them to an even larger number of visitors who came to Stratford to see where Shakespeare's mulberry tree had once stood. The outraged, and by now probably quite mad, Gastrell left Stratford to seek refuge eleswhere. Bad move.

Gastrell could have dismissed his servants and locked-up the house, but at heart he was a caring man and allowed his servants to remain living in New Place, but by leaving the house occupied, by other than his direct family, he immediately incurred the so called 'Poor Rate Tax' - levied to help feed Stratford's poor - which became payable as soon as the owner was absent for more than one month. One month later, on hearing of the tax, Gastrell returned to Stratford and argued that had he dismissed his servants and locked-up the house he would have added to the number of poor and hungry in the town. His actions had, her argued, saved the town money.

The Stratford Town Council didn't fall for that one and demanded their forty shillings. Our man of the cloth objected vehemently, the Town Council demanded their taxes just as vehemently and threatened Gaskell with prison if he didn't cough up.

Gastrell would not budge, and when the council threatened to send round the Bailiffs, Gastrell, in a fit of ecclesiastical rage, and with the help of two of his servants, emptied and then demolished New Place.

Before he could be arrested for more wanton vandalism a virtually incoherent Gastrell left Stratford, his taxes still unpaid (and his servants homeless), for the cathedral city of Lichfield where he sought refuge in the home of his estranged wife Jane, where the mention of Shakespeare, or his damned mulberyy tree, was strictly forbidden.

With the demolition of New Place even more people came to Stratford to look at the hole in the ground where Shakespeare's house had once stood. The Town Council forgot all about the unpaid taxes and started charging people to walk around the gardens of New Place. It became a nice little earner.

Learn more about this author, Steve Newman.
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