of Lords, declaring a bill which would exclude hereditary peers from the House to be treasonable. He is a writer and exponent of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship. Before 2000 he was styled by the courtesy title Earl of Burford, however he chooses not to use this title, believing it to be worthless since most hereditary peers were removed from political office by the House of Lords Act 1999.
Mark Anderson is an American journalist and book author. He has written articles on science, history, and technology for a variety of national and international publications and media outlets. He has a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in astrophysics.
Alexander Evelyn Michael Waugh is an English writer, critic, and journalist. Among other books, he has written Fathers and Sons: The Autobiography of a Family (2004), about five generations of his own family, and The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War (2008) about the Wittgenstein family. He is an advocate of the Oxfordian theory, the notion that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was the real author of the works of William Shakespeare.
The Shakespeare Fellowship was the name used by an organization devoted to the Shakespeare authorship question. Originally it sought to represent all alternatives to the mainstream consensus that William Shakespeare authored the plays attributed to him, but it later became strongly identified with Oxfordian theory: promoting Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the works of Shakespeare. The original organisation is now known as "The Shakespearean Authorship Trust".
The Prince Tudor theory is a variant of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, which asserts that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true author of the works published under the name of William Shakespeare. The Prince Tudor variant holds that Oxford and Queen Elizabeth I were lovers and had a child who was raised as Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The theory followed earlier arguments that Francis Bacon was a son of the queen. A later version of the theory, known as "Prince Tudor II" states that Oxford was himself a son of the queen, and thus the father of his own half-brother.
Charles Wisner Barrell was an American writer. He first became significant as an art critic, promoting realism. He later built a career as an early exponent of public relations and as a documentary film maker.
The Ashbourne portrait is one of the numberless portraits that have been falsely identified as portrayals of William Shakespeare. At least 60 such works had been offered for sale to the National Portrait Gallery in the 19th century within the first forty years of its existence; the Ashbourne portrait was one of these. The portrait is now a part of the collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.
Note: In compliance with the accepted terminology used within the Shakespeare authorship question, this article uses the term "Stratfordian" to refer to the position that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon was the primary author of the plays and poems traditionally attributed to him. The term "anti-Stratfordian" is used to refer to the theory that some other author, or authors, wrote the works.
Charlton Greenwood Ogburn was a lawyer who served as a public official in various capacities from 1917 through to the 1930s. He was employed as legal counsel both for government corporations and labor organizations. His most widely recognized work was undertaken as counsel for the American Federation of Labor in the 1930s.
The Derbyite theory of Shakespeare authorship is the view that William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby (1561–1642), was the true author of the works of William Shakespeare. Derby is one of several individuals who have been claimed by advocates of the Shakespeare authorship question to be the true author of Shakespeare's works.
The Shakespeare authorship question is the argument that someone other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon wrote the works attributed to him. Anti-Stratfordians—a collective term for adherents of the various alternative-authorship theories—believe that Shakespeare of Stratford was a front to shield the identity of the real author or authors, who for some reason—usually social rank, state security, or gender—did not want or could not accept public credit. Although the idea has attracted much public interest, all but a few Shakespeare scholars and literary historians consider it a fringe theory, and for the most part acknowledge it only to rebut or disparage the claims.
Roger A. Stritmatter is a professor of Humanities at Coppin State University and the general editor of Brief Chronicles, a delayed open access journal covering the Shakespeare authorship question. He was a founder of the modern Shakespeare Fellowship, an organization that promotes Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the works of William Shakespeare. He is one of the leading modern-day advocates of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, and has been called the “first professional Oxfordian scholar”.
Percy Allen (1875–1959) was an English journalist, writer and lecturer most notable for his advocacy of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, and particularly for his creation of Prince Tudor theory, which claimed that the Earl of Oxford fathered a child with Queen Elizabeth I.
Bernard Mordaunt Ward was a British author and third-generation soldier most noted for his support of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship and writing the first documentary biography of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
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