Hoax! – "The Ireland Shakespeare Relics"

Podcast: Hoax! by iHeartMedia
Hosts: Dana Schwartz & Lizzie Logan
Date: September 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Dana Schwartz leads co-host Lizzie Logan through the fascinating—and genuinely bizarre—story of the Ireland Shakespeare forgeries, also known as one of the most audacious literary hoaxes in English history. The story centers on William Henry Ireland, an overlooked and lonely young man who, in a bid to impress his pretentious collector father, Samuel, faked a series of "lost" Shakespeare documents—including a brand new play.

Through witty banter and richly detailed research, Dana and Lizzie explore why the hoax succeeded, how its creator was driven by a complicated family dynamic, and what the whole affair reveals about the way people believe what they want to believe—especially when it comes to literary heroes.

Key Discussion Points & Timeline

Meet the Irelands and the Birth of a Hoax (02:44–11:03)

• Who were the Irelands?

  • Samuel Ireland: Social-climbing commoner, obsessed with collecting artifacts, desperate for a connection to fame.
    • “[Samuel] likes having things connected to famous people and events.” (05:46)
  • William Henry Ireland: The overlooked son, dismissed as dull, desperate for approval.
  • The family’s home life: Absent mother, mysterious housekeeper Mrs. Freeman (possible former mistress of an earl and possibly mother to the Ireland children).

• Setting the scene:

  • The 18th-century culture of collecting, importance of lineage, and the beginnings of "Shakespeare Mania" (when Shakespeare started being mythologized as a national hero, not just a jobbing playwright).

Shakespeare’s Mystique & The Hunger for Relics (10:38–17:26)

• What was known about Shakespeare?

  • Very few genuine documents or signatures survived; lots of gaps in his biography.
  • "That’s why people have all these conspiracy theories about, like, it was one guy, it was a woman..." (10:38)
  • By the late 1700s, Shakespeare’s status was booming, but facts about his life were still scarce—a perfect environment for forgers.

• Samuel’s obsession:

  • He fixates on the idea that some birdcage lining or soon-to-be-burnt pile of old papers might contain Shakespeare’s handwriting.
  • “[Samuel] would give up half of my collection of books, of rare books, for one Shakespeare signature.” (19:36)

William Henry Tests the Waters (20:01–25:07)

• First forgeries:
  • William Henry initially forges dedications and letters in old books using clever aging methods (like using old ink and fire-singed paper), then hands them to his father as “finds."
  • “[William Henry] rewrites the letter, holds it over the fire… and gives it to his dad...” (22:42)
• Parental reaction:
  • Samuel is quickly duped, bolstered by his own need to believe.
  • The process is iterative—each early success makes William Henry bolder.

The Shakespeare Forgeries Take Off (29:02–39:23)

• The big leap: William Henry accesses authentic-looking old paper and ink, practices Shakespeare’s signature, and forges a deed purportedly signed by the Bard.

• Samuel’s reaction:

  • Underwhelmed at first but soon falls for it—as do his circle of friends and supposed experts.

• Expert lunacy:

  • One expert sees a seal and reads so deeply into it that he claims it as proof:
    • “It’s a thing called a quintain... It’s what you would shake a spear at. So it’s definitely his seal.” – (32:41, wax seal expert)

• Escalation of the hoax:

  • William Henry invents “Mr. H,” a mysterious benefactor with an inexhaustible trunk of Shakespeare artifacts.

  • He forges not just signatures but “lost” Shakespeare poems, letters, and ultimately, entire plays.

  • Forgeries include love poems to Anne Hathaway and a declaration of Protestant faith—catering to contemporary desires for a "respectable" version of Shakespeare.

    “He’s going to write as Shakespeare and sort of create a fan fiction version of Shakespeare. That’s who he wants him to be.” – Dana (34:22)
    "Is there in heaven aught more rare / Than Thou sweet nymph of Avon, fair / Is there on earth a man more true / Than Willy Shakespeare is to you?” – Lizzie, reading the fake poem (37:06)

Public Sensation, Doubters, and Expert Denunciations (41:42–44:25)

• Public and press attention:
  • The artifacts become a sensation—people visit just to glimpse the supposed relics, and Samuel even begins charging for entry.
  • Notable scholars and dignitaries, like the poet laureate and James Boswell, sign certificates of belief in the documents.
• Emerging skepticism:
  • Satirical newspaper columns; not everyone is fooled.
  • Some immediate critics point out the implausibility and amateurishness of the forgeries.
    • “People love to be. People from the past were so dumb. No, there were absolutely people back then who immediately knew it was a forgery…” – Dana (42:30)

The Hoax Snowballs: Plays, Publication, and Fiasco (58:15–68:02)

• William Henry’s masterpiece:

  • He “finds” an entire lost Shakespeare play: Vortigern and Rowena.
  • The play is auctioned between London’s top theaters; Drury Lane wins, but everyone senses something is off.
  • Actors and scholars are skeptical but the public hype is unstoppable.

