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The Shakespeare Ladies Club: The Forgotten Women Who Rescued the Bawdy Bard
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 and so enraptured by the plays of William Shakespeare that they met to read and discuss his transcendent genius. Not content with these sessions, they used their power and influence to successfully campaign for a statue of their literary idol to be placed in Westminster Abbey – shamefully to this day their efforts remain overlooked, as credit for the statue is still given to a group of men. These women put their considerable wealth behind their lobbying for more Shakespeare plays; they convinced theatre managers to put on the original versions by promising to underwrite any financial losses. They also had to overcome a post-Puritan, prudish culture that believed theatre to be immoral and no place for respectable women. After nearly 300 years, this book finally tells their remarkable story.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 14, 2025
Great read! I don’t usually write reviews, but this book was such a wonderful piece of history that I had to share. It gives much-deserved acknowledgment to the women behind Shakespeare, and I particularly loved the authors’ ability to bring you along for the journey. It was so gracefully written, despite being historical non-fiction, it never felt heavy or dry. Just a really pleasant and engaging read. Hopefully someone turns it into a series!
June 18, 2025
When we think of the greatest writers of all time, we often think about novelists like Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. There is a playwright who we know quite well in our century, but he wrote during the sixteenth century; William Shakespeare, “the Bard.” He may have been a star in his own time and is seen as one of the greats in our era, but it took a while to get him to such a status. In fact, he was forgotten for quite some time, until the 18th century, when an unlikely group of women decided to save the bard from obscurity. The story of the Shakespeare Ladies Club, its members, and the women's impact is told in Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth’s book, “The Shakespeare Ladies Club: The Forgotten Women Who Rescued the Bawdy Bard.”
I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I am not someone who usually reads about the 18th century, but the subject intrigued me. I mean a group of women to save the legacy of one of the greatest writers of all time in a time when women did not have much of a voice. It sounded like such a remarkable story that I jumped at the chance to read it.
So, what was the Shakespeare Ladies Club, and how did they save Shakespeare? For centuries, many have believed that David Garrick was the man who saved Shakespeare, as he is the one who staged the famous Shakespeare Jubilee to honor the playwright’s birth. However, the Shakespeare Ladies Club deserves the title of saviors of Shakespeare because not only did they raise the funds needed to create the statue of the Bard in the Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey, but they also advocated for the performance of the original, unedited plays. The four remarkable women were: Susanna Ashley-Cooper, Countess of Shaftesbury, Mary, Duchess of Montagu, Elizabeth Boyd, and Mary Cowper de Grey, Baroness Walsingham.
The Hainsworths take the time to give each woman their dedicated chapter for a mini-biography to show how extraordinary they were and to show how they became a group. Susanna Ashley-Cooper was known as the “Queen of Common Sense” and was the founder of the group. Mary, Duchess of Montagu, was the daughter of Sarah Churchill, one of the favorites of Queen Anne, and a con-artist, and was married to a practical joker. Elizabeth Boyd was not a noble lady, but she wrote like she was running out of time. Finally, we have Mary Cowper de Grey, Baroness Walsingham, a poet with a progressive husband who fought for the rights of women. While we do get a glimpse of the lives of these women, we also see how their reputation differed from another group, the Blue Stocking Society and early Shakespearean actresses. Finally, we see how Shakespeare’s legacy changed over time from the Shakespeare Ladies Club to the modern day.
This was such a fascinating book, full of brand-new stories to me and women that I had never heard of before until I read this book. It was meticulously researched, and it felt like a passion project for the Hainsworths. If you want to learn about how Shakespeare’s legacy survived for centuries and the women who helped fight for his cause, I would highly recommend you read “The Shakespeare Ladies Club: The Forgotten Women Who Rescued the Bawdy Bard” by Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth.
I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I am not someone who usually reads about the 18th century, but the subject intrigued me. I mean a group of women to save the legacy of one of the greatest writers of all time in a time when women did not have much of a voice. It sounded like such a remarkable story that I jumped at the chance to read it.
