Samuel Ireland (1744-1800) was a dedicated and passionate Shakespearian.

Like many avid Shakespeare admirers, Ireland travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit all of the Shakespeare family houses and to attempt to buy some relics. He tried his best to persuade the descendants of Anne Hathaway to sell him the bed from her cottage, but they were very firm in their denial. He once claimed that he would sell half his library just to own a copy of Shakespeare’s signature, a statement which led to one of the most infamous cases of Shakespearian forgery in history.

In 1794, in order to please his father, Ireland’s son William Henry began producing forged Shakespearian manuscripts. William told his father the documents came from a mysterious client at his firm, fooling him completely. Even some experts believed the forgeries were real. However, under mounting pressure, William confessed in 1796. Despite this Samuel Ireland still argued the legitimacy of the documents until his dying day. 

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Forgeries of the signatures of Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I, the Earl of Southampton and John Heminges

William Henry Ireland

1833