George North (diplomat)


George North was an English diplomat sent to Sweden in 1564, known also as a man of letters. His unpublished work A Brief Discourse of Rebellion and Rebels has been claimed as an important source for the plays of William Shakespeare.

Works

North, who described himself as "gentleman" in his books, had Sir Christopher Hatton as patron. He published:
The manuscript A Brief Discourse of Rebellion and Rebells is described in a 20th-century bookseller's catalogue, and dated c. 1576. It is dedicated to "Sir Roger North", and praises his brother Thomas North. The suggestion is that these were relatives. The suggestion is also there, that North's poems on Owen Glendower and Jack Cade should be compared to Shakespeare's dramatic treatments of these figures. An edition was published in 2018, by Dennis McCarthy and June Schlueter, as "A Brief Discourse of Rebellion and Rebels" by George North: A Newly Uncovered Manuscript Source for Shakespeare's Plays. They identify the manuscript as an important source for Shakespeare's plays and note that the manuscript is now in the British Library, is dated to 1576, and was written by North at Kirtling Hall.