So, what was the Shakespeare Ladies Club, and how did they save Shakespeare? For centuries, many have believed that David Garrick was the man who saved Shakespeare, as he is the one who staged the famous Shakespeare Jubilee to honor the playwright’s birth. However, the Shakespeare Ladies Club deserves the title of saviors of Shakespeare because not only did they raise the funds needed to create the statue of the Bard in the Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey, but they also advocated for the performance of the original, unedited plays. The four remarkable women were: Susanna Ashley-Cooper, Countess of Shaftesbury, Mary, Duchess of Montagu, Elizabeth Boyd, and Mary Cowper de Grey, Baroness Walsingham.
The Hainsworths take the time to give each woman their dedicated chapter for a mini-biography to show how extraordinary they were and to show how they became a group. Susanna Ashley-Cooper was known as the “Queen of Common Sense” and was the founder of the group. Mary, Duchess of Montagu, was the daughter of Sarah Churchill, one of the favorites of Queen Anne, and a con-artist, and was married to a practical joker. Elizabeth Boyd was not a noble lady, but she wrote like she was running out of time. Finally, we have Mary Cowper de Grey, Baroness Walsingham, a poet with a progressive husband who fought for the rights of women. While we do get a glimpse of the lives of these women, we also see how their reputation differed from another group, the Blue Stocking Society and early Shakespearean actresses. Finally, we see how Shakespeare’s legacy changed over time from the Shakespeare Ladies Club to the modern day.
This was such a fascinating book, full of brand-new stories to me and women that I had never heard of before until I read this book. It was meticulously researched, and it felt like a passion project for the Hainsworths. If you want to learn about how Shakespeare’s legacy survived for centuries and the women who helped fight for his cause, I would highly recommend you read “The Shakespeare Ladies Club: The Forgotten Women Who Rescued the Bawdy Bard” by Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth.
September 13, 2025
Shakespeare lovers owe a debt to a group they’ve probably never heard of: the Shakespeare Ladies Club. In the 1730s and ‘40s, these women campaigned to have Shakespeare’s plays revived on the London stage, championed his monument in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner, and cemented his status as Britain’s national poet. I cannot overstate that, without their intervention, Shakespeare and his works might never have become the cultural touchstones they are today. But the irony is bitter: The women who saved Shakespeare from obscurity have themselves been consigned to it.
For the last few decades, a handful of scholars (myself included) have worked to piece together the Shakespeare Ladies Club’s story from fragmentary traces scattered across archives. Even so, their extraordinary achievements have remained largely invisible to the general public, locked behind academic paywalls and buried in footnotes of specialist monographs. This book finally changes that. It gathers the pieces (and some exciting new archival discoveries!) into a vivid, accessible account: introducing each known member with a dedicated chapter biography, contextualizing their activism against the backdrop of Shakespeare’s precarious post-Restoration reputation, tracing the Ladies’ “bespeaking” campaign in the theatres that reshaped the repertory, and exploring their enduring cultural impact.
I serendipitously stumbled upon the Shakespeare Ladies Club in 2018 while following a different research path, and that encounter transformed my scholarly focus entirely. After years devoted to studying them, I’m thrilled to see these incredible women – who now feel like old friends – finally introduced to the world outside academia and brought into the spotlight they have long deserved. History too often overlooks the women who shape it, and I hope this book inspires further research into the many facets of the Club’s remarkable legacy.
For the last few decades, a handful of scholars (myself included) have worked to piece together the Shakespeare Ladies Club’s story from fragmentary traces scattered across archives. Even so, their extraordinary achievements have remained largely invisible to the general public, locked behind academic paywalls and buried in footnotes of specialist monographs. This book finally changes that. It gathers the pieces (and some exciting new archival discoveries!) into a vivid, accessible account: introducing each known member with a dedicated chapter biography, contextualizing their activism against the backdrop of Shakespeare’s precarious post-Restoration reputation, tracing the Ladies’ “bespeaking” campaign in the theatres that reshaped the repertory, and exploring their enduring cultural impact.
