2 Henry VI and the Tomb of Duke Humphrey

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the intersection of Shakespeare’s depiction of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 2 Henry VI and the cultural memory of this historical figure in the seventeenth century, with a focus on the site of the duke’s tomb at St Albans Abbey. I first call attention to, edit, and translate a Latin epitaph ‘pensild on the wall neare to his Tombe’ by the clergyman William Westerman around 1617, which could have been prompted by Shakespeare’s play. I then bring to light some explicit references to 2 Henry VI, previously unidentified, in the Civil War-era satirical pamphlet The Devill seen at St. Albons.