four of the six schoolmasters at the grammar school of shakespeare's youth, king's new school in stratford, were catholic sympathisers, and simon hunt, who may have been one of shakespeare's teachers, later became a jesuit priest. thomas jenkins, who succeeded hunt as teacher in the grammar school, was a student of edmund campion at st john's college, oxford. jenkins's successor at the grammar school in 1579, john cottam, was the brother of jesuit priest thomas cottam.