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On August 6, 1623, Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, died at the age of 66 or 67. From the article:
"Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's Wife
William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous writer of all time, but his private life and marriage to Anne Hathaway isn't necessarily well known to the public. Gain more insight into the circumstances that shaped the bard's life and possibly his writing with this biography of Hathaway.
Birth and Early Life
Hathaway was born circa 1555. She grew up in a farmhouse in Shottery, a small village on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. Her cottage remains on the site and has since become a major tourist attraction. Little is known about Hathaway. Her name crops up a few times in historical records, but historians don’t have any real sense of what type of woman she was.
Shotgun Marriage
Anne Hathaway married William Shakespeare in November 1582. She was 26, and he was 18. The couple lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is roughly 100 miles northwest of London. It appears the two had a shotgun wedding. Evidently, they conceived a child out of wedlock and a wedding was arranged despite the fact that marriages were not traditionally performed at that time of year. The couple would go on to have a total of three children (two daughters, one son).
Special permission had to be asked from the Church, and friends and family had to financially guarantee the wedding and sign a surety for £40—a huge sum in those days.
Some historians believe that the marriage was an unhappy one and the couple was forced together by the pregnancy. Although there is no evidence to support this, some historians go as far as to suggest that Shakespeare left for London to escape the day-to-day pressures of his unhappy marriage. This is, of course, wild speculation.
Did Shakespeare Run Away to London?
We know that William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for most of his adult life. This has led to speculation about the state of his marriage to Hathaway.
Broadly, there are two camps of thought:
The Failed Marriage: Some speculate that a difficult marriage in Stratford-upon-Avon compelled the young William to seek his fortune away from home. London would have been many days ride and was perhaps welcome escape for William who was trapped by a shotgun wedding and children. Indeed, there is evidence (although scant) that William was unfaithful while in London, and would compete with his business partner for the attention of London’s women.
The Loving Marriage: If the above is true, it does not explain why William kept such close ties with the town. It seems he regularly returned to share his new-found wealth with Anne and his children. Land investments in the Stratford-upon-Avon area also prove that he planned to retire to the town once his working life in London finished.
Children
Six months after the marriage, their first daughter Susanna was born. Twins, Hamnet and Judith soon followed in 1585. Hamnet died at age 11, and four years later Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, a play that may have been inspired by the grief of losing his son.
Death
Anne Hathaway outlived her husband. She died Aug. 6, 1623. She is buried next to Shakespeare’s grave inside Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. Like her husband, she has an inscription upon her tomb, some of which is written in Latin:
Here lyeth the body of Anne wife of William Shakespeare who departed this life the 6th day of August 1623 being of the age of 67 years.
Breasts, O mother, milk and life thou didst give. Woe is me—for how great a boon shall I give stones? How much rather would I pray that the good angel should move the stone so that, like Christ's body, thine image might come forth! But my prayers are unavailing. Come quickly, Christ, that my mother, though shut within this tomb may rise again and reach the stars."
"Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's Wife
William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous writer of all time, but his private life and marriage to Anne Hathaway isn't necessarily well known to the public. Gain more insight into the circumstances that shaped the bard's life and possibly his writing with this biography of Hathaway.
Birth and Early Life
Hathaway was born circa 1555. She grew up in a farmhouse in Shottery, a small village on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. Her cottage remains on the site and has since become a major tourist attraction. Little is known about Hathaway. Her name crops up a few times in historical records, but historians don’t have any real sense of what type of woman she was.
Shotgun Marriage
Anne Hathaway married William Shakespeare in November 1582. She was 26, and he was 18. The couple lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is roughly 100 miles northwest of London. It appears the two had a shotgun wedding. Evidently, they conceived a child out of wedlock and a wedding was arranged despite the fact that marriages were not traditionally performed at that time of year. The couple would go on to have a total of three children (two daughters, one son).
Special permission had to be asked from the Church, and friends and family had to financially guarantee the wedding and sign a surety for £40—a huge sum in those days.
Some historians believe that the marriage was an unhappy one and the couple was forced together by the pregnancy. Although there is no evidence to support this, some historians go as far as to suggest that Shakespeare left for London to escape the day-to-day pressures of his unhappy marriage. This is, of course, wild speculation.
Did Shakespeare Run Away to London?
We know that William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for most of his adult life. This has led to speculation about the state of his marriage to Hathaway.
