John Hall (physician)
Encyclopedia
John Hall was a physician
and son-in-law of William Shakespeare
.
and studied at Queens' College, Cambridge
from 1589, receiving a B.A. in 1593 and a M.A. in 1597. He became a physician
, although he did not hold an English medical degree; it has been speculated that he studied medicine in France
.
He established a practice in Stratford-upon-Avon
, where he was the only doctor in the town. He married Shakespeare's daughter Susanna
on 5 June 1607. They had one daughter, Elizabeth. Their home in Stratford, Hall's Croft
, is now open to the public. After Shakespeare's death, they moved into his former house at New Place.
Hall was a leading local Puritan
. He had supported the Puritan vicar, Thomas Wilson, against whom there was much local opposition. The leader of the anti-Wilson faction, John Lane, had organised a riot to protest against Wilson's regime. In 1613, Lane defamed Susanna, claiming she had committed adultery with one Ralph Smith, a 35-year-old haberdasher, and had caught a venereal disease from Smith. On 15 July the Halls brought suit for slander against Lane in the Consistory Court at Worcester. Robert Whatcott, who three years later witnessed Shakespeare's will, testified for the Halls, but Lane failed to appear. Lane was found guilty and excommunicated.
by Dr James Cooke who published them in 1657, 22 years after Hall's death, as Select observations on English bodies, or Cures both empericall and historicall performed upon very eminent persons in desperate diseases. The earliest case, in Stratford, dates from 1611, making it almost certain that he lived and worked in Stratford from at least the time of his marriage. The first notebook still survives, but the original manuscript of the second notebook has been lost.
, by Peter Whelan
. In the original production Hall was played by Lorcan Cranitch
.
He was portrayed by Tom Hiddleston
in A Waste of Shame: The Mystery of Shakespeare and His Sonnets
, a TV movie first broadcast on BBC Four
on the 22 November 2005 as part of a supporting program for the BBC's ShakespeaRe-Told
season.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and son-in-law of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
.
Life
He was born at Carlton, BedfordshireCarlton, Bedfordshire
Carlton is a village in the Bedford district of Bedfordshire, England, part of the Carlton with Chellington parish with the adjacent village of Chellington. The River Great Ouse runs just to the north of the village. Nearby places are Harrold, Pavenham, Turvey, Lavendon and Little Odell.Carlton...
and studied at Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
from 1589, receiving a B.A. in 1593 and a M.A. in 1597. He became a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, although he did not hold an English medical degree; it has been speculated that he studied medicine in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
He established a practice in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
, where he was the only doctor in the town. He married Shakespeare's daughter Susanna
Susanna Hall
Susanna Hall , née Shakespeare, was the eldest child of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, and the older sister of Judith Quiney and Hamnet Shakespeare...
on 5 June 1607. They had one daughter, Elizabeth. Their home in Stratford, Hall's Croft
Hall's Croft
Hall's Croft, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, was owned by William Shakespeare's daughter, Susanna Hall, and her husband Dr John Hall whom she married in 1607....
, is now open to the public. After Shakespeare's death, they moved into his former house at New Place.
Hall was a leading local Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
. He had supported the Puritan vicar, Thomas Wilson, against whom there was much local opposition. The leader of the anti-Wilson faction, John Lane, had organised a riot to protest against Wilson's regime. In 1613, Lane defamed Susanna, claiming she had committed adultery with one Ralph Smith, a 35-year-old haberdasher, and had caught a venereal disease from Smith. On 15 July the Halls brought suit for slander against Lane in the Consistory Court at Worcester. Robert Whatcott, who three years later witnessed Shakespeare's will, testified for the Halls, but Lane failed to appear. Lane was found guilty and excommunicated.
Writings
Hall prepared two notebooks of his case notes with the intention that they be published. They were purchased and translated from LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
by Dr James Cooke who published them in 1657, 22 years after Hall's death, as Select observations on English bodies, or Cures both empericall and historicall performed upon very eminent persons in desperate diseases. The earliest case, in Stratford, dates from 1611, making it almost certain that he lived and worked in Stratford from at least the time of his marriage. The first notebook still survives, but the original manuscript of the second notebook has been lost.
Portrayals
The slander case has been used as the subject of a play, The Herbal BedThe Herbal Bed
The Herbal Bed is a play by Peter Whelan, written specifically for the Royal Shakespeare Company.During 1997 the play had a successful run at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End. The leading role of John Hall was played by Lorcan Cranitch...
, by Peter Whelan
Peter Whelan
Peter Whelan is a British playwright.Whelan was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. His works includes seven plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the first of which was Captain Swing, in 1979...
. In the original production Hall was played by Lorcan Cranitch
Lorcan Cranitch
Lorcan Cranitch is an Irish actor.Born in Dublin, Cranitch became involved in drama while a student, and moved to London where he entered RADA in 1980. His first major role on British television was as Tim Healy in the 1991 BBC drama series, Parnell and the Englishwoman...
.
He was portrayed by Tom Hiddleston
Tom Hiddleston
Thomas William "Tom" Hiddleston is an English actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Loki in the 2011 Marvel Studios film Thor.-Early life and education:...
in A Waste of Shame: The Mystery of Shakespeare and His Sonnets
A Waste of Shame
A Waste of Shame is a 90-minute television drama on the circumstances surrounding William Shakespeare's composition of his sonnets. It takes its title from the first line of Sonnet 129...
, a TV movie first broadcast on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
on the 22 November 2005 as part of a supporting program for the BBC's ShakespeaRe-Told
ShakespeaRe-Told
ShakespeaRe-Told is the umbrella title for a series of four television adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays broadcast on BBC One during November 2005. In a similar manner to the 2003 production of The Canterbury Tales, each play is adapted by a different writer, and relocated to the present day...
season.