William Stevenson

William Stevenson (c. 1530-1575) is traditionally named as the author of Gammer Gurton's Needle, one of the earliest English comedies, acted at Christ's College, Cambridge, and printed in 1575 with the title-page attribution 'Made by Mr. S., Mr. of Art'.

Scholars have long identified 'Mr. S.' with William Stevenson, a fellow of Christ's College who is thought to have died in 1575, but the attribution is uncertain: the play has also been given to John Still and John Bridges. Nothing else in verse by Stevenson is known, and the archive holds only this play, under his name as its attributed author.