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He didn’t write mysteries, but his early life is one. How can we know so little about the Englishman who wrote Romeo and Juliet and dozens of other famous works?

Between William Shakespeare’s birth in 1564 and his arrival in London around 1590, only three events of his life were recorded: his baptism, his marriage, and the births of his children. That’s 26 years we know next to nothing about. Since Shakespeare left no letters, diaries, or journals, scholars must piece together his early life using the few clues available, like putting together a puzzle or solving a mystery.

Shakespeare was born and grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon, in the middle of England, where he attended grammar, or elementary, school. By age fourteen, he would probably have finished his education. No one knows what Shakespeare did before he arrived in London. His teenage years are sometimes known as “the lost years.” Many who study Shakespeare believe he stayed in Stratford and apprenticed with his father, who was a glove maker.

But others think Will may have left home and traveled 200 miles north to Lancashire to serve as a schoolmaster. Why leave his family and familiar surroundings at the age of 14? Will’s father, once prosperous, was struggling financially, and a university degree would have been out of the question for his oldest son. It made sense for Will to find employment elsewhere.

Many believe Shakespeare ended up with the Hoghtons, a wealthy family who lived in a great stone house topped with towers and battlements. Known as Hoghton Tower, the house crowns the top of a hill, with the countryside rising dramatically around it. Dense forest grew close to the house in those days, and in Shakespeare’s eyes, the countryside may have looked bleak and isolated. Compared to the hustle and bustle of Stratford, a market town, it must have seemed like a lonely place.

What are the clues that put Will Shakespeare at Hoghton Tower? In the seventeenth century, a writer named John Aubrey compiled short biographies of well-known Englishmen. In the entry on Shakespeare, Aubrey says “…he had been in his younger yeares a schoolmaster in the Countrey.” That is the first clue, and the one that has encouraged scholars to look further.

The second clue lies in the will of Alexander de Hoghton. In it, he mentions “…William Shakeshafte now dwelling with me.” Could William “Shakeshafte” have been Shakespeare? Last names were often confused in the days when few people could read or write. Many scholars believe de Hoghton was referring to William Shakespeare, future playwright.

Another clue is the widespread belief that Shakespeare had some means of continuing his education. If he didn’t attend university, he almost certainly had access to a library. Hoghton Tower would have provided him with books to feed his intellect and imagination and help fulfill his thirst for knowledge.

Perhaps the most important clue lies with the family of one of Shakespeare’s schoolmasters in Stratford, where he grew up. John Cottom’s family lived near the Hoghtons in Lancashire. If asked, Cottom may have recommended Will for the post of private schoolmaster.

If Will Shakespeare was a schoolmaster, what would he have taught? For the younger children, it would have been letters and numbers, using a hornbook. Perhaps he instructed the older boys in Latin. Shakespeare’s writing clearly shows he had studied Latin, as every well-educated school boy did at that time.

But given Will’s imagination and love of drama, he also could have taught music, acting, and even dancing. Shakespeare may have known how to play the most common musical instruments of the day—the tabor, lute, and recorder.

The Banqueting Hall at Hoghton Tower could have provided a stage for young Will to put on performances. At one end is a minstrel’s gallery where musicians might play while actors performed below in the hall. Picture a teenaged Will Shakespeare, dressed as a king, a nobleman, or even a maiden. Whether acting or directing, it’s a safe bet he displayed some of the genius that would blossom in the next decade of his life.

The mystery of Shakespeare’s younger years may never be solved. But it’s no mystery who became the greatest writer in the English language—William Shakespeare!

William Shakespeare, playwright and poet: 1564-1616.

Battlements: Alternately high and low barriers at the edge of a roof for defense of a building.

Hornbook: A printed sheet containing letters and numbers. Mounted on a wooden frame, it was covered with a thin layer of polished horn.

Tabor: A small drum.

Lute: Stringed instrument played by plucking the strings with your fingers.

Recorder: Flute-like instrument still played today.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603), women and girls were not allowed to perform in plays.