DR243/1: Burial register, folio 46 recto
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The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust hase graciously contributed images to Shakespeare Documented under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Visitors may download, link to and cite the images for personal research only. Any further use, including, but not limited to, unauthorized downloading or distribution of the images, commerical or third party use, is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to request additional use, at: images.scla@shakespeare.org.uk.
Document-specific information
Creator: Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Title: Parish Register, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: 1558-1776
Repository: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 46r
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DR243/1: Burial register, folio 46 recto, entry detail
Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Terms of use
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust hase graciously contributed images to Shakespeare Documented under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Visitors may download, link to and cite the images for personal research only. Any further use, including, but not limited to, unauthorized downloading or distribution of the images, commerical or third party use, is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to request additional use, at: images.scla@shakespeare.org.uk.
Document-specific information
Creator: Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Title: Parish Register, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: 1558-1776
Repository: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 46r
View online bibliographic record
Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Terms of use
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust hase graciously contributed images to Shakespeare Documented under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Visitors may download, link to and cite the images for personal research only. Any further use, including, but not limited to, unauthorized downloading or distribution of the images, commerical or third party use, is strictly prohibited. Visitors must contact the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to request additional use, at: images.scla@shakespeare.org.uk.
Document-specific information
Creator: Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Title: Parish Register, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: 1558-1776
Repository: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 46r
View online bibliographic record
Robert Bearman, "Parish register entry recording William Shakespeare's burial," Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/124.
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, DR243/1: Burial register, folio 46 recto. See Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/124.
According to the inscription on the wall monument erected in his memory, Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 and was buried, as would be normal practice at that time, two days later.
William Shakespeare’s burial was entered in the parish register for Holy Trinity Church on April 25, 1616: "Will Shakspere gent." Shakespeare's brother-in-law, William Hart, had been buried a week earlier, on April 17. Both entries are marked with an "X” in a later hand, signifying their importance. From the inscription on Shakespeare's funeral monument in the church, we know that he died two days earlier, on April 23, “Æetatis 53” or “in the 53rd year of his age”). He had therefore passed his 52nd birthday which, if he had been born on April 23, 1564, would have been observed earlier on the day that he died.
Shakespeare’s cause of death is not known but, given that he first drafted his will in January 1616, he may have been unwell for some time. He may have become gravely ill by March 25, when he signed his re-drafted will of which, despite its many deletions and interlineations, no fair copy was later made. However, he lived for nearly another month.
The person who made the entry in the register is not easily identifiable. According to the regulations then in place it should have been the vicar or curate (assistant minister), who, every Sunday, in the presence of the churchwardens (lay church officials), was required to enter in the register all baptism, marriage and burial ceremonies over the past week. The churchwardens and either the vicar or the curate would then sign at the foot of each page. In Stratford, the vicar, John Rogers, was only occasionally involved in these operations, and not at all after February 1612. Thereafter it was the curate who attested to the entries—first Edward Woolmer, and then Richard Watts from October 1613. Watts closely followed this procedure for a year or two following his appointment (even to the point, until March 1615, of recording the entries himself). Afterwards, he merely signed at the foot of each page with the churchwardens. However, in time burial records began to be kept less carefully than baptisms or marriages. For instance, for much of 1615 and early 1616 the compiler simply added the churchwarden and curate’s “signatures” in his own hand. There is no “signature” at all on the page containing Shakespeare’s burial entry. The next two pages, ending on October 17, 1616 and February 26, 1617, bear only the mark of one of the churchwardens.
1 An Infant of Zache Tandy
2 Alice wife of Zache Tandy
3 Katheren wife of Raph Burnill
5 Joanne wife of Will Tasker
9 Joyce daughter of Ric[hard] Aynger
9 Marg[a]ret daughter of Francis Brayne
15 Marg[a]ret Wheelar & her Child.
April
3 Thomas Dixson
5 Marg[a]ret daughter of John James
9 Two twins of Rich Burman
15 Will Parie gentleman
16 A Infant of Thomas Woodward
17 Will Hartt Hatter X
21 Elizabeth daughter of Will Bramich
23 An[n]e Cocks Widow
24 Richard Pynder
25 Will Shakespeare gentleman X
May
9 Marg[a]ret daughter of Robert Hadges Stranger
11 Two twins of Will Smyth merchant
23 Thomas Bramley of Drayton
25 Thomas Bradshew Shoemaker
[Ju]ne
1 Al[i]ce Hearinge widow
7 An[n]e Lock widow
14 Elizabeth Twininge
18 Al[i]ce fillia Roger Mvllenexs
21 A Infant of Robert Ward
26 Roger Mvllenexs
26 Thomas son of Henry Pratt
30 Thomas son of Tho[mas] Lemster
[Ju]ly
6 William Trowt butcher
22 William Jones
22 Thomas son of Tho[mas] Jackman
26 Humphrey Allin of old Stratford
28 John son of John Green gentleman
28 Steven son of Edward Perks of Shott[e]ry
28 Katheren duaghter of John Smyth
An[n[e wife of Edward Perks of Shott[e]ry
[Transcription from Richard Savage, The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, vol. 3, 89-90.]
[fol. 46r]
[1]616 1 A Infant of Zache Tandy. 46
march 2 Alis vxor Zache Tandy
5 Kathren vxor Raph Burnill
5 Ioane vxor Will. Tasker
9 Ioyce filia Rich. Aynger
9 Margret fillia ffrancis Brayne.
15 Margret Wheelar & her Child.
Aprill
3 Thomas Dixson
5 Margret fillia Iohn Iames
9 Tow twines of Rich. Burman.
15 Will Parie gent
16 A Infant of Tho. Woodward
17 Will Hartt hatter
21 Elizabeth fillia will bramich
23 Ane Cocks, widow
24 Richard Pynder
25 Will Shakspeare gent
May
9 Margret fillia Robert Hadges stranger
11 tow twines of Will Smyth mercer
23 Thomas Bramley de Drayton
25 Thomas Bradshew Shewmaker
[Iu]ne 1 Alce Hearinge, widow
7 Ane Lock, widow
14 Elizabeth Twininge
18 Alce fillia Roger Mvllenexs
21 A Infant of Robert Ward
26 Roger Mvllenexs
26 Thomas fillius Henery Pratt
30 Thomas fillius Tho Lemster
[Iu]lly 6 William Trowt butcher
22 William Iones
22 Thomas fillius Tho: Iackmane
26 Humphrey Allin de old Stratford
28 Iohn fillius Iohn Green gent
28 Steven fillius Edward Perks de Shottry
28 Katheren fillia Iohn Smyth
Ane vxor Edward Perks de Shottry
Written by Robert Bearman
Sources
Robert Bearman, Shakespeare in the Stratford Records
Last updated May 22, 2020
