DR243/1: Burial register, folio 39 verso
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. 39v
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DR243/1: Burial register, folio 39 verso, entry detail
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. 39v
View online bibliographic record
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. 39v
View online bibliographic record
Robert Bearman, "Parish register entry recording Mary Arden Shakespeare's burial," Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/469.
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, DR243/1: Burial register, folio 39 verso. See Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/469.
Mary Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s mother, was buried on September 9, 1608, according to the Holy Trinity Church parish register. Next to the entry, an “X” added by a later hand highlights its significance. The record is in English: “Mayry Shaxspere, wydowe”and is in the hand of the curate, William Gilbert, alias Higges. Her husband, John, had died on September 8, 1601. Mary’s date of birth is unknown, but given that she was still unmarried in November 1556 and bore children until 1580, she was probably aged about 70 at the time of her death. There was no increase in the burial rate that summer. As was the case with previous family burials, there is no evidence to establish whether or not Shakespeare was present.
Written by Robert Bearman
Last updated May 22, 2020
