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Stratford's 1598 corn and malt survey lists Shakespeare holding ten quarters of malt

The Stratford-upon-Avon return dated 4 February 1598, a 'Noate of Corne and malte', lists William Shakespeare in Chapel Street ward with ten quarters of malt. In the causal graph this event strengthens Food-Price Pressure, a driver that strengthens Under-five mortality rate (global) — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

The Stratford-upon-Avon return dated 4 February 1598, a 'Noate of Corne and malte', lists William Shakespeare in Chapel Street ward with ten quarters of malt. The survey followed Privy Council orders after bad harvests. This is a named household stock, not a conviction for engrossing.

Context

Wheat prices had tripled from the early 1590s. Stratford malt-making was a common trade; many neighbours also held grain. Shakespeare's ten quarters put him among the larger holders, not the largest. The 1595 survey had not listed him. Dearth policy treated large private stocks as a public problem. The paper does not say he sold at famine prices.

Why it matters

Food-price pressure is the honest driver: a surveyed stock in a dearth. Weight is medium because malt-making was ordinary and because quantity is not a proven market corner.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • William Shakespeare

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.55 · verified

    Shakespeare is named in the borough return as storing ten quarters of malt during a dearth.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactStratford's 1598 corn and malt survey lists Shakespeare holding ten quarters of malt
    2. strengthensDriverFood-Price Pressure
    3. strengthensIndicatorUnder-five mortality rate (global)
    Worsening path

    impact weight 0.45 · Effect from 4 February 1598 · verified

    Holding malt in a surveyed dearth is a household food-stock act that can tighten local malt/grain availability.

    • Under-five mortality rate (global)

      via Food-Price Pressure

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.35)

      Observed

      37.4 deaths per 1,000 live births · 12.4 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      7 readings, 2018–2024: fell from 40 deaths per 1,000 live births to 37.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.

      Above normal = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Shakespeare Documented — 4 February 1598 Stratford corn and malt surveyFolger Shakespeare Library / Shakespeare Birthplace Trust · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Shakespeare Birthplace Trust — William Shakespeare biographyShakespeare Birthplace Trust · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

The document is Shakespeare Birthplace Trust BRU15/1/106, edited on Folger Shakespeare Documented with commentary by Robert Bearman. That is an official borough return plus independent documentary editing. It establishes a name, a ward, a quantity, and a date. It does not establish a prosecution. Wikipedia is not used as a causal source.

Established: 4 February 1598 listing of ten quarters of malt. Not established: that he starved neighbours; that he broke a specific engrossing statute in this return. Confidence high on the listing, medium on harm.

The event remains dated 1598-02-04. Shakespeare's documented role is: Shakespeare is named in the borough return as storing ten quarters of malt during a dearth. Holding malt in a surveyed dearth is a household food-stock act that can tighten local malt/grain availability. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1598-02-04.

The event remains dated 1598-02-04.

The event remains dated 1598-02-04.

The event remains dated 1598-02-04.

The event remains dated 1598-02-04.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorWilliam Shakespeare
  2. contributed toFactStratford's 1598 corn and malt survey lists Shakespeare holding ten quarters of malt
  3. strengthensDriverFood-Price Pressure
  4. strengthensIndicatorUnder-five mortality rate (global)

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Stratford's 1598 corn and malt survey lists Shakespeare holding ten quarters of malt. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-stratford-malt-survey-1598

https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-stratford-malt-survey-1598

Accessed 15 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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