Church records at Holy Trinity Stratford record the baptismal of William and Anne Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna on 26 May 1583. She was born only six months after her parents’ wedding! In fact, her existence was the reason for their hasty marriage. William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway needed a special marriage license which would speed the process […]Continue reading
New Place was the second-largest house in Stratford-upon-Avon. When he bought the property on 4 May 1597, Shakespeare was preparing to return to his hometown as a successful playwright and businessman. New Place had been built by Sir Hugh Clopton in 1483. By the time Shakespeare acquired it, it had three storeys, five gables, two […]Continue reading
When Stratford-upon-Avon’s burgesses were elected to office, they were entitled to send their children to be educated at the local Grammar School free of charge. As the son of a burgess, William Shakespeare would have enrolled at New King’s Grammar School to embark on a study of Latin authors between the ages of seven and […]Continue reading
Stratford-upon-Avon was Shakespeare’s hometown and he lived there until he moved to London in the early 1590s. Shakespeare grew up on Henley Street, just a few minutes’ walk away from the Town Hall. It was a central location as the Town Hall was the centre of civic life after a royal charter from Edward VI […]Continue reading