Broadly, there are two camps of thought:
The Failed Marriage: Some speculate that a difficult marriage in Stratford-upon-Avon compelled the young William to seek his fortune away from home. London would have been many days ride and was perhaps welcome escape for William who was trapped by a shotgun wedding and children. Indeed, there is evidence (although scant) that William was unfaithful while in London, and would compete with his business partner for the attention of London’s women.
The Loving Marriage: If the above is true, it does not explain why William kept such close ties with the town. It seems he regularly returned to share his new-found wealth with Anne and his children. Land investments in the Stratford-upon-Avon area also prove that he planned to retire to the town once his working life in London finished.
Children
Six months after the marriage, their first daughter Susanna was born. Twins, Hamnet and Judith soon followed in 1585. Hamnet died at age 11, and four years later Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, a play that may have been inspired by the grief of losing his son.
Death
Anne Hathaway outlived her husband. She died Aug. 6, 1623. She is buried next to Shakespeare’s grave inside Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. Like her husband, she has an inscription upon her tomb, some of which is written in Latin:
Here lyeth the body of Anne wife of William Shakespeare who departed this life the 6th day of August 1623 being of the age of 67 years.
Breasts, O mother, milk and life thou didst give. Woe is me—for how great a boon shall I give stones? How much rather would I pray that the good angel should move the stone so that, like Christ's body, thine image might come forth! But my prayers are unavailing. Come quickly, Christ, that my mother, though shut within this tomb may rise again and reach the stars."
Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's Wife
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The Life and Family of Shakespeare
A short overview of the important things within the life of Shakespeare.
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that August 6, 1623, Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, died at the age of 66 or 67.
By the way William Shakespeare is an ancestor of me on my maternal side.
The Life and Family of Shakespeare
A short overview of the important things within the life of Shakespeare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CVp9Cy3imo
Images:
1. Anne Hathaway Painting by Roger Brian Dunn (2010) based on a drawing by Nathaniel Curzon (1708)
2. Hathaway family cottage near Stratford
3. Susanna [Shakespeare] Hall oldest child of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway
4. Inscribed brass on Anne Shakespeare's tombstone in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon
1. Background from {[ http://elizabethanenglandlife.com/anne-hathaway-william-shakespeares-wife.html /]}
Anne Hathaway: William Shakespeare’s Wife
Anne Hathaway (1556- August 1623) whose real name was Agnes Hathwey was the wife of William Shakespeare who was a well-known playwright, poet as well as an actor.
Childhood of Anne Hathaway
Contents
1 Childhood of Anne Hathaway
2 Marriage and Family Life of Anne Hathaway
2.1 What was unusual about Shakespeare’s marriage?
2.2 Life of Anne after marriage in Henley Street
2.3 William’s Journey from Stratford to London
2.4 How many children did William and Anne Shakespeare have?
3 Anne Hathaway Shakespeare Poem
3.1 Anne Hathaway Death
A very little is known about the life of Anne Hathaway, not even her birth year. Her birth year is assumed to be 1556 from the reference to her gravestone which has her age written as 67 in the year 1623.
Anne Hathaway was born in the Richard Hathaway family and grew up in Shottery, a small village just to the west of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. She is assumed to have grown up in the farmhouse that was the Hathaway family home, which is located at Shottery and is now a major tourist attraction for the village.
Anne Hathaway was the eldest of the eight children of the twice-married Richard Hathaway. His first three children, including Anne Hathaway, were by his first wife. His second wife was called Joan with whom he is thought to have had a further five children.
Few facts are known about her early life but it can be safely assumed that she never attended any school and was illiterate. Although she had not received any formal education, Anne would have been an expert in governing the household work.
Her father, Richard Hathaway, was a yeoman farmer. He left Anne the sum of £6 13s 4d (six pounds, thirteen shillings and a fourpence) to be paid “at the day of her marriage”.
Marriage and Family Life of Anne Hathaway
What was unusual about Shakespeare’s marriage?
William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in the year 1582 when Anne was several months pregnant with their first child. Their marriage was considered very unusual as William was just 18 years while Anne was of 26 years which meant she was 8 years older to Shakespeare. William had to obtain his father’s permission for their marriage as he was a minor in the eyes of the law.
According to some sources, to avoid scandals of bearing a child before marriage, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were granted a marriage license by the Bishop of Worcester to speed up the procedures of a marriage. They were married at Temple Grafton, a village approximately five miles (8 km) from Stratford.
