One of the puzzles of Shakespeare's life is 'the lost years' - the period between 1585, when Shakespeare's twins were baptised in Stratford, and 1592, when he surfaces as an established playwright in London. The most famous legend is that he poached deer from nearby Charlecote Park and ran away to London to avoid punishment. Other suggestions are that he was apprenticed to a butcher, employed as a lawyer's clerk, or became a soldier or a teacher. It is also possible, and seems quite likely, that he joined one of the companies of players which visited Stratford in the late 1580s. But despite much searching, no records have been found of his activities in these years.