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Raphael Holinshed
Raphael Holinshed
Raphael Holinshed
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First edition of Holinshed's Chronicles

Raphael Holinshed (/ˈhɒlɪnʃɛd/;[1] c. 1525 – before 24 April 1582) was an English chronicler, who was most famous for his work on The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles. It was the "first complete printed history of England composed as a continuous narrative".[2] The Holinshed Chronicles was a major influence on many Renaissance writers, such as Shakespeare, Spenser, Daniel and Marlowe.[3]

Biography

[edit]

Little is known about Holinshed's life and for the most part his early years are primarily a matter of speculation. Holinshed was most likely born to Ralph Holinshed of Cophurst in Sutton Downes, Cheshire. The date of his birth is unknown.[4] Holinshed is assumed to have received an education from student records from Christ's College in Cambridge, which show a student under the name Holinshed attending the college from 1544 to 1545.[5] In his later years, he lived in London where he worked as a translator for the printer Reginald Wolfe. Wolfe gave him the project of compiling a world history from the Flood to the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Holinshed was only one contributor to this work; others involved in its production included George Bishop, John Hunne and Lucus Harrison.[2]

Vernon Snow, an author who writes an introduction to Holinshed's Chronicles in the later edition, remarks that Holinshed was an experienced Cambridge-educated translator. As far as anyone knows, no other known works by Holinshed are available. A few months after the Chronicles had been licensed, Holinshed retired to the countryside in north east Warwickshire where he died around 1580 at Bramcote Hall near Warton.[6] His will was proven on 24 April 1582, leaving his belongings and estate to a Mr. Burdet, whom he referred to as his master.[7] Holinshed's Chronicles was published soon after his death.

Holinshed's Chronicles

[edit]
Main article: Holinshed's Chronicles

The idea for Holinshed's Chronicles was born from Reginald Wolfe. A London printer, Wolfe was one of the original members of the Royal Stationers' Company. In 1548, Wolfe conceived the idea of creating a "Universal Cosmography of the whole world, and there with also certain particular histories of every known nation". He wanted the work to be printed in English and he wanted maps and illustrations in the book as well. Wolfe acquired many of John Leland's works and with these he constructed chronologies and drew maps that were up to date. This took over 24 years of his life; however, when Wolfe realised he could not complete this project on his own, he hired Raphael Holinshed and William Harrison to assist him.[2]

Wolfe died with the work still uncompleted in 1573, and the project, changed to a work about Britain (England and Scotland) and Ireland, was run by a consortium of three members of the London stationers. They kept Raphael Holinshed, who employed William Harrison, Richard Stanyhurst, Edmund Campion and John Hooker. In 1577, the work was published in two volumes after some censorship by the Privy Council of some of Stanyhurst's contribution on Ireland.[4]

A second edition was issued in 1588 (which also included many woodcut illustrations to go along with the chronicles), but it contained some passages that were considered offensive to the Queen and her ministers. The pages in question were removed by order of the Privy Council. The missing passages were separately published in 1723, and a complete reprint appeared in 1807.[4] Holinshed's Chronicles was an "extremely popular work when it was first published," but "by the seventeenth century it was already considered outdated and inaccurate", losing its popularity and credibility.[2]

Renaissance writers inspired by Holinshed

[edit]

Shakespeare

[edit]

William Shakespeare used the revised second edition of the Chronicles (published in 1587) as the source for most of his historical plays, such as Richard III, the plot of Macbeth, and portions of King Lear and Cymbeline. According to Alison Taufer, "We care about the Holinshed Chronicles because Shakespeare read them".[2] It is because of Shakespeare's writing that the public was educated on many important points in history. While dramatised, the innate messages behind the history are portrayed through the history plays.

  • King Lear – Holinshed's Chronicles goes into depth about Welsh king Llŷr from the 8th century BCE, which accurately describes the plot of King Lear. The king's madness is Shakespeare's own creation; the rest of the play follows Holinshed's Chronicles closely, such as the emphasis on Cordelia's love for her father.[3] The added dramatics, however, are what make the play an effective popular piece of culture.
  • Macbeth – Holinshed's Chronicles retells the story of Duncan of Scotland and his reign. It is now believed that King Duncan is based on a legend rather than an actual king. Holinshed's Duncan is characterized as a weak king with a "soft and gentle nature", while Macbeth is a cruel leader. Shakespeare, in contrast, gives Lady Macbeth a larger role in his play and included her sleepwalking habits and suicidal thoughts into his characterisation.[3]

Marlowe

[edit]

