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Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence
1837–1914
A Victorian lawyer, politician, and tireless literary detective, he is best remembered for championing the claim that Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare’s plays. His books turn a long-running authorship controversy into a lively window on Edwardian literary debate.
2 Audiobooks
The Shakespeare Myth
by Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence
Bacon is Shake-Speare Together with a Reprint of Bacon's Promus of Formularies and Elegancies
by Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence
About the author
Born on February 2, 1837, Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence was a British lawyer and Liberal politician who later became the 1st Baronet Durning-Lawrence. He served as Member of Parliament for Truro from 1895 to 1906 and was also involved in public life in London, including service on the Metropolitan Board of Works.
He is chiefly remembered for his energetic support of the Baconian theory of Shakespeare authorship—the idea that Francis Bacon, not William Shakespeare of Stratford, wrote the plays and poems usually attributed to Shakespeare. Durning-Lawrence wrote several books on the subject, including Bacon is Shakespeare and The Shakespeare Myth, arguing his case with great confidence and helping keep the controversy in the public eye.
He died on April 21, 1914. Today, he remains an interesting figure not only for his political career but also for the unusual literary campaign that made him a notable voice in one of literature’s most famous debates.