• The fatal mistake:

  • Samuel publishes a massive volume of “the findings"—but now scholars can pour over them at home, and critics like Edmund Malone demolish their authenticity in exhaustive rebuttals.

• The farcical premiere:

  • Vortigern and Rowena debuts to a sold-out, jeering, brawling house, and bombs spectacularly.
    • “He goes—and when this solemn mockery is ended—and everyone cracks up, and then he repeats the line, like, really hamming it up…” – Dana (68:02)

Unmasking, Confession, and Fallout (69:14–76:36)

• Aftermath and familial disaster:
  • William Henry confesses to his sisters and eventually the family friend Albany Wallace.
  • The father, Samuel, refuses to believe his dull son could be behind it; he clings to the relics’ authenticity and dies in disgrace, never reconciling with William Henry.
• William Henry’s fate:
  • Publishes a confession pamphlet, but always remains a minor, semi-notorious writer.
  • He sells copies of his old forgeries later in life, and keeps rewriting his confession to paint himself as even younger and more tragic.
• The family legacy:
  • The family’s reputation is destroyed. William Henry’s sister burns the hoax’s publications. Samuel dies ostracized and pitied.
• On meaning and motivation:
  • William Henry was driven by a need for familial approval as much as a desire to prove the snobbery of literary culture.
    • “He was writing the version of Shakespeare that people wanted to believe in, which is, I think, why they believed in this hoax so much.” – Dana (79:17)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Samuel’s character (06:32):
  “He’s really pretentious, always needs to be the smartest person in the room—thinks he has incredible taste as a curator. And he’s very arrogant.” – Dana

• On fake-old writing style (37:06):
  “He writes old timey Shakespeare like a child would, in that he’s adding e’s to every word and double consonants. Like he’s doing fake old timey ‘ye olde shoppe’… That is not how people in the old times wrote.” – Dana

• On experts reading too much into things (32:41):
  “It’s a thing called a quintain... It’s what you would shake a spear at. So it’s definitely his seal.” – Dana, recounting the ‘expert’s’ justification

• On wishful thinking (76:08): "He felt important… him writing these Shakespearean artifacts is imbuing a sense of importance to the literary establishment, but also he’s really resentful of it… They’re only thinking this poetry is good because Shakespeare wrote it—but also, it is good because I wrote it. And maybe I'm another Shakespeare.” – Dana

• On fan fiction and wish fulfillment (79:10):
  “That’s some real fan fiction shit. That’s like—let me tell you about the time I met Harry Styles and he told me I was pretty.” – Lizzie

Why Did People Believe the Hoax?

• Desire to Fill Historical Voids:
  People wanted concrete links to a deified Shakespeare, whose real biography was shadowy and contested.
• Confirmation Bias:
  The relics offered exactly the kind of "respectable" and sentimental Shakespeare the public wanted—pious, loving, generous.
• Social Prestige:
  Belief in the artifacts granted Samuel and his visitors social clout; skepticism risked looking foolish or heretical.
• Disdain for Commoners:
  Few could believe a so-called “dull” nobody like William Henry—much less a young man—could have fooled the learned establishment.

Takeaway Reflections

• Literary hoaxes expose how even experts and elites can be blinded by desire, ego, and social dynamics.
• People are always susceptible to believing what fits their worldview, especially around revered figures.
• The story is also deeply tragic: a son’s yearning for paternal affection collides with one man’s desperate need for status, scorching their family and reputation in the process.

Episode Highlights and Timestamps

| Segment | Key Theme | Timestamp | |---|---|---| | Introduction & Concept of Hoaxes | Explaining belief in hoaxes | 02:44–03:31 | | Samuel Ireland – The Obsessive Collector | Family dynamics & motivations | 04:30–08:03 | | Shakespeare’s Mystique and the 18th Century | Lack of records fuels myths | 10:38–17:26 | | William Henry’s First Forgeries | Testing the waters | 20:01–25:07 | | Forgery Escalates to Full Shakespeare Artifacts | Signatures, letters, poems | 29:02–41:00 | | The "Lost" Shakespeare Play | Vortigern & Rowena fiasco | 58:15–68:02 | | The Confession and Aftermath | Denial, disgrace, and sad coda | 69:14–76:36 | | Why the Hoax Worked | Psychology of belief | Throughout |

Tone & Style

• Witty, fast-paced storytelling: Dana and Lizzie riff with each other, mixing historical insight, pop culture references (Shakespeare in Love, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift fans), and sly irony.
  • “That’s like, ye olde 'wet teabags on parchment for history reports' trick.” – Paraphrased from (22:09)
• Empathetic, but incisive character work: They view William Henry as both a pathetic figure and an underappreciated trickster.
• Modern analogies: Frequent comparisons to current hoaxes, fandom culture, and media gullibility.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a sharply drawn portrait of how historical forgeries succeed—not because the fakes are flawless, but because people want them to be true. The Ireland Shakespeare Relics story is at once comic, tragic, and ever-relevant, revealing the timeless interplay between longing, authority, and self-deception.