References

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Sources

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Further reading

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Raphael Holinshed

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Raphael Holinshed is an English chronicler known for his principal role in compiling Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, a major historical work of the Elizabethan era first published in 1577 and revised in an expanded edition in 1587. Born around 1525 and dying around 1580, Holinshed is a somewhat shadowy figure about whom relatively few personal details survive, but he was originally intended for a career in the Church and was involved in Protestant circles until the accession of Mary I in 1553 prompted a change in direction. He subsequently worked as a secretary, translator, and editor for the printer Reyner Wolfe, assisting on an ambitious historical project that Wolfe had conceived as a universal history but which was later narrowed to focus on Britain alone. Holinshed took over management of the project and oversaw its completion, resulting in the 1577 publication of the Chronicles in two volumes covering the histories of England, Scotland, and Ireland from ancient times through the Tudor period. The work, collaborative in nature but issued under Holinshed's name, became widely regarded as one of the most important history books of the Elizabethan age for its detailed accounts and reflection of Tudor views on national identity and the past. Its cultural impact was profound, most notably serving as a primary source for William Shakespeare, who drew upon it for plots, characters, and details in history plays such as Richard III and Henry V, as well as tragedies including Macbeth and King Lear. The Chronicles thus remain essential for understanding both Elizabethan historiography and the literary influences shaping one of England's greatest dramatists.

Early Life

Origins and Birth

Little is known with certainty about Raphael Holinshed's origins and birth, as contemporary records are scarce and much of what is reported relies on later tradition and indirect evidence rather than verifiable documentation. He is said to have been the son of Ralph Holinshed or Hollingshed of Cophurst in the township of Sutton Downes, Cheshire. However, the pedigree of the Holinsheds or Hollingsheds of Cophurst cannot be traced authoritatively, rendering the familial link conjectural and supported only by circumstantial claims, such as patterns in naming among related Cheshire branches. No precise birth date survives. Estimates generally place it around 1525, though some sources suggest about 1529, likely in Cheshire and probably at Sutton Downes or nearby. A more direct indication comes from a deposition Holinshed gave in March 1559, in which he stated his age as thirty-five, pointing to a birth in 1524 or 1525. Details of his parentage beyond the putative father, as well as any siblings or early childhood circumstances, remain entirely undocumented and speculative.

Education and Early Years

Little is known with certainty about Raphael Holinshed's education and early adulthood, as surviving records are sparse and often tentative. College records from Christ's College, Cambridge, document a student named Holinshed who matriculated in May 1544 and served as a scholar during the academic year 1544–1545, and this individual is generally considered likely to have been the chronicler. No definitive evidence exists to confirm that Holinshed completed a degree at Cambridge or pursued additional formal studies elsewhere, leaving the extent of his university experience uncertain. The years following this period remain poorly documented, but by roughly 1560 he had relocated to London, where he entered the world of printing and translation.

Career

Translator for Reginald Wolfe

Raphael Holinshed settled in London early in Queen Elizabeth I's reign and worked as a translator in the printing office of Reginald Wolfe. In the dedication to the 1577 edition of his Chronicles, Holinshed described himself as "singularly beholden" to Wolfe, acknowledging the printer's significant patronage and assistance. Around 1548, Wolfe conceived an ambitious project to publish "an vniuersall Cosmographie of the whole world, and therewith also certaine particular histories of euery knowne nation." He gathered materials, including notes inherited from the antiquary John Leland, and aimed to include maps and illustrations in this comprehensive universal history and geography. Among the collaborators Wolfe engaged for the endeavor, he specifically procured Holinshed to take in hand the collection of those particular histories, assigning him translation and compilation duties. Holinshed conferred the greatest part of his work with Wolfe during the printer's lifetime, to his liking, and benefited from access to numerous resources Wolfe provided to advance the project. This employment centered on a broad, worldwide scope that encompassed histories and descriptions of many nations, distinguishing it from the narrower British focus the work would later assume. Wolfe devoted twenty-five years to the undertaking before his death in 1573 left the universal cosmography incomplete.

