Bonner Cutting - Wardship in Early Modern England and Its Impact on Edward de Vere

Evermore in Subjection: Wardship in Early Modern England and Its Impact on Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
The wardship system that existed in Tudor England has been described as a “squalid system of cold-blooded profiteering off the misfortunes of others.” It is well known among Oxfordians that Edward de Vere became a ward of William Cecil at the death of his father in 1562. Did de Vere’s nine years as Cecil’s ward impact his life favorably or unfavorably? What can be learned from the circumstances of de Vere’s early years as a ward that enabled and/or motivated him to write?
This talk was presented on September 12, 2014, at the SOF Annual Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
Bonner Miller Cutting is a past trustee of the Shakespeare Fellowship (and since 2020, Trustee of the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship), who has presented papers at numerous conferences. She is currently working to expand her paper “Shakespeare’s Will Considered Too Curiously” into a book [update: published in 2018]. Bonner organized an Oxfordian study group in Houston, Texas, called the Lone Star Shakespeare Roundtable and regularly gives her presentation “Shakespeare’s Cross-Examination” to schools, libraries, book clubs and civic groups. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tulane University in New Orleans where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Bonner also holds a Masters of Music degree in piano performance from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA. She continues to concertize occasionally and judges piano auditions for the National Guild of Piano Teachers, the National Federation of Music Teachers and other music organizations.
For more on the Shakespeare Authorship Question, visit ShakespeareOxfordFellowship.org.

[@glennjoshua9950]

At this point, the question of DeVere's authorship hinders the REAL question, which is how many academic, historical, social, political and economic foundations would shatter if the Stratford narrative ceased to exist.

[@joecurran2811]

This is like a history channel sometimes. Full of fascinating information.

[@Hermes1548]

Thank you. For many of us who cannot attend, this is bliss.

[@betttrbeth]

Excellent talk about something that often gets glossed over.

[@rosezingleman5007]

This is a great hunk o’ research. Thank you Bonner Cutting! I’m late to this issue, but over the decades the words from Leslie Howard’s mouth in that film stuck in my head. I’m not only convinced that Edward de Vere wrote under the name Shakespeare, but also that our modern usage of the word “award” comes from the Cecil family’s corrupt system of selling “a ward” to the highest bidder.

[@rstritmatter]

Great lecture.

[@wayneferris9022]

DeVere gave us his lasting memories - and therefore provided the last words

[@jwrigley100]

This was fascinating and I wholeheartedly agree that the issues arising from it could certainly provide emotional impetus and material for the plays. What I wonder is - if Elizabeth 1 provided a handsome no questions asked annuity for DV to keep writing, then what was her take on the whole situation? Did this put her at odds with the Cecil family? Was she endorsing a kind of revenge from Oxford?

[@joecurran2811]

The Cecil's might not have known. They might have been perplexed by Oxford's continued protection. Perhaps that might explain why they wanted to separate him from his works and give him no credit

[@edwardd.484]

De Vere sacrificed it all as Shakespeare... yet his creation will live forever.

[@Icha74]

Thank you very much for the presentation, I learned a lot about the Elizabethan wardship and its damage to Edward de Vere's life. I'm a doubter that the Shakspere of Stratford-upon-Avon was the writer Shakespeare, and I do believe (from reading J. Thomas Looney's book and reading and watching the reasonable doubt arguments) that Edward de Vere was the real Shakespeare. However, I'd like to know what Ms Cutting's opinion about the theory that Lord Burlington actually built the 1740 Shakespeare monument in Westminster Abbey because of his sympathy to Edward de Vere. I understand from Mr Alexander Waugh's various videos on KZbin (and I truly enjoy those videos) that Lord Burlington etc might have put protomasonic messages about de Vere in the 1740 monument. If that is true, Lord Burlington would've been a sympathiser of de Vere (instead of trying to put more covers on de Vere's story). Again, I'm not doubting that there are plenty of beyond reasonable doubts of the Stratford Shakspere authorship... (I truly believe the Stratford man was not the real author); I just want to get a congruent story about Lord Burlington and the 1740 monument. Thank you...

[@NuYiDao]

24 carat gold lecture. And have made notes of a few authors. Unfortunately a few of those books are wildly expensive.

[@rosezingleman5007]

Yes, I just went looking online for them. They can’t be had for love or money now, to use an apt phrase.

[@betttrbeth]

The Cecils are still wealthy & powerful.