Life of Anne after marriage in Henley Street
As William was nit settled in his career when he married, He along with Anne and children continued living with the parents of William. It was a difficult time for Anne to share the house with her in-laws in the Henley street as John Shakespeare, the father of William was also facing a difficult time in his career. He was being removed from the Board of Aldermen. Later in 1589, William name was involved along with his parents in some dispute land case with a neighbor.
William’s Journey from Stratford to London
Shakespeare left his family and home after the birth of their twins to pursue his career in acting and as a playwright. He traveled to London. Anne and Shakespeare lived apart for many years until Shakespeare returns in 1611. Meanwhile, Shakespeare family that included Anne, continued her life in Stratford with her kids and in-laws in Henley Street.
How many children did William and Anne Shakespeare have?
Shakespeare and Anne had three children namely Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith in 1585. Susanna was born six months after the marriage of her parents in 1583.
In 1596 August, Hamnet died at the age of just eleven years. There is no documentation which records the cause of Hamnet’s death but it is highly likely that he died of the plague, which had wreaked so much devastation in London 6 months before. Hamnet was buried in Stratford.
Anne’s daughter Susanna got married to Dr. John Hall and gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth Hall.
The last years of Anne’s life were spent living as a widow at New Place in Stratford. In November 1616 her daughter Judith Quiney gave birth to a son and named him Shakespeare Quiney in memory of her dead father, William Shakespeare.
The happiness that the baby gave to Anne and the family was short lived as Shakespeare Quiney died at just six months old. Anne lived to see the birth of two more grandchildren when Judith gave birth to Richard Quiney in 1617 and Thomas Quiney two years later in 1619."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC (Join to see) LTC (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) TSgt David L. PVT Mark Zehner Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SGT Robert Pryor SGT Steve McFarland SPC Margaret Higgins SPC Nancy Greene LTC Hillary Luton SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj Kim Patterson1SG Walter Craig
By the way William Shakespeare is an ancestor of me on my maternal side.
The Life and Family of Shakespeare
A short overview of the important things within the life of Shakespeare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CVp9Cy3imo
Images:
1. Anne Hathaway Painting by Roger Brian Dunn (2010) based on a drawing by Nathaniel Curzon (1708)
2. Hathaway family cottage near Stratford
3. Susanna [Shakespeare] Hall oldest child of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway
4. Inscribed brass on Anne Shakespeare's tombstone in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon
1. Background from {[ http://elizabethanenglandlife.com/anne-hathaway-william-shakespeares-wife.html /]}
Anne Hathaway: William Shakespeare’s Wife
Anne Hathaway (1556- August 1623) whose real name was Agnes Hathwey was the wife of William Shakespeare who was a well-known playwright, poet as well as an actor.
Childhood of Anne Hathaway
Contents
1 Childhood of Anne Hathaway
2 Marriage and Family Life of Anne Hathaway
2.1 What was unusual about Shakespeare’s marriage?
2.2 Life of Anne after marriage in Henley Street
2.3 William’s Journey from Stratford to London
2.4 How many children did William and Anne Shakespeare have?
3 Anne Hathaway Shakespeare Poem
3.1 Anne Hathaway Death
A very little is known about the life of Anne Hathaway, not even her birth year. Her birth year is assumed to be 1556 from the reference to her gravestone which has her age written as 67 in the year 1623.
Anne Hathaway was born in the Richard Hathaway family and grew up in Shottery, a small village just to the west of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. She is assumed to have grown up in the farmhouse that was the Hathaway family home, which is located at Shottery and is now a major tourist attraction for the village.
Anne Hathaway was the eldest of the eight children of the twice-married Richard Hathaway. His first three children, including Anne Hathaway, were by his first wife. His second wife was called Joan with whom he is thought to have had a further five children.
Few facts are known about her early life but it can be safely assumed that she never attended any school and was illiterate. Although she had not received any formal education, Anne would have been an expert in governing the household work.
Her father, Richard Hathaway, was a yeoman farmer. He left Anne the sum of £6 13s 4d (six pounds, thirteen shillings and a fourpence) to be paid “at the day of her marriage”.
Marriage and Family Life of Anne Hathaway
What was unusual about Shakespeare’s marriage?