Role in the Chronicles Project

Following Reginald Wolfe's death in 1573, the unfinished chronicle project was taken over by a consortium of three London publishers and members of the Stationers' Company—George Bishop, John Harrison, and Lucas Harrison—who decided to continue the work rather than abandon it. They retained Raphael Holinshed, who had labored on the undertaking for over two decades under Wolfe, to direct its completion in their service. Holinshed assumed responsibility as the principal compiler and editor, overseeing the project's direction and engaging additional writers to address the remaining portions. To make the work feasible, the consortium and Holinshed narrowed the original ambitious plan for a universal history and cosmography to focus solely on the histories and descriptions of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Holinshed employed or assisted with key collaborators, including William Harrison, who contributed the descriptions of England and Scotland, and Richard Stanyhurst, who continued the history of Ireland from 1509 onward, drawing heavily on a manuscript by Edmund Campion. John Hooker also participated in aspects of the project's development and later revisions. Holinshed maintained a central oversight role throughout, coordinating contributions and ensuring accurate attribution of sources and collaborators without claiming sole authorship for the collaborative enterprise. This effort under his leadership resulted in the publication of the first edition of the Chronicles in 1577.

Holinshed's Chronicles

Conception and Compilation

The Chronicles project originated with Reginald Wolfe, a London printer, who around 1548 conceived a grand plan for a universal history and cosmography encompassing the whole world, complete with particular histories of known nations, maps, and illustrations. Wolfe had acquired the notes and manuscripts of the antiquary John Leland, which he incorporated to build chronologies and cartographic elements for the work. He engaged Raphael Holinshed as a key collaborator, granting him full access to Leland's materials and other records while directing the enterprise over many years. Wolfe's death in 1573 left the ambitious project unfinished after twenty-five years of effort, with no portion ready for print. The stationers who took over, concerned by its growing scale, narrowed the scope to focus exclusively on the histories and descriptions of England, Scotland, and Ireland, abandoning the global cosmography and maps. Holinshed emerged as the principal compiler, drawing heavily from diverse earlier sources—including chronicles, antiquarian collections, and Leland's records—often without rigorous critical scrutiny of their reliability or biases. The collaborative nature of the undertaking was evident in Holinshed's reliance on assistants such as William Harrison for the descriptions of England and Scotland, and others for the Irish sections based on manuscripts like Edmund Campion's. The resulting work was structured in distinct sections devoted to England, Scotland, and Ireland, reflecting the revised geographical focus. Holinshed himself emphasized a commitment to truth-seeking, stating that he had "an especial eye unto the truth of things," though the compilation's methodological limitations, including an uncritical approach to early periods and sources, shaped its character.

1577 Edition

The 1577 edition of Holinshed's Chronicles, titled The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande, was published in London in two folio volumes. Printed in gothic type, it featured title pages set within woodcut borders with woodcut armorials on the versos, along with woodcut initials and numerous woodcut illustrations throughout. The collaborative work was led by Raphael Holinshed, who compiled much of the English and Scottish material, with contributions from William Harrison on descriptions of England and Richard Stanyhurst on the history of Ireland. This first edition provided a comprehensive narrative history covering events from early periods to the mid-1570s, presenting accounts of England, Scotland, and Ireland in a unified chronicle format. The compilers demonstrated a truth-seeking approach by drawing on diverse sources, often including variant reports of the same events and leaving discrepancies unresolved rather than imposing a single interpretation. The publication faced initial intervention from the Privy Council, which ordered sales stayed until the text could be reviewed and reformed, resulting in partial censorship particularly affecting portions of Stanyhurst's contribution on Ireland. This action ensured the work appeared only after such adjustments, though it was not fully suppressed. The expanded second edition followed in 1587.

1587 Edition

The second edition of Holinshed's Chronicles appeared in 1587, representing a substantial expansion and revision of the 1577 version with the text extended to cover events up to 1586. This enlarged edition, published in three volumes (often bound as two) by printers including Henry Denham and at the expense of stationers such as John Harrison and George Bishop, incorporated continuations and updates contributed by John Hooker, Francis Thynne, Abraham Fleming, and John Stow. Shortly after publication in January 1587, the Privy Council intervened due to Queen Elizabeth's displeasure with certain passages treating contemporary events and political matters too freely, ordering the recall and censorship of the work. Extensive cancellations followed across the histories of Scotland and England, including references to English involvement in Scottish affairs, alterations to portrayals of figures like the Earl of Leicester, and adjustments to accounts of trials and executions to emphasize their legality. In expurgated copies, cancelled leaves were sometimes replaced with revised text to fill gaps. The resulting censored version of the 1587 edition became the text that circulated widely and served as the principal source for William Shakespeare in composing his history plays, as well as works such as Macbeth, King Lear, and portions of Cymbeline. The suppressed passages were later published separately in type-facsimiles between 1723 and 1728, with a full reprint restoring the excisions appearing in 1807.

