Megan Farrell, now studying for her postgraduate degree at Birmingham University, conducted a placement with us in 2017. In this post, she shares her research into the famous actor David Garrick, a close associate of Johnson, and tells us about Garrick’s association with the jubilee of William Shakespeare.
This twentieth century medallion is a commemoration of a commemoration! It is a gilt silver medal made to celebrate 200 years since the first Shakespeare Jubilee, held in the city of Stratford upon Avon between 6 – 8 September 1769.
The jubilee was held to commemorate Shakespeare’s birthday however the famous playwright was actually born in 1564, not 1569 – so the people of Stratford were actually celebrating his birthday five years late! This delay happened because the council needed to build a new town hall to host the festivities. Whilst the original quote from the builders was within budget, and work commenced, it took longer than expected and construction soon became too expensive. As a result, the council had to find new sources of money to finish the project.
As funding trickled in, work on the building slowly progressed but the council still needed decorations to finish the inside of the new hall. In 1767 a local attorney called Wheler, on business in London, heard about actor, playwright and theatre manager David Garrick’s love of Shakespeare, and decided to flatter Garrick into giving something to the new town hall.
The plan worked and, seeing an opportunity to both honour Shakespeare and boost his own profile as a patron of the arts, Garrick decided to send the council both a statue and painting of Shakespeare from his own personal collection.
In return, the Council decided that Garrick should be awarded the first freedom of Stratford, in the form of a mulberry-wood medal and box made from the wood of one of Shakespeare’s trees, which had apparently been cut down by an irate Reverend, Francis Gastrell, eleven years before.
To coincide with his donation and award, Garrick decided the city should hold a Shakespeare jubilee to celebrate the opening of the new town hall. He planned for three days of spectacular fun, attended by major figures from London’s cultural and political scenes, as well as from fashionable society. To accommodate the envisaged crowds, Garrick oversaw the construction of a large rotunda on the banks of the River Avon, capable of holding 1,000 people. Its design was based on the rotunda in Ranelagh Gardens, London.
The festivities began with the fire of thirty cannons and the ringing of church bells (one way to wake up the visitors!), followed with a public breakfast in the town. Garrick was then awarded his mulberry-wood medal, signifying his new office as Steward of the Jubilee. The day ended with a ball at the rotunda and records show that dinner was attended by 700 people! Stratford, a town of approximately 2,200 inhabitants at the time, struggled to cope with the influx of fashionable visitors bought in by the celebrations.
On the morning of the second day, the heavens opened. Rainfall cascaded down the streets and burst the banks of the river, flooding parts of the rotunda. Despite the rain, Garrick still performed his ‘Ode to Shakespeare’, and there was an unveiling of a statue in the new town hall. Garrick also gave a speech thanking the Shakespeare Ladies Club for increasing the popularity of the bard, and for their contribution to Shakespeare’s memorial statue in Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey. The masquerade ball in the evening also went ahead but the planned firework display was a failure due to the inclement weather.
The third day was to have been marked by a grand pageant of Shakespeare characters but continuing heavy rain forced its cancellation. By the afternoon, most of the visitors had attempted to leave rain-soaked Stratford and only a small group attended the horse race.
Despite initial negative response from the upper class towards the celebration, who claimed it was ‘vulgar’ in nature, the Jubilee left its mark. Garrick later staged the cancelled pageant successfully at the Drury Lane Theatre, where it ran for ninety performances. The disastrous events were also turned into a satirical play, which was performed at Drury Lane one hundred and fifty-three times! The festivities also contributed to the re-appreciation of Shakespeare and his works that led to establishment as the English national poet.
Interestingly, although lots of commemorative events were planned, none of Shakespeare’s plays were performed at the jubilee. However it did catapult Stratford onto the map, making his hometown into the destination for Shakespeare-lovers the world over that it remains today.
Our medal was commissioned by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the jubilee celebrations.
On the obverse is a portrait of Garrick in his role as Steward, underneath theatre curtains. His ‘Ode to Shakespeare’ is written beneath, whilst the masks of Comedy and Tragedy are at the bottom.
On the reverse, Shakespeare is flanked by a man and woman, who are paying homage to him. The reverse text states ‘200th Anniversary of the Stratford Jubilee’, with the dates ‘1769-1969’ at the bottom.
Our numismatic collection holds seven medals, and there are two other Garrick medallions under our care, both from the eighteenth century.
Designed by P Vincze, 1969. Gilt Silver. Commissioned by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Museum number 2000.149. Purchased by Samuel Johnson Birthplace 6th November 1969