The six signatures of William
Shakespeare
We have six examples of William Shakespeare’s handwriting. All six are signatures on legal documents where some sort of
mark had to be made to make the document legal. Here are the six signatures:
a) From the 1612 Mountjoy suit deposition: Willm
Shackper
Deposition: a formal statement as used
as evidence in a court case.
b) From the 1612 Blackfriars Gatehouse
deed: (William)Shakspear
c) From the 1612 Blackfriars mortgage: Wm Shakspea
d) From the 1615 will, page 1: William Shackspere
e) From the will, page 2: Wllm. Shakspere
f) From the will, page 3: (by me William) Shakspear
The spellings on all six differ. On a) and c) he didn’t
complete the word, as though perhaps, he couldn’t recall
how it ended. Note that in b) the clerk has written the
“William,” and that in the final signature on page 3 of his
will, the first three words, “By me William,” were also
written by the clerk. Also note that despite spelling his
own name six different ways, not once does he spell it as it
was spelled on play titles and elsewhere in London, the
way we spell it today.
On similar documents William’s father showed that he
was illiterate by using his “mark,” a drawing of a Glover’s
tool, instead of a signature. William’s daughter also used
a mark, showing that she too was illiterate.
http://politicworm.com/oxford-shakespeare/to-be-or-not-to-be-shakespeare/why-not-william/the-authorship-question2/how-he-spelled-his-name/six-signatures/