Censorship and Textual History

Privy Council Interventions

The Privy Council intervened in the publication of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles on multiple occasions to enforce revisions. For the 1577 edition, the Council, in December 1577 after initial publication, ordered the Bishop of London to summon the printer, withhold further copies, and review the text, specifically targeting portions of Richard Stanyhurst's Ireland section due to concerns over "false records," as documented in official records. This aligned with instructions to stay sales until the text could be reviewed and reformed. The 1587 edition encountered similar Privy Council oversight in February 1587, with authorities directing that distribution be halted pending review and alteration. This resulted in the removal of passages concerning recent matters of state that could impact England's international image and diplomatic relations. The interventions reflected the Council's concern with materials that might affect the state's image rather than outright suppression of the entire work. The passages excised from the 1587 edition were later published separately in type facsimiles drawn from the original uncensored text, appearing between 1723 and 1728.

Later Editions

An unexpurgated reprint of the 1587 text, restoring the Privy Council-ordered excisions, was edited by Sir Henry Ellis and issued in six volumes between 1807 and 1808. This edition formed part of a uniform series of chronicles under Ellis's superintendence. It was later reissued in 1976. Various selections and extracts from the Chronicles have also appeared in later publications, including compilations highlighting passages that served as sources for William Shakespeare's historical plays and other works. By the seventeenth century, the Chronicles had declined in reputation and were increasingly regarded as outdated in light of newer historical scholarship.

Influence

On William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare's primary source for many of his history plays and certain tragedies was the 1587 edition of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which supplied key narrative material and occasional verbal details. This edition informed the plots of the English history plays, including Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Henry V, and Richard III, as well as portions of the Henry VI trilogy. Shakespeare drew on Holinshed's accounts of reigns, battles, and political events, sometimes incorporating phrases or dialogue almost directly, as in the lists scene of Richard II, where the herald's proclamation closely mirrors Holinshed's wording. However, he routinely adapted the material by condensing timelines, altering character ages, changing motives, and inventing unhistorical figures such as Falstaff to enhance dramatic structure and thematic depth. In Macbeth, Shakespeare borrowed heavily from the Scottish section of the 1587 Chronicles, particularly the narrative of the reigns of Duncan and Macbeth. While the main historical framework derives from Holinshed, Shakespeare made significant creative changes, most notably recasting Banquo from an accomplice in Duncan's murder to a loyal adversary, a modification likely intended to flatter King James I by presenting his supposed ancestor positively. The Chronicles also provided foundational plot elements for King Lear and portions of Cymbeline, though Shakespeare transformed these legendary British accounts through extensive adaptation to emphasize psychological tragedy in the former and romantic intrigue in the latter.

On Other Elizabethan Writers

Holinshed's Chronicles achieved considerable popularity in the Elizabethan era as a comprehensive historical resource, widely consulted by writers seeking material on English, Scottish, and Irish history. Elizabethan dramatists and poets mined the work for plots and information, reflecting its status as a central repository of narrative detail before its influence gradually declined in favor of more specialized histories. Christopher Marlowe used the 1587 edition of the Chronicles as his principal source for the tragedy Edward II, adapting its accounts of King Edward II's reign, the injurious influence of favorites like Gaveston, and the political discontent leading to deposition. Marlowe echoed Holinshed's descriptions, such as the commons' contempt for Edward's unfortunate government and the portrayal of favorites as "unprofitable members in the common-wealth," while intensifying the chronicle's language of parliamentary election in the king's removal. Edmund Spenser drew extensively from the Chronicles, particularly its Irish section contributed by John Hooker, in works including The Faerie Queene, where it shaped the poem's topography and themes of national identity amid religious and colonial tensions. Spenser acknowledged the assistance provided by the Chronicles, stating that "Master Holinshed hath muche furthered and advantaged me" in his research. Samuel Daniel frequently consulted Holinshed as a key source for his historical poem The Civil Wars, incorporating material from it alongside other chroniclers across revisions of the work.

Death and Legacy

Final Years and Death

Little is known of Raphael Holinshed's activities following the licensing of the 1577 edition of his Chronicles. Shortly thereafter, he retired to the countryside in north-east Warwickshire, taking up residence at Bramcote where he served as steward to Thomas Burdet. In his will dated 1 October 1578, Holinshed explicitly described himself in this capacity as steward to Thomas Burdet of Bramcote, Warwickshire. According to Anthony Wood, Holinshed died at Bramcote towards the end of 1580. Other accounts place his death around 1580. His will was proved on 24 April 1582, by which he bequeathed his entire estate—including his notes, collections, books, and manuscripts—to Burdet. No surviving records provide details on Holinshed's marriage, family life, or the cause of his death.

