Happy birthday to the Bard! William Shakespeare was born 462 years ago — and died on or around this same day 52 years later. The great writer’s afterlife has been anything but restful. For our very special new Deep Dive, intrepid reporter Paul Brown dug into the enduring mystery of the man who (may have) stolen Shakespeare’s skull.Illustration by Claire Wyman | Story edited by Brendan SpiegelFrank Chambers held his lantern close to the ancient church floor. The candlelit glow illuminated a stone burial slab, allowing Chambers to read an inscribed epitaph that some considered a curse. Written in Early Modern English, likely by the man who lay underneath, it read:“GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE, TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE; BLESTE BE YE MAN SPARES THES STONES, AND CURST BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES.”On this chilly eve in the bygone year of 1794, the Gothic grandeur of Holy Trinity was veiled in gloom. Its stained-glass windows appeared colorless in the darkness. A damp chill made the church’s…
The Man Who Stole Shakespeare’s Skull
On a cold night in 1794, a young man in pursuit of a huge reward supposedly set out to steal the Bard’s skull. Two centuries later, researchers are still trying to determine what happened that night.
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