Why did Norwich hate Shakespeare?

Alright?

To be, or not to be? That isn’t the question today.

From a 9-day dance-a-thon to paying not to see his plays, today we’re looking at Norwich’s strange, intriguing relationship with William Shakespeare. It’s perhaps the only newsletter I’ll write about someone who never actually set foot in the city.

Speaking of setting foot in the city, you should venture into our one for the next Norwich Pub Tour, taking place a week today (28th September). Ran by an actual historian, it’s going to be an educational, fun and potentially boozy afternoon. Click the button below to get your tickets:

Shakespeare and Norwich: Not exactly best m8s.

Before I get into it, it’s worth reminding you that Norwich was dead important in Shakespearean times (Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616, btw).

It was the second-biggest city in the country, and all the celebs of the day (i.e. Queen Elizabeth I and her royal posse) visited at least once in their lives. Although fun fact: The royal visit in 1578 is generally considered the cause of Norwich’s most deadly Plague outbreak, so you know, maybe she should’ve stayed put.

And yet, the nearest William Shakespeare got to Norwich was a coastal town in Suffolk called Dunwich, which sounds a bit like Norwich but if you ordered it on Teemu.

Why didn’t he come to Norwich? You’ve got three guesses…

Paying Shakespeare not to perform.

Imagine you’re a citizen of Norwich in the 1600s. Things aren’t exactly rosy.

The Plague still rears its head here and there. There’s nothing on the telly. The football team are still getting beaten by Wrexham at home.

One would think that the prospect of Shakespeare’s company - the touring troupe of actors performing Shakespeare’s plays across the country, known (rather grandiosely) as the King’s Men - visiting the city might be welcomed.

Apparently not. You see, Norwich was pretty stuffy back then. I’ve spent weeks creating this scale of stuffiness to illustrate just how stuffy it was:

This is because of the Puritans, who loved Norwich a lot more than Shakespeare did. As their name suggests, they wanted to “purify” the Church, meaning more worship, a stronger moral code and more biblical study. In layman’s terms, they aimed to make England more stuffy.

So when Shakespeare’s troupe visited Norwich in 1622, the Puritans weren’t best pleased. For them, Shakespeare’s plays were rude and inappropriate. Consider, for a second, how much more popular Shakespeare would be in schools if his plays were actually rude and inappropriate.

When they turned up at St Andrews Hall, they were paid 40 shillings not to perform.

William Kempe (or Will Kemp to his friends).

Shakespeare’s slightly odd relationship with Norwich doesn’t end there, though.

Meet William Kempe, who was sort of like the 16th century’s answer to Jim Carrey. He was a comedy actor, known for his on-stage performances in Shakespeare’s plays.

In the hunt for even more fame, Kempe left Shakespeare’s company in 1599 to pursue a solo career, like John Lennon, Morrissey and, perhaps most famously, Ginger Spice.

A year later, in 1600, he embarked upon his biggest stunt yet, which he hoped would earn him plenty of media coverage. It was a nine-day Morris dance from London to Norwich. Obviously.

He called it the “Nine Days Wonder”. 110 miles over nine days (spread across several weeks), Morris dancing the entire route. He probably still made the journey faster than the average Greater Anglia train.

Whilst the trip did attract plenty of crowds, William Kempe would die three years after this momentous achievement in poverty. There’s a lasting acknowledgement of his journey in Chapelfield Gardens, mind you.

There’s also a Will Kemp Way in Norwich, which is the little path that runs behind The Forum.

So there you have it. Norwich and Shakespeare never met, but there’s still something to be said about them.

See you next week,

Secret Norwich.