Marriages, April 22, 1626, Mr. Thomas Nash to Mrs. Elizabeth Hall.* Baptisms, June 20, 1593, Thomas filius Anthonii Nash gen. [He was buried with the Shakespeares and Halls, 1647.]

9. Baptisms, Feb. 10, 1583-4, Elizabeth daughter to Antony Shaksper of Hamton.

10. Marriages, Nov. 25, 1584, John Shakspere and Magery Roberts. [This entry relates to Shakespeare the shoemaker.] Burials, Oct. 29, 1587, Margery wife to John Shakspere.

11. Baptisms, Feb. 2, 1584-5, Hamnet and Judeth sonne and daughter to William Shakspere. Burials, Aug. 11, 1596, Hamnet filius William Shakspere.† Marriages, Feb. 10, 1615-6, Tho. Queeny tow Judith Shakspere. Baptisms, Oct. 8, 1587, Richard sonne to Richard Queeny; Feb. 26, 1588-9, Thomas sonne to Richard Queeny; Nov. 23, 1616, Shaksper fillius Thomas Quyny gen. Feb. 9, 1617-8, Richard fillius Thomas Quince. Burials, May 8, 1617, Shakspere fillius Tho. Quyny gent. [He had another son, christened Thomas, in January, 1620. Thomas and Richard died in 1638-9. Judith Quiny was buried at Stratford, Feb. 9, 1661-2.]

12. Baptisms, March 11, 1588-9, Ursula daughter to John Shakspere ; May 24, 1590, Humphrey sonne to John Shakspere; Sept. 21, 1591, Phillippus filius Johannes Shakspere. [These entries are supposed to refer to Shakespeare the shoemaker, the poet's father being usually styled Mr. in the register. It should be observed, however, that this distinction does not appear in the records of the Corporation.]

13. Burials, March 6, 1589-90, Thomas Green alias Shakspere.

14. Burials, 1601, Sep. 8, Mr. Johannes Shakspeare; Sept. 9, 1608, Mayry Shaxspere wydowe. [The father and mother of William Shakespeare.] 15. Burials, Aug. 8, 1623, Mrs. Shakspeare. [She died on August 6th, and was buried next to her husband in the chancel of Stratford Church. The entry of her burial in the register under August, 1623, occurs as follows :]

8 {Mrs. Shakspeare.

Anna uxor Richardi James.

Mr. Harness supposes both these entries to relate to Mrs. Shakespeare. The conjecture is most improbable, the epitaph in the chancel alone deciding in the negative. The bracket was of course placed there because the two obsequies occurred on the same day.

*In an undated paper in the Council Chamber at Stratford, mention is made of "Thomas Nasshe, sometyme servaunte to Sir John Huband." Anthony Nash died in 1622, and was buried Nov. 18, Anthonius Nash generosus.

Malone says in a letter dated 1788, "when I was some years ago at Stratford, the sexton, I think, told me that Shakspeare's only son Samuel [Hamnet], who died in 1596, aged 12, lies buried in the same grave with his mother." The register was lent to Malone in 1788 by the Vicar of Stratford.

At the time of Shakespeare's birth in 1564, his father was possessed of two copyhold tenements in Stratford, Ashbyes, a farm at Wilmecote, consisting of fifty-six acres exclusive of two houses and two gardens, and his wife's share of property at Snitterfield. He afterwards occupied a farm called Ingon, consisting of about fourteen acres; so that we may fairly conclude he took his station as a yeoman not long after his marriage with Mary Arden, however uncertain it may be how long his dealings in gloves and wool continued. William Shakespeare was baptized at Stratford on April 26th, 1564, a record of as great joy as the announcement of his untimely death on April 23d, 1616, is one of sorrow to all posterity. It is generally said he died on the anniversary of his birth, but this statement rests on a very late tradition,* and had so singular a circumstance occurred, I cannot but think it would have been remarked by some one among those of the seventeenth century who have recorded notices of him, even if it had not been particularly mentioned in his monumental inscription. At the same time it must be remarked that three days was often the period which elapsed between birth and baptism. Arthur Dee was born 13th of July, 1579, and christened on the 16th; Katherine Dee was born 7th of June, 1581, and christened on the 10th; and Theodore Dee was born 28th of February, 1588, and christened on March 1st. On the other hand, we find Margaret Dee was not christened till a fortnight after her birth. These instances are selected from Dr. Dee's Diary, and tend to show there was no great regularity observed in such matters. A font is still shown at Stratford as having been that in which the poet was

*The earliest authority is Oldys in his MS. notes to Langbaine.

"Capt. Saunders of Stratford upon Avon died on Friday, July 23, 1830. Captain Saunders, in common with many of the inhabitants of Stratford, had an enthusiastic admiration of everything relating to Shakespeare, and perhaps

UNIVE

OF

CALIFOR

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

33

baptized, and the new font in the church has, with singularly good taste, been formed in the same style. The former was probably in Stratford Church in Shakespeare's time, but the frequency of domestic baptisms in those days of course renders it somewhat doubtful whether it was used at the poet's christening.

