In Search of Shakespeare's Plays: Fulke Greville's Tomb

Fulke Greville Tomb

Parishioners at Collegiate Church of Saint Mary in Warwick, England sought permission to examine contents of a monument built by Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke (1554-1628)—prompted by indications in his writings of manuscripts buried there, including possibly a copy of Antony and Cleopatra.

A radar scan of the sarcophagus, approved by church council, reportedly indicated three "box like" shapes inside.^1,2 Subsequent use of an endoscope "would be supervised by Professor Warwick Rodwell, consultant archaeologist to Westminster Abbey."³

As professor James Stevens Curl of Cambridge University, regarded as the U.K.'s "leading expert on this period of British architecture", stated at the outset of the investigation:

There can be no other explanation for the sheer grandeur of the monument other than that there is something very special there. Until we look inside we cannot know for sure what it is. What is absolutely certain is that the size, cost and magnificence of the monument are intended to speak to us. There are plenty of clues about what it might be, and they suggest this is an incredibly exciting find.¹

University of Birmingham Professor Kate McLuskie, director of the Shakespeare Institute stated: "If they did find a manuscript, that would be wonderful since we have no manuscript of any of Shakespeare's plays. It would keep the Shakespeare industry going for years."⁴

The push to research the contents of the tomb apparently originated with The Master of Shakespeare (2007) by A. W. L. Saunders, a book supporting Greville as the author of the works generally attributed to Shakespeare, the academic (and intellectual) underpinnings of which have been questioned.⁵

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1. A murdered spy and coded messages from beyond the grave... Will opening this tomb prove Shakespeare didn't write his plays? by Richard Price, Daily Mail; 11 February 2010.
2. He reportedly spent the equivalent of £300,000 on his monument, but his body was placed in the crypt below the church.
3. Chancellor Stephen Eyre of the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Coventry granted permission February 2010 for the examination, stipulating the work be carried out in subsequent months.
4. Tomb search could end riddle of Shakespeare's true identity by David Harrison, The Telegraph; 09 Aug 2009.
5. Shahan re: Greville, Shakespeare Oxford Society — Online News, Shakespeare Oxford Society.