Admitted 7 July, 1658.
Son and heir of John Shadwell, a gentleman who had also received his legal education at the Inn. He was born in Norfolk. Having but little taste for the drudgery of the law, he formed the resolution of travelling abroad, and on his return, becoming acquainted with the wits of the day, applied himself wholly to polite literature, and especially to the production of dramatic poetry, on the model of Ben Jonson. Between 1668 and his death in 1692 he produced seventeen plays. Being in favour with the Whigs he obtained the position of Poet Laureate at the Revolution, which acquired him the enmity of Dryden, who satirized him in his character of "MacFlecknoe." He died 1692, and a monument to his memory was erected in Westminster Abbey by his son Sir John Shadwell. Besides being Laureate he was also Historiographer to the King.
His works, of which a complete edition, with a notice of his Life, was published in 1720 in 4 vols. 12mo, appeared in the following order: The Sullen Lovers, or The Impertinents, a Comedy (1668); The Royal Shepherdess, a Tragi-Comedy (1669); The Humourists, a Comedy (1671); The Miser, a Comedy (1672); Epsom-Wells, a Comedy (1673); Psyche, a Tragedy, in Rhyme (1675); The Libertine, a Tragedy (1676); The Virtuosi, a Comedy (1676); The History of Timon of Athens, the Man-hater, made into a Play (1678); The True Widow, a Comedy (1679); The Woman-Captain, a Comedy (1680); Satyr to his Miose by the author of Absalom and Achitophel (1682); The Lancashire Witches, a Comedy (1682); The Tenth Satyr of Juvenal, Latin and English, with Notes (1687); The Squire of Alsatia, a Comedy (1688); Bury Fair, a Comedy {1689); Congratulatory Poems on the Accession of William and, Mary (1689); Amorous Bigotte … a Comedy, acted by their Majesties' Servants (1679); The Scrowers, a Comedy (1693); Votum Perenne, a Poem to the King on New Year's Day (1692); The Volunteers, a Comedy (1693); Ode to the King on his return from Ireland.
Admitted 9 October, 1594.
Third son of Richard Sharpham of Colehanger (a manor in the parish of East Allington) in the county of Devon. It does not appear whether he was called to the Bar, but, if so, he attained to no distinction in his profession. He is now only remembered as the author of two Comedies entitled The Fleire (1607); Cupid's Whirligig, as it hath been sundrie times acted by the Children of his Majesties Reuels, written by E. S. In the Prologue of the latter there are supposed to be some oblique references to Shakespeare's plots.
Admitted 15 April, 1687.
Son and heir of John Shaw of All Hallows Stayning, London. He was called to the Bar 3 May, 1695. He first became known to the public as the author of some letters on the state of France, Holland and Flanders, published in 1709. In later life he devoted himself to legal literature, and published (1728) Practical Justice of the Peace, which, and a companion treatise on Parish Law (published 1734), became for many years the standard works on those subjects. He died 24 Oct. 1733.
