President: Professor Christopher Stephens MBA MAEd FRCGP
A meeting of the Southampton Medical Society was held on the 2nd April 2025. The President was in the chair. The minutes of the last meeting were approved.
The President introduced the speaker Dr Amanda Herbert [Hinds],who spoke to the title “Shakespeare was a Nom de Plume,Get Over It”. Our speaker is Hon Secretary and a Trustee of the DeVere Society. This society was founded to celebrate the life of Edward De Vere 17th Earl of Oxford who the members of the society believe wrote the plays of Shakespeare.
Dr Herbert said that the use of nom de plumes was very common in Elizabethan times. Anything controversial, that might upset the Monarch or her government could easily land you in the Tower of London or worse. Edward de Vere had close links with the ruling classes as he was a ward of Sir William Cecil, Elizabeth’s Lord Treasurer and so had every reason to hide his real name. Edward was born in 1535 into a family that enjoyed theatre and his father, who died when Edward was 12 years old, had his own troupe of actors that performed regularly. Edward died in 1604. Shakespeare was born in 1564 or thereabouts and died in 1616.
The supporters of de Vere as the writer of “Shakespeare’s” plays and poetry contend that Shakespeare was a not very good actor and did not have the skill to compose such beautiful poetry. He was considered to be a social climber. Edward de Vere certainly did possess that gift and was composing verse and plays from an early age and used the nom de plume
“William Shake-speare” to hide behind. They also contend that de Vere was more likely to have the support of the Earl of Southampton than the jobbing actor Shakespeare which was a crucial fact. In 1594 two poems were published under a patron’s name Thomas Wriothesley, who was the 3rd Earl of Southampton. Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrezia. The poems were dedicated to him by the writer. It is considered that Edward de Vere was the most likely person to have written and dedicated the poems to such a person who would have been out of reach to Shakespeare. They also argue that Edward was so much better educated than Shakespeare who would not have been able to access the latin sources of Lucrezia.
The arguments for and against are based on there being far more information about Edward de Vere, He also had his own troupe of actors and so had every reason to write plays. So little is known about ‘Stratford’ Shakespeare’ as records are more scant.
Dr Herbert paid tribute to Alexander Waugh who was a very important scholar and supporter of the DeVere Society who died recently.
The President thanked Amanda for her fascinating lecture. The meeting then proceeded
to the AGM of the Society the minutes of which will be circulated before the next AGM in 2026.