William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in the year 1582 when Anne was several months pregnant with their first child. Their marriage was considered very unusual as William was just 18 years while Anne was of 26 years which meant she was 8 years older to Shakespeare. William had to obtain his father’s permission for their marriage as he was a minor in the eyes of the law.
According to some sources, to avoid scandals of bearing a child before marriage, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were granted a marriage license by the Bishop of Worcester to speed up the procedures of a marriage. They were married at Temple Grafton, a village approximately five miles (8 km) from Stratford.
Life of Anne after marriage in Henley Street
As William was nit settled in his career when he married, He along with Anne and children continued living with the parents of William. It was a difficult time for Anne to share the house with her in-laws in the Henley street as John Shakespeare, the father of William was also facing a difficult time in his career. He was being removed from the Board of Aldermen. Later in 1589, William name was involved along with his parents in some dispute land case with a neighbor.
William’s Journey from Stratford to London
Shakespeare left his family and home after the birth of their twins to pursue his career in acting and as a playwright. He traveled to London. Anne and Shakespeare lived apart for many years until Shakespeare returns in 1611. Meanwhile, Shakespeare family that included Anne, continued her life in Stratford with her kids and in-laws in Henley Street.
How many children did William and Anne Shakespeare have?
Shakespeare and Anne had three children namely Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith in 1585. Susanna was born six months after the marriage of her parents in 1583.
In 1596 August, Hamnet died at the age of just eleven years. There is no documentation which records the cause of Hamnet’s death but it is highly likely that he died of the plague, which had wreaked so much devastation in London 6 months before. Hamnet was buried in Stratford.
Anne’s daughter Susanna got married to Dr. John Hall and gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth Hall.
The last years of Anne’s life were spent living as a widow at New Place in Stratford. In November 1616 her daughter Judith Quiney gave birth to a son and named him Shakespeare Quiney in memory of her dead father, William Shakespeare.
The happiness that the baby gave to Anne and the family was short lived as Shakespeare Quiney died at just six months old. Anne lived to see the birth of two more grandchildren when Judith gave birth to Richard Quiney in 1617 and Thomas Quiney two years later in 1619."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC (Join to see) LTC (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) TSgt David L. PVT Mark Zehner Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SGT Robert Pryor SGT Steve McFarland SPC Margaret Higgins SPC Nancy Greene LTC Hillary Luton SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj Kim Patterson1SG Walter Craig
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Who is the 'real' Anne Hathaway? The afterlife of Shakespeare's wife is revealed in a new book
Although factual information has been available about Anne Hathaway since the seventeenth century, she has been wildly exaggerated, outrageously degraded, en...
Who is the 'real' Anne Hathaway? The afterlife of Shakespeare's wife is revealed in a new book
Although factual information has been available about Anne Hathaway since the seventeenth century, she has been wildly exaggerated, outrageously degraded, enthusiastically embellished and completely ignored – until now.
'Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway' is the first cultural history of Anne Hathaway ever published. It examines representations of Anne from the earliest depictions in art and literature, to contemporary portrayals in books, theatre and film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=einw_93aevM
1. This drawing by Sir Nathaniel Curzon, dated 1708, purportedly depicts Anne Hathaway.
2. Anne Hathaway.
3. Stratford-on-Avon. Henley street showing Shakespeare's House
Background from {[https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/life/shakespeare-wife-anne-hathaway/]}
Background from { https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/life/shakespeare-wife-anne- hathaway /]}
Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s Wife
Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, was born in 1556. Shakespeare was eight years younger than her. When they married in 1582 he was eighteen and she was twenty-six. She was pregnant at the time and whatever their relationship was like – which we don’t know anything about – he had no alternative other than to marry her because it was socially unacceptable for a woman of her standing to have a child without being married.
Anne Hathaway was the eldest of the eight children of a farmer, Richard Hathaway. They lived in a big farmhouse, called Hewland Farm in the village of Shottery, one mile from Stratford. When Richard died in 1581 she continued to live with her siblings and step-mother in the farmhouse, which is now known as Anne Hathaway’s cottage – one of the most visited tourist buildings in England. When she married she went to live with her husband in his parents’ house in Henley Street, Stratford.
The Shakespeares had two daughters and a son. Their son Hamnet died, aged eleven. It is generally thought that he died of the plague. (Read more about Shakespeare’s family.)
