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The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is the world’s leading charity in promoting the works, life and times of William Shakespeare. The Trust offers a unique Shakespeare centered experience with outstanding archive and library collections, inspiring educational and literary event programs and five wonderful houses all directly relating to Shakespeare. As an independent charity the Trust receives no public subsidy or direct government funding. The Trust depends entirely on income generated through their supporters: their visitors, volunteers, donors and Friends.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s History
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust was formed in 1847 following the purchase of Shakespeare’s Birthplace as a national memorial.

The role of the Trust grew with the purchase in 1876 of Shakespeare’s New Place estate, comprising the site of Shakespeare’s grand final home and Nash’s House (the home of Thomas Nash and Shakespeare’s grand-daughter Elizabeth).

The Trust purchased Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the girlhood home of Shakespeare’s wife, in 1892 and Mary Arden’s House was purchased in 1930.

The last house to be acquired was Hall’s Croft, the home of Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband, physician Dr John Hall, in 1949.

In 1964 to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth the Trust threw open the doors of its new headquarters and study facility, the Shakespeare Centre.  This distinctive building provides a home for the Trust’s extensive Shakespeare Centre library and archive (including the RSC archive). The second part of this project, an extension including facilities for the Trust's educational and cultural work and a visitor centre for Shakespeare’s Birthplace, was added in 1981.

In addition to the Shakespeare Houses, the Trust cares for Harvard House on behalf of the Harvard House Memorial 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

Documents contributed by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

September 7, 1569
Meeting of the Stratford-upon-Avon Corporation, presided over by the bailiff, John Shakespeare, at which officers for the following year were elected
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
Parish register entry recording Joan Shakespeare's baptism, 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
The chamberlain’s account presented to the Stratford-upon-Avon Corporation, including the first recorded payments to troupes of actors visiting the town
In the later part of the 16th century, the chamberlains' accounts submitted to the Corporation show regular payments to traveling troupes of players.
September 5, 1571
Meeting of the Stratford-upon-Avon Corporation at which officers for the following year were elected, including John Shakespeare's election as chief alderman
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.
September 28, 1571
Parish register entry recording Anne Shakespeare's baptism
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.

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