James Shirley

Alison Searle (University of Leeds)

Ed. by Jacqueline Eales, Canterbury Christ Church University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Dates

Born Sep 1596
Died Oct 1666
Activity 1616-1666

Places

Born in England
Active in England; Ireland, Republic of (Eire)

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist
Teacher/ Professor

Other

Grammarian

Resources

James Shirley (1596-1666) was one of the most important English dramatists during the Caroline period (1625-1642). He wrote approximately fifty works in total: these include plays, masques and grammars. Born to parents of middling status in the City of London, Shirley attended the Merchant Taylors’ School and later continued his education at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. He moved to St Albans, where he was ordained as a deacon and priest in the Church of England; he also worked as a schoolmaster. According to his earliest biographer, Anthony Wood, Shirley converted to Catholicism and moved back to London to try his fortunes as a playwright. This conversion has not been satisfactorily substantiated by documentary evidence. It is partially confirmed by Shirley’s appearance on a recusancy record, which can probably be dated to July 1642, in the...

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1804 words

Citation: Searle, Alison . "James Shirley". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 August 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4061, accessed 09 June 2026.]