Exploring the evidence that the works of Shakespeare were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

SOF Announces Winners of 2016 Research Grant Program

The Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship is pleased to announce that its Research Grant Program Selection Committee has chosen to award grants to research projects by four deserving individuals – Eddi Jolly of the U.K., Nina Green of Canada, and Michael Delahoyde and Coleen Moriarty of the U.S. The Research Grant Committee had the sum of $20,000 available for grants in 2016 – $10,000 from donations and $10,000 in matching funds. This is the third award for Professor Delahoyde and Ms. Moriarty, who have unearthed some Oxfordian treasures in the Venetian archives.

Following are the subject matter, amounts, and descriptions of each winning researcher’s proposed project:

Margrethe ("Eddi") Jolly, PhD
Eddi Jolly, PhD

Eddi Jolly: Is De Vere mentioned in Parisian records? Award: $2,540

By 1575 De Vere is already known to have bought literary texts; he is 25 years old and thought to be already writing. This research will search the Parisian records to discover whether there are any pertaining to De Vere’s stays in Paris, whom he might have met, and what he might have done while there. In England we can demonstrate he was writing poetry and was a patron and supporter of writers in early adulthood; it would be valuable to establish whether there are any records demonstrating that he was associating with French writers too. This is the primary aim of the research.

Research will take place at the Bibliothèque Nationale. This institution exists on four separate sites in Paris. It is expected that this research will take place at Le Richelieu, where historical documents are held, but it may also be appropriate to visit the Arsenal, where manuscripts, maps and play scripts are kept.

Coat of Arms of the College of Arms
Coat of Arms of the College of Arms

Nina Green: College of Arms Research. Award: $2,500

Purposes of the project:

First, to determine whether the College of Arms has any documents pertaining to the Earls of Oxford during the period 1500-1650, including funeral certificates, and to obtain digitized images of these documents for further Oxfordian research.

Secondly, to resolve as many outstanding issues as possible concerning the three draft grants of arms to the Shaksper family.

Thirdly, to resolve as many issues as possible concerning the newly rediscovered document with the words, ‘Shakespeare the player by Garter’, as well as other closely-related manuscripts at the College of Arms, the Folger, and the Bodleian.

Michael Delahoyde and Coleen Moriarty: Oxford in the Italian Archives. Award: $13,000

Coleen Moriarty and Michael Delahoyde
Coleen Moriarty and Michael Delahoyde

Michael Delahoyde and Coleen Moriarty first discovered in Venice a new Oxford signature in which Oxford requested to see secret rooms in the Doge’s palace. Then they found that Oxford, after entering into Italy, leaves no trace among all the ambassadorial and bureaucratic documents where we should be reading of him. With indications now that Oxford liked to travel incognito and had diplomatic instructions from the English court to carry out, our two researchers have more work to accomplish in Venice, and the team will target their next archival explorations to the northern Italian cities of Siena, Ferrara, Milan, and Padua. They are determined to solve the case of the vanishing Vere.

We are excited about the proposals and look forward to their research results. Happy hunting to all!

Cheers!
John Hamill, Chair
SOF Research Grant Program

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