For, underneath an ale-house paltry sign, The Castle in Saint Albans, Somerset Hath made the wizard famous in his death.*
I couldn’t find more about it–but, though I doubt there is much of a chance, there is some, so may I venture to ask if The Castle still survives in St. Albans?
Sadly I know the Tabard is gone and is now an office park in London.
st albans isn’t in somerset.
I didn’t recognise the quote so I googled it.
Second hit was a history of St Albans.
So, no, it’s long gone.
The Bard goofs again, eh? (NB - Somerset is the name of the man who died, not the place)
Your first instinct was that Shakespeare was wrong, but an anonymous member of an internet board was right?
The north corner of St Peter’s and Victoria streets today houses a building society: Street View link.
No, but at the time [the Duke of] Somerset was in Saint Albans. 
My recollection is that there is a plaque on the wall marking the event.
‘Rat’s Castle’ is another inn in St Albans, originally called The Castle, became derelict and swarming with rats for some years until the name was changed on refurbishment.
Honestly, I’d trust just about anyone here over Shakespeare on a matter of health or law. Will was not going for accuracy and he lived a long time ago indeed.
Secondly, you misread the post.
… or geography, or historical accuracy …
Well, there’s no castle in St. Albans, Vermont, just a couple of old Cold War radar domes on a hilltop just outside the city…
Only it’s not a matter of health or law, but of geography: You really think the greatest English playwright of all time was too stupid to know the basic geography of his own country?
Nor is great accuracy required, and the location of Somerset and St. Albans (which dates from Roman times) was long-established before Shakespeare was born.
Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.
I think he was more concerned with turning out pretty sounding phrases than with factual accuracy.
By the way, I’m not familiar with the play, or the historical event. Can anyone explain who or what is “the wizard” please?
In Act I, scene 4, of the play a witch makes a prophecy about Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset.
Naturally enough, Somerset is later killed at the first battle of St Albans in 1455 not in an actual castle but in the doorway of the Castle Inn.
But there’s no inaccuracy in this particular quotation. Somerset has shown the wizard’s accuracy in predictions, by dying at the Castle in St Alban’s.
Someset in this sentence is the Duke, not the place.
You wouldn’t fly very far with one wing!
Just sayin’, like.
erm, Read post 3 and see who wrote it.
I didn’t say that he was wrong on this occasion. Just that he is well known for factual errors, such as chiming clocks in Roman times, or ships arriving at landlocked towns.
You can see the plaque on the Victoria Street side of the building in Colophon’s Streetview link, but can’t make out the smaller writing, sadly.
Here’s a closeup of the plaque on Flickr.