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September 7, 1569
Following his election as bailiff in 1568, John Shakespeare presided over meetings of the Corporation, although minutes were only properly kept for two – on October 1, 1568 and April 20, 1569 (Minutes and Accounts, ii, pp. 13-14, 24-5).
April 15, 1569
Joan, John and Mary Shakespeare’s fifth child, was baptized on April 15, 1569, according to the Holy Trinity Church parish register. It was a normal practice at the time to use the name of a deceased child for later offspring.
January 27, 1570
In the later part of the 16th century, the chamberlains' accounts submitted to the Corporation show regular payments to traveling troupes of players.
September 28, 1571
Anne, John and Mary Shakespeare’s sixth child, was baptized on September 28, 1571, according to the Holy Trinity Church parish register. Next to the entry, an “X” added by a later hand highlights its significance.
September 5, 1571
Under Stratford’s 1553 charter of incorporation, the Corporation elected annually a chief alderman to serve as a justice of the peace. He assisted the bailiff in the execution of his office, particularly at sessions of the court of record.
January 18, 1572
Under the 1553 charter of incorporation, Stratford-upon-Avon had been granted a certain degree of self-government, independent of the lord of the manor who had previously held authority over the town's affairs.
March 11, 1574
Richard, John and Mary Shakespeare’s seventh child, was baptized on March 11, 1574, according to the Holy Trinity Church parish register. Next to the entry, an “X” added by a later hand highlights its significance.
September 20, 1575
A surviving bundle of deeds, dating back to the mid sixteenth century, documents the ownership of the house in Henley Street adjoining the Shakespeare family property on the south-east.
November 19, 1578
From the late 1550s until the mid-1570s, John Shakespeare’s service as a member of the Stratford Corporation, first as a capital burgess and then as an alderman, had been exemplary.
October 15, 1579
At this time, when property was conveyed from one party to another, it was typical for the vendors to enter into a bond that they would perform all conditions as specified in the accompanying deed of conveyance. This bond would be signed by the vendors or, in this case, certified by their marks.
