The Stratford-upon-Avon town Corporation had this cupboard of boxes (drawers) made in 1594 for the storage and organisation of their records. The cupboard was kept on the first floor of the Guildhall, alongside other storage items. It facilitated the reference and retrieval of information by town officials. In this way, the cupboard acted as a memory aid for the town’s corporation, allowing documents to be stored in logical order. Muniments (legal documents) stored and created within a town were important to the establishment of authority.<br /> <br /> Good governance depended upon a town’s ability to record, organise and retrieve legal documents as required. As a result, new kinds of storage furniture, such as this cupboard with drawers, worked alongside records written by educated administrators whose responsibility it was to maintain the reputation of their local community. For men involved in civic governance, writing was an important tool through which they could craft a perception of their town, have legal and political influence, and create a legacy through documentary evidence.
Cupboard of Boxes (Cupboard), 1594

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Cupboard of Boxes

Cupboard of Boxes (Cupboard), 1594

The Stratford-upon-Avon town Corporation had this cupboard of boxes (drawers) made in 1594 for the storage and organisation of their records. The cupboard was kept on the first floor of the Guildhall, alongside other storage items. It facilitated the reference and retrieval of information by town officials. In this way, the cupboard acted as a memory aid for the town’s corporation, allowing documents to be stored in logical order. Muniments (legal documents) stored and created within a town were important to the establishment of authority.

Good governance depended upon a town’s ability to record, organise and retrieve legal documents as required. As a result, new kinds of storage furniture, such as this cupboard with drawers, worked alongside records written by educated administrators whose responsibility it was to maintain the reputation of their local community. For men involved in civic governance, writing was an important tool through which they could craft a perception of their town, have legal and political influence, and create a legacy through documentary evidence.

Object Type Cupboard
Year 1594
Material Oak Wood
Discovered Stratford-upon-Avon
Owned By Stratford Corporation, SBT L513
Keywords writing; storing; remembering; administration; civic; reputation; legal; office-holding; Stratford-upon-Avon; wood; furniture
Image Credit Cupboard (1594), SBT L513, CC-BY-NC-ND; Image Courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

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