It is a commonly held and textually substantiated belief that Falstaff, the corpulent, cowardly, and occasionally criminal friend of Prince Hal in Shakespeare's Henry IV plays, was originally named “Oldcastle.” Sir John Oldcastle was indeed a companion of the historic Henry of Monmouth, and Shakespeare's characterization of him has been consistently popular with audiences since its conception. However, the portrayal was not at all popular with Oldcastle's descendant, William Brooke, Lord Cobham – member of the Queen's Privy Council, Knight of the Garter, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Chamberlain of the Queen's Household, Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Constable of the Tower and, not least, close friend to Lord Burghley. In fact, Lord Cobham was so offended by the characterization of his ancestor that Shakespeare was reportedly forced to change the name of Oldcastle to Falstaff. Subsequently, in November of 1599, the Admiral's Men, the rival playing company of Shakespeare's Lord Chamberlain's Men, produced a play entitled The First Part of the True and Honourable History of the Life of Sir John Oldcastle, the Good Lord Cobham. This play portrayed John Oldcastle as a Protestant martyr – virtuous, brave, and undoubtedly trim – while making frequent disparaging allusions to Shakespeare's treatment of history. Neither the name change nor the new play helped Lord Cobham; his fellow aristocrats continued to mock him, following Shakespeare's lead and changing his nickname to “Falstaff” in their letters to each other.