| When | Tuesday 10th June 2025 at 18:30 |
| Where | The Exchange, Sturminster Newton 1 Old Market Hill Sturminster Newton Dorset DT10 1QU |
| Event Type | Talks |
| Price | £10 |
| Booking | Preferred |
| Tickets | |
| Also available at 1855, Market Cross, Sturminster Newton |
Following Shakespeare’s death in 1616, a group of women were crucial in ensuring the work of the Bard was not forgotten. This was the Shakespeare Ladies Club. Formed in 1736, the club was a quartet of ‘Women of Quality’; three from the aristocracy and one a writer who ran a stationery shop, all educated, progressive, and so enraptured by the plays of William Shakespeare that they met to read and discuss his transcendent genius. The founder of the Club was Susanna Ashley-Cooper, the 4th Countess of Shaftesbury, who lived at St Giles House, Wimborne St Giles in Dorset. Jonathan and Christine Hainsworth will be travelling from Adelaide in Australia to discuss the Shakespeare Ladies Club and their research as part of their book launch week.
About The Shakespeare Ladies Club
Following Shakespeare’s death in 1616, a group of women were crucial in ensuring the work of the Bard was not forgotten. This was the Shakespeare Ladies Club. Formed in 1736 the club was a quartet of ‘Women of Quality’; three from the aristocracy and one a writer who ran a stationery shop, all educated, progressive and so enraptured by the plays of William Shakespeare that they met to read and discuss his transcendent genius. Fearing that the ‘cleaned-up’, inferior versions of the Bard’s bawdy plays, complete with singing and dancing, would forever supplant the originals, they lobbied theatres to revive the authentic versions. These eighteenth-century ‘Influencers’ faced daunting obstacles: being female in a male-dominated society, a government bent on censorship, Puritans who viewed theatre as immoral, and the regular violence and rioting sabotaging stage productions – yet they spectacularly succeeded in establishing William Shakespeare as the Greatest Writer of all time. The Club members then used their popularity and connections to campaign for a statue of their literary idol to be placed in Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey, 124 years after his death – shamefully, to this day, their achievement remains overlooked, as credit for the statue is still given to a group of men. After nearly 300 years, this book finally tells their remarkable story.
Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth have a passion for historical investigation and challenging the ‘conventional wisdom’ regarding famous historical subjects. The husband-and-wife team bring a wealth of life experience to the task.
Christine gained insight into societal challenges while working for the Australian government on a program to re-connect lone parents with education and employment. Jonathan, educated in Britain and Australia has over three decades of experience as a high school teacher of Modern and Ancient History and English Literature. They live in Adelaide, South Australia.