I serendipitously stumbled upon the Shakespeare Ladies Club in 2018 while following a different research path, and that encounter transformed my scholarly focus entirely. After years devoted to studying them, I’m thrilled to see these incredible women – who now feel like old friends – finally introduced to the world outside academia and brought into the spotlight they have long deserved. History too often overlooks the women who shape it, and I hope this book inspires further research into the many facets of the Club’s remarkable legacy.
October 6, 2025
I have given this book five stars because of its importance in shining a light on women who elevated William Shakespeare to his rightful place in literary history.
The Shakespeare Ladies Club was a small but influential group of women in the eighteenth century who were linked to the upper classes; well connected and often promoters of women's rights. They promoted Shakespeare in all his witty and bawdy glory, saving him from obscurity. This was despite attempts to sanitise the Bard who, they claimed, was the heart and soul of British sensibility.
Far from being acknowledged, the all female Club membership has pushed aside in favour of David Garrick - play-write, author and actor who has been credited with Shakespeare's resurgence.
The authors provided an almost inexhaustable collection of evidence - letters, magazines, books, photographs, playbills, thesies - to make a case for the pivotal role of the Shakespeare Ladies Club.
The authors, in acknowledging Kirk, Dobson and others, created their own unique insights.
These included the detailed accounts of the societal trends and attitudes of different periods (including contemporary times) impacting on the popularity of the Bard.
The book's presentation was very classy - Lady Susanna Ashley Cooper on the cover and an extensive selection of illustrations depicting players and locations.
This was an interesting and thought provoking read about yet another group of women in the arts subjugated, sidelined and now thankfully acknowledged.
The book would make a wonderful basis for a screenplay or documentary and deserves recognition as the authors saved this hitherto group of women from their own obscurity.
The Shakespeare Ladies Club was a small but influential group of women in the eighteenth century who were linked to the upper classes; well connected and often promoters of women's rights. They promoted Shakespeare in all his witty and bawdy glory, saving him from obscurity. This was despite attempts to sanitise the Bard who, they claimed, was the heart and soul of British sensibility.
Far from being acknowledged, the all female Club membership has pushed aside in favour of David Garrick - play-write, author and actor who has been credited with Shakespeare's resurgence.
The authors provided an almost inexhaustable collection of evidence - letters, magazines, books, photographs, playbills, thesies - to make a case for the pivotal role of the Shakespeare Ladies Club.
The authors, in acknowledging Kirk, Dobson and others, created their own unique insights.
These included the detailed accounts of the societal trends and attitudes of different periods (including contemporary times) impacting on the popularity of the Bard.
The book's presentation was very classy - Lady Susanna Ashley Cooper on the cover and an extensive selection of illustrations depicting players and locations.
This was an interesting and thought provoking read about yet another group of women in the arts subjugated, sidelined and now thankfully acknowledged.
The book would make a wonderful basis for a screenplay or documentary and deserves recognition as the authors saved this hitherto group of women from their own obscurity.
September 18, 2025
I knew nothing about this history before reading this book. Or should we say herstory? Because this story highlights a clear example of how women get written out of history.
The authors have done a wonderful job of telling the story of how Shakespeare's reputation fell after his death. How the cancel culture of the day in Puritan England 'cleaned up' the Bard's work, removing naughty words, puns, erotic allusions, political sensitivities, moral complexities and even emotion.
Why feel moved by Romeo and Juliet's youthful rebellion against their family feud? Just cut that part out, along with the murder of Tybalt. Why experience catharsis about Lear's madness when he can recover his sanity to rule with wisdom into his dotage? Yawn. And let's cut the Fool from the play for good measure. And add plenty of singing and dancing to keep the audience distracted.
Without the enlightened efforts of the Shakespeare Ladies Club, who advocated over a decade to restore Shakespeare's unadulterated texts, we may not know of his plays. We wouldn't have studied them at school and seen them on stage as celebrations of the best of English writing.