John Shakespeare lived in Henley street* in 1552, and a house is still pointed out in the same street as the birthplace of Shakespeare in 1564. When tradition is thus partly supported by evidence, not known so early as the former, it is carrying incredulity too far to oppose its dicta. We can safely regard the humble dwelling, now secured to

the country by the praiseworthy efforts of committees formed at Stratford and London, as the earliest home of our great dramatic poet. But this was not the copyhold tenement

he possessed one of the most authentic articles connected with the bard. In his garden was the fragment of the old font of the church, which Capt. Saunders found in a stonemason's yard at Stratford, and was acknowledged as having been removed from the church."-Prattinton MSS. in the Library of the Society of Antiquaries.

A very old street at Stratford. I find it mentioned in two deeds of 1369 and 1387, in vico qui vocatur Henley stret.

There was a tradition about the year 1700 that Shakespeare was born near the churchyard. "Where have I read of Shakespear's house bordering upon the churchyard at Stratford in Gildon."-Oldys, MS. notes to Langbaine. A house near the river, called the Brook House, now pulled down, was some years since asserted to have been the birthplace of Shakespeare.

purchased by his father in 1556, which has never been shown to have been his residence. The Shakespeare property in Henley street, on which were situated the two houses purchased by John Shakespeare for £40 in 1575,* is clearly the locality of Shakespeare's youth, and the accompanying fine levied on that occasion describes it as consisting of two messuages, two gardens, and two orchards, with their appurtenances.

Hæc est finalis concordia facta in curia dominæ reginæ apud Westm. a die Sancti Michaelis in unum mensem anno regnor. Elizabeth. Dei gratia Angl. Franc. et Hibern. Reginæ, Fidei defensoris, &c. a conquestu decimo septimo, coram Jacobo Dyer, Ricardo Harpur, Rogero Manwood, et Roberto Mounson, justic. et aliis dominæ reginæ fidelibus tunc ibi præsentibus, inter Johannem Shakespere quer. et Edmundum Hall et Emmam uxorem ejus deforc. de duobus mesuagiis, duobus gardinis, et duobus pomariis, cum pertinentiis, in Stretford super Avon, unde placitum convencionis sum. fuit inter eos in eadem curia, scilicet quod prædicti Edm. et Emma recogn. prædict. ten. cum pertin. esse jus ipsius Johannis ut ill. quæ idem Johannes habet de dono prædictorum Edmundi et Emma, et ill. remiser. et quietclam. de ipsis Edmundo et Emma et hæred. suis prædicto Johanni et hæred. suis in perpetuum. Et præterea iidem Edmundus et Emma concesser. pro se et hæred. ipsius Emmæ quod ipsi warant. prædicto Johanni et hæred. suis prædict. ten. cum pertin. contra prædictos Edmundum et Emmam et hæred. ipsius Emmæ in perpetuum. Et pro hac recogn. remissione quietclam. warant. fine et concordia idem Johannes dedit prædictis Edmundo et Emmæ quadraginta libras sterlingorum.

John Shakespeare probably lived in one of these houses till his death; and Joan Hart, Shakespeare's sister, resided there in 1616 and 1639. A deed, bearing date 14 Aug. 33 Eliz. 1591, informs us that George Badger sold to John and William Courte "totum illud messuagium sive tenementum meum cum pertinentiis scituat. jacent. et existen. in Stretford prædicto, in quodam vico ibidem vocato

This date has always been incorrectly given 1574, but that the purchase was made in the following year clearly appears from the fine above given, as well as from the foot of the fine preserved in the Chapter-House, Westminster. It appears from another fine preserved in the same repository, that Edmund Hall purchased part of this estate from Richard Hill.

B. Site of the Old Barn, sold to Alderman Payton in 1771.

A. B. C. D. Now belonging to the White Lion Inn.

E. Sold by Thomas Hart to Alderman Payton in 1771. This reference includes the cottages, which were also sold to Payton.

References to the two houses in Henley street, the property of John Shakespeare. 1. Parlour. 2. Passage. 3. 3. 3. Kitchens. 4. Bar of the Inn, which, now termed the Swan and Maidenhead, was originally a dwelling-house. 5. Butcher's shop, now shown as Shakespeare's birthplace, but the cottage to the left (3) was originally part of the house. 6. Buttery. 7. Pantry. 8. Store-room. 9. Back parlour. 10. 10. 10. 10. Doors stopped up. 11. Pump. 12. Gates. 13. Back yard. The above plan is taken from Mr. Wheler's 'Account of the Birth-Place of Shakspeare,' 1824. The partitions which were made of the land originally belonging to this property do not appear to have been correctly identified.