Bellott v Mountjoy
On the 11th of May 1612, Stephen Bellott stood before the Court of Requests in Westminster to sue his father-in-law Christopher Mountjoy. The dispute centered on a dowry promised during their daughter Mary's marriage in 1604. Bellott claimed he was owed £50 that had never been paid. He also sought an additional £200 from Mountjoy's will. This financial disagreement became a minor lawsuit heard by English judges. The case records would later reveal Shakespeare's involvement as a witness.
William Shakespeare signed a deposition of evidence for this legal proceeding. His testimony admitted he acted as a go-between in the courtship between Stephen Bellott and Mary Mountjoy. Other witnesses described how he arranged the betrothal negotiations. However, Shakespeare stated he could not remember the crucial financial arrangements of the settlement. Halliday notes this lack of key testimony affected the outcome. Without his memory of the money details, the Court remanded the case to overseers of the London Huguenot church. Those officials awarded Bellott 20 nobles or £6 13s. 4d. A year passed without payment from Mountjoy despite the ruling.
The court papers show Shakespeare lived at the corner of Silver and Monkwell Streets in Cripplegate during 1604. He resided within the household of Christopher and Marie Mountjoy. This address remains the only known evidence of a specific London residence where Shakespeare lived. The Northern end of Noble Street still bears a plaque marking his lodgings near that location. Scholars consider these documents vital because they anchor his life to a physical place in early modern London. No other record confirms his exact dwelling spot before or after this period.
Charles William Wallace found the court records in the Public Record Office in 1909. That archive sat then in Chancery Lane before moving to become part of the National Archives. Wallace published the documents in the October 1910 issue of Nebraska University Studies. His work brought attention to Shakespeare's role as a material witness in a seemingly minor lawsuit. Before Wallace's discovery, most scholars knew little about this legal entanglement. The publication allowed historians to examine the deposition alongside other contemporary accounts of Elizabethan life.
Marie Mountjoy worked as a tyrewoman supplying costumes to Queen Anne of Denmark. At the beginning of 1604 she provided an helmett for her majestie and divers trymmings for her ladies in her maiesties maske at Twelftide 1603. A bill from Samuel Daniel's masque The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses lists £59 owed to Marie Mountioye Tyrewoman. She died in 1606 after years of service to the royal household. Her profession connected her family to the theatrical community where Shakespeare moved. George Wilkins, a playwright who may have collaborated on Pericles Prince of Tyre, appears among those named in the case papers. The Mountjoys hosted neighbors and acquaintances who formed part of London's artistic circle during that era.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
What was the outcome of Bellott v Mountjoy in 1612?
The Court remanded the case to overseers of the London Huguenot church who awarded Stephen Bellott 20 nobles or £6 13s. 4d. A year passed without payment from Christopher Mountjoy despite this ruling.
How did William Shakespeare participate in Bellott v Mountjoy?
William Shakespeare signed a deposition of evidence for this legal proceeding and admitted he acted as a go-between in the courtship between Stephen Bellott and Mary Mountjoy. He stated he could not remember the crucial financial arrangements of the settlement which affected the outcome.
Where did William Shakespeare live during the time of Bellott v Mountjoy?
Court papers show William Shakespeare lived at the corner of Silver and Monkwell Streets in Cripplegate during 1604 while residing within the household of Christopher and Marie Mountjoy. This address remains the only known evidence of a specific London residence where Shakespeare lived.
When were the court records for Bellott v Mountjoy discovered by scholars?
Charles William Wallace found the court records in the Public Record Office on the 1st of November 1909 before publishing them in the October 1910 issue of Nebraska University Studies. That archive sat then in Chancery Lane before moving to become part of the National Archives.
What was Marie Mountjoy's profession during the events of Bellott v Mountjoy?
Marie Mountjoy worked as a tyrewoman supplying costumes to Queen Anne of Denmark and provided an helmett for her majestie and divers trymmings for her ladies in her maiesties maske at Twelftide 1603. She died in 1606 after years of service to the royal household.