I know very little about English history. But this book provided the historical context to understand the characters and motivations of the Shakespeare Ladies Club. It is a universal story in many ways, a story of women living in a world ruled by men. They are probably the first book club of women. They anticipate feminism by hundreds of years.
Read this fascinating book to see how a handful of strong women changed the course of literary history.
The authors have done a wonderful job of telling the story of how Shakespeare's reputation fell after his death. How the cancel culture of the day in Puritan England 'cleaned up' the Bard's work, removing naughty words, puns, erotic allusions, political sensitivities, moral complexities and even emotion.
Why feel moved by Romeo and Juliet's youthful rebellion against their family feud? Just cut that part out, along with the murder of Tybalt. Why experience catharsis about Lear's madness when he can recover his sanity to rule with wisdom into his dotage? Yawn. And let's cut the Fool from the play for good measure. And add plenty of singing and dancing to keep the audience distracted.
Without the enlightened efforts of the Shakespeare Ladies Club, who advocated over a decade to restore Shakespeare's unadulterated texts, we may not know of his plays. We wouldn't have studied them at school and seen them on stage as celebrations of the best of English writing.
I know very little about English history. But this book provided the historical context to understand the characters and motivations of the Shakespeare Ladies Club. It is a universal story in many ways, a story of women living in a world ruled by men. They are probably the first book club of women. They anticipate feminism by hundreds of years.
Read this fascinating book to see how a handful of strong women changed the course of literary history.
June 15, 2025
In The Shakespeare Ladies Club, Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth unearth a fascinating and little-known story of cultural activism, gender politics, and literary rescue. Set in the early 18th century, when Shakespeare’s plays were often sidelined in favour of raucous Restoration comedies, this book shines a spotlight on a remarkable group of aristocratic women who campaigned to bring the Bard back to centre stage.
Through lively storytelling and elegant prose, we are reintroduced to the titular club: a group of upper-class women who used their social influence not just to promote Shakespeare, but to reform the theatre itself. They weren’t merely patrons; they were cultural tastemakers—demanding performances of Shakespeare's more serious, moral, and patriotic works at a time when his literary reputation was in jeopardy.
What makes this book so engaging is its balance of historical detail and narrative charm. The authors delve into theatre archives, newspaper clippings, diaries, and letters, piecing together the club's behind-the-scenes campaigns with vivid clarity. The Shakespeare Ladies Club’s efforts weren’t just about taste—they were deeply political, tied to ideas of national identity, moral virtue, and women’s voices in the public sphere.
The Hainsworths do not shy away from the complexities of their subjects. These women were reformers, yes, but they were also enforcers of a particular moral vision of art. Yet, the authors treat them with nuance and admiration, showing how their passion for Shakespeare helped rescue his legacy at a crucial moment in English history.
Through lively storytelling and elegant prose, we are reintroduced to the titular club: a group of upper-class women who used their social influence not just to promote Shakespeare, but to reform the theatre itself. They weren’t merely patrons; they were cultural tastemakers—demanding performances of Shakespeare's more serious, moral, and patriotic works at a time when his literary reputation was in jeopardy.
What makes this book so engaging is its balance of historical detail and narrative charm. The authors delve into theatre archives, newspaper clippings, diaries, and letters, piecing together the club's behind-the-scenes campaigns with vivid clarity. The Shakespeare Ladies Club’s efforts weren’t just about taste—they were deeply political, tied to ideas of national identity, moral virtue, and women’s voices in the public sphere.
The Hainsworths do not shy away from the complexities of their subjects. These women were reformers, yes, but they were also enforcers of a particular moral vision of art. Yet, the authors treat them with nuance and admiration, showing how their passion for Shakespeare helped rescue his legacy at a crucial moment in English history.
July 31, 2025
Amazing I had never heard of these women before but glad I have now. Their story has reminded me why people continue to love Shakespeare and arc up when the clueless try and cancel his plays all over again. Though the Shakespeare Ladies Club members lived in the 1730's they are so incredibly modern in their outlook and each of their lives were extremely 'colorful'! A very enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews