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Parish Register of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
April 4,
1579

DR243/1: Burial register, folio 15 recto

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DR243/1: Burial register, folio 15 recto
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Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

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The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has graciously contributed images under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical 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, commercial 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 of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: 1558-1776
Repository: The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 15r
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Item Creator
Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Item Title
Parish Register of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Item Date
1558-1776, entry for April 4, 1579
Repository
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call Number
DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 15r

DR243/1: Burial register, folio 15, entry detail

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DR243/1: Burial register, folio 15, entry detail
Click image to enlarge

Institution Rights and Document Citation

 

Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Terms of use
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has graciously contributed images under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical 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, commercial 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 of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: 1558-1776
Repository: The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 15r
View online bibliographic record

Item Creator
Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Item Title
Parish Register of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Item Date
April 4, 1579
Repository
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call Number
DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 15r

Institution Rights and Document Citation

 

Reproduced by permission of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Terms of use
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has graciously contributed images under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical 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, commercial 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 of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: 1558-1776
Repository: The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Call number and opening: DR243/1: Burial register, fol. 15r
View online bibliographic record

Robert Bearman, "Parish register entry recording Anne Shakespeare's burial," Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/570.

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, DR243/1: Burial register, folio 15 recto. See Shakespeare Documentedhttps://doi.org/10.37078/570.

Anne, John and Mary Shakespeare’s sixth child, was buried on April 4, 1579 according to the Holy Trinity Church parish register. She was seven and a half years old. Next to the entry, an “X” added by a later hand highlights its significance. Her cause of death is unknown, although it is possibly linked to the epidemic which had broken out in October 1578.

The register records a high level of mortality into the following summer but with curious breaks in March and May. Indeed, Anne’s burial in April was the first recorded after March 7, and none at all were entered for May, despite the fact that February had witnessed 11 burials and April and June seven apiece. Perhaps, as in 1558–60, high levels of mortality led to inefficient recordkeeping, which would not be immediately obvious today as the register that survives is a copy made in 1600. 

Written by Robert Bearman

Last updated February 20, 2021