The pictured Consistory Court (at Chester Cathedral) was a go-to destination to avenge slurs or insults in dioceses across the country. Like libel, slander fundamentally attacked reputation, but by spoken word. Slander was a very serious threat to a middling people because it could destroy their reputation within their community, making it very difficult for them to gain positions of responsibility and to be favourably perceived. Those who wished to combat injurious words spoken about them in public went to a consistory court, like the one pictured here, dating from 1636 in Chester Cathedral. Here, a person could clear their name and restore their good social standing. This type of court case overwhelmingly features those of middling status, who were most concerned about and most at risk of day-to-day reputational harm.<br /> <br /> On 16th July 1613, it was in a similar consistory court in Worcester, that William Shakespeare’s daughter, Susanna Hall went to the consistory court at Worcester and filed a slander suit. It took aim at John Lane, who had accused her of committing adultery. Susanna claimed that she had not lain with Raffe Smith and, in addition to this, John Lane missed the court date. Susanna was proven innocent in court and had her name cleared, but John Lane was excommunicated. Slander, then, could damage on both accounts—both the accuser and the accused. Lane's slander backfired, causing him far more reputational damage than Susanna.
Chester Cathedral Consistory Court (Slander), 1613

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Chester Cathedral Consistory Court

Chester Cathedral Consistory Court (Slander), 1613

The pictured Consistory Court (at Chester Cathedral) was a go-to destination to avenge slurs or insults in dioceses across the country. Like libel, slander fundamentally attacked reputation, but by spoken word. Slander was a very serious threat to a middling people because it could destroy their reputation within their community, making it very difficult for them to gain positions of responsibility and to be favourably perceived. Those who wished to combat injurious words spoken about them in public went to a consistory court, like the one pictured here, dating from 1636 in Chester Cathedral. Here, a person could clear their name and restore their good social standing. This type of court case overwhelmingly features those of middling status, who were most concerned about and most at risk of day-to-day reputational harm.

On 16th July 1613, it was in a similar consistory court in Worcester, that William Shakespeare’s daughter, Susanna Hall went to the consistory court at Worcester and filed a slander suit. It took aim at John Lane, who had accused her of committing adultery. Susanna claimed that she had not lain with Raffe Smith and, in addition to this, John Lane missed the court date. Susanna was proven innocent in court and had her name cleared, but John Lane was excommunicated. Slander, then, could damage on both accounts—both the accuser and the accused. Lane's slander backfired, causing him far more reputational damage than Susanna.

Object Type Slander
Year 1613
Keywords listening; recording; reputation; legal; credit; morality; piety; gender; Stratford-upon-Avon; manuscript
Image Credit Chester Cathedral Consistory Court, personal photograph.

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