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The Theatre in Shoreditch is dismantled on 28 December 1598 for rebuilding as the Globe

On 28 December 1598, during the twelve days of Christmas, Cuthbert and Richard Burbage, carpenter Peter Street, and armed associates dismantled the Theatre in Shoreditch. In the causal graph this event weakens Judicial independence erosion (court capture), a driver that strengthens Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

On 28 December 1598, during the twelve days of Christmas, Cuthbert and Richard Burbage, carpenter Peter Street, and armed associates dismantled the Theatre in Shoreditch. Legal complaints followed. The timbers became the Globe. Shakespeare is a company sharer, not named in every complaint as swinging a bar.

Context

Giles Allen owned the ground; the Burbages claimed the building. English property law supplied courts; the company chose speed. Later legend about a frozen Thames night-raid is not required. The dated demolition is enough.

Why it matters

The offset is that the Globe resulted.

Who was responsible

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

  • William Shakespeare

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.4 · verified

    Shakespeare was a Chamberlain's Man whose company, led by the Burbages, took down the Theatre during a lease fight with Giles Allen.

What changed

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

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Folger — Razing the Theatre, raising the GlobeFolger Shakespeare Library · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Shakespeare Birthplace Trust — Globe TheatreShakespeare Birthplace Trust · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Later lawsuits and the Folger/Birthplace narratives based on those suits establish the date and the parties. They do not prove Shakespeare's personal presence with a weapon. Wikipedia is not used as a causal source.

Established: 28 December 1598 dismantling in a lease fight. Not established: Shakespeare's personal violence; that Allen was paid. Confidence high on the demolition, medium on Shakespeare's hands-on role.

The event remains dated 1598-12-28. Shakespeare's documented role is: Shakespeare was a Chamberlain's Man whose company, led by the Burbages, took down the Theatre during a lease fight with Giles Allen. Self-help demolition during a ground-lease dispute is extra-judicial recovery of building materials. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1598-12-28.

The event remains dated 1598-12-28.

The event remains dated 1598-12-28.

The event remains dated 1598-12-28.

The event remains dated 1598-12-28.

Causal path

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

  1. ActorWilliam Shakespeare
  2. contributed toFactThe Theatre in Shoreditch is dismantled on 28 December 1598 for rebuilding as the Globe
  3. weakensDriverJudicial independence erosion (court capture)
  4. strengthensIndicatorRule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). The Theatre in Shoreditch is dismantled on 28 December 1598 for rebuilding as the Globe. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-theatre-dismantled-1598

https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-theatre-dismantled-1598

Accessed 16 October 2026.

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

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