Historical Assessment

Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland achieved considerable popularity in the Elizabethan era and served as a major comprehensive source for historical knowledge during that period. The work enjoyed preeminence in the decades around the turn of the seventeenth century, when it stood as the longest printed book in English and provided a broad vision of British history that informed literary and cultural production of the time. By the seventeenth century, however, the Chronicles had fallen into disfavor and were regarded as outdated and unreliable, largely because of their uncritical incorporation of mythical material such as the Brute legend and Arthurian narratives, which conflated legend with verifiable history. More rigorous antiquarian and critical approaches, exemplified by William Camden's Britannia and John Speed's histories, displaced it in scholarly regard. In modern scholarship, the Chronicles are chiefly valued as a principal source for William Shakespeare's history plays. Recent reevaluations have highlighted its deliberate multivocality, preservation of diverse and conflicting voices—including those of common people—and principled commitment to "indifferency" in presenting sources without imposing unified interpretation, features that reflect a thoughtful response to post-Reformation complexities rather than mere compilation. Nonetheless, scholars acknowledge significant limitations, particularly its lack of skepticism toward legendary or doubtful material and its uncritical reliance on a wide array of sources. Much of Holinshed's own biography remains obscure and incomplete, contributing to the work's assessment as a collaborative and somewhat impersonal achievement in Tudor historiography.

References

  1. https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/specialcollections/2019/02/22/from-conqueror-to-gloriana-the-second-volume-of-holinsheds-chronicles/
  2. https://guides.library.appstate.edu/holinshed
  3. https://spartacus-educational.com/Raphael_Holinshed.htm
  4. https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/38150/chapter/332952813
  5. https://www.nndb.com/people/732/000103423/
  6. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16738/16738-h/16738-h.htm
  7. https://clarklibrary.ucla.edu/collections/tudor/chrzanowski/title-list/1577h/
  8. https://www.henryviiithereign.co.uk/raphael-holinshed.html
  9. https://holinshedrevisited.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/who-was-holinshed/
  10. https://www.sothebys.com/buy/df3facc9-5842-43b2-a803-cb50e6060e1b/lots/8b1ce24f-dc32-40f5-96f8-9502bd03ca99
  11. https://www.cloudtour.tv/middling-culture/object/40/holinshed-rsquo-s-chronicles
  12. https://www.delphiclassics.com/Sample%20PDFs/Complete%20Works%20of%20Raphael%20Holinshed%20-%20sample.pdf
  13. https://scalar.usc.edu/works/henry-v/media/holinsheds-chronicles
  14. https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/doc/Holinshed_GenIntro/complete/index.html
  15. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/press-censorship-in-elizabethan-england/review-and-reform-of-holinsheds-chronicles-reporte-of-matters-of-later-yeers-that-concern-the-state/B9FC310D5AE35DD28548A7A31C66A6D2
  16. https://www.raptisrarebooks.com/product/the-first-and-second-volumes-of-chronicles-to-the-yeare-1586-and-the-third-volume-of-chronicles-to-the-yeare-1586/
  17. https://english.nsms.ox.ac.uk/holinshed/
  18. https://www.loc.gov/item/02022803/
  19. https://archive.org/details/holinshedschroni01holi
  20. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781003552338-19/suppression-1577-holinshed-chronicles-acts-privy-council-ed-dasent-46-vols-london-hmso-1890-1964-vol-10-pp-114-15-142-3-geoff-kemp-jason-mcelligott-cyndia-susan-clegg
  21. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/2544013
  22. https://www.baumanrarebooks.com/rare-books/holinshed-raphael/chronicles-of-england-scotland-and-ireland/86423.aspx
  23. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000313942
  24. https://www.amazon.com/Shakesperes-Holinshed-Chronicle-Historical-Compared/dp/B008RQNCZO
  25. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/215670457.pdf
  26. https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/history/the%20histories/sources.html
  27. http://shakespeare.lib.uiowa.edu/item/chronicles-of-england-scotland-and-ireland/
  28. https://www.rsc.org.uk/macbeth/about-the-play/dates-and-sources
  29. https://blog.oup.com/2015/12/shakespeare-holinsheds-chronicles/
  30. https://scalar.usc.edu/works/henry-v/chronicles-the-early-modern-history-book-lafave
  31. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/11/1/23
  32. https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/spenseronline/review/item/44.1.16/index.html
  33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4174779
  34. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raphael-Holinshed
  35. https://www.enotes.com/topics/raphael-holinshed/criticism/criticism/annabel-patterson-essay-date-1993
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