John Webster

Martin Wiggins (University of Birmingham)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Dates

Born 1578
Died 1632
Activity 1604-1632

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist
Poet

Resources

Webster's Works

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John Webster was a Londoner, the son of a prosperous coachmaker, also John Webster, and his wife Elizabeth (

née

Coates). The family business was based in Cow Lane a few hundred yards north-west of the old city wall in the West Smithfield district where the Websters were based throughout John's life. In fact, we don't know precisely when he was born or died — the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed many of the capital's official records, including those which would have contained details of his baptism and burial — but his parents were married in November 1577 and he probably came into the world within a year or two. He had a younger brother, Edward (

. 1590-1644), and probably more than one sister.

John Webster senior was a member of the Merchant Taylors' Company, one of the craft

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2226 words

Citation: Wiggins, Martin. "John Webster". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4643, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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