Soon after the marriage Shakespeare went to work as an actor in London while she remained in the Henley Street house with her in-laws. Shakespeare visited frequently but his wife Anne Hathaway never went to London, as far as anyone knows.
Anne’s in-laws were fairly prosperous, although that prosperity was on the decline, but their standard of living improved as her husband became, at first, well-off as a successful playwright and theatrical operator and then famous as the writer and presenter of the most successful plays of his time, even performing, occasionally, for the King and his royal court. Anne lived the life of what would be the equivalent, in our times, of a millionaire’s wife and enjoyed the prestige that came with having a successful and very wealthy husband. In 1596 her husband bought, and moved the family into, New Place, one of the biggest houses in town.
On his retirement in 1610, Shakespeare settled in Stratford and lived the last six years of his life as a family man – husband, father and grandfather. During those years the Shakespeares enjoyed a rich social life, visited by some of the most glittering stars of the age, men like Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton, whose names are still among the most famous as literary figures.
After Shakespeare’s death in 1616, Anne continued to live in New Place as a wealthy widow, until her death in 1623, aged sixty-seven. She was buried beside her husband in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
Anne Hathaway’s Life as an Elizabethan Housewife
While her husband, William, was working hard in London to support the family, Mrs Shakespeare was working hard, too, in the home in Stratford. Here we take a look at what Anne Hathaway’s life as an Elizabethan housewife would have been like.
Girls in Elizabethan England were not given a formal education and weren’t even taught to read at home. Even among the great families that was the case, and a man would have been very advanced if he taught his daughters to read. Sir Thomas Moore, Henry VIII’s chancellor, was notorious for teaching his daughters to read and encouraging them to read philosophy and theology books. The rest of the community considered that scandalous. Queen Elizabeth was also an exception. Being groomed as a possible monarch, she was educated by the best tutors available.
But Anne Hathaway was illiterate, as were her two daughters. A great deal would have been expected of her, though, as a wife. She was responsible for managing the household which in those days, was far more demanding than it is today. Anne had to cook and preserve the food herself, using equipment that we would consider impossible today. Acquiring food was in itself an almost full-time job – there were markets, but not nearly as well-stocked as markets are today. Poor harvests, such as those that occurred in the 1590s, led to widespread starvation. Most housewives had kitchen gardens where they grew basic vegetables, which were roasted or boiled and served in soups and stews.
What qualities did Anne have to possess to be called a good housewife? Regardless of all her other functions, there were some precise expectations for her presence in the kitchen. In one of the first cookery books published in England, 1615, the author says: now that I proceed unto Cookery itself, which is the dressing and ordering of meat, in good and wholesome manner; to which when our House-wife shall address herself, she shall well understand that these qualities must ever accompany it; First, she must be cleanly both in body and garments, she must have a quick eye, a curious nose, a perfect taste, and ready ear; (she must not be butter-fingred, sweet toothed, nor faint-hearted) for the first will let everything fall, the second will consume what it should encrease; and the last will lose time with too much niceness.
If the Shakespeare household was typical there would have been three meals a day. Each member of the family would have had a quarter of a pound of meat, a loaf of bread, homegrown vegetables, milk, butter, cheese, and ale. When she got hold of a chunk of meat Anne would have had to preserve it in salt or smoke it. Later, as William brought in more money, she would have been able to buy spices to counter the extreme salt taste of the meat or disguise the taste of meat that had gone off. She would also have to turn milk into butter and cheese – commodities that didn’t go off as quickly as milk. And she would have to brew ale – a very weak ale, safe from the diseases that water carried.
When her husband was at home on a visit, and particularly after his retirement, when he lived at home with her, she had to entertain his friends. Anne would have been expected to arrange sleeping accommodation for his guests, good meals and bathing facilities.
Anne also had to do the household accounting, budgeting, and everything that goes with making ends meet with, perhaps, some treats for the children. Considering that she could not read and write it all had to be done in her head.
Anne had three children, fewer than most of her neighbours would have had, but even then, raising them was a huge job. She had to do everything to keep them alive and well at a time when child mortality was common. Even so, in spite of all her efforts her son, Hamnet, died aged eleven of unknown causes. She had to teach her daughters household skills and she had to make sure that her son had the best education possible. Hamnet’s grandfather and father had both been to school and his mother had an obligation to ensure a good schooling for him as well.
It’s doubtful that Anne had any time for herself in the way that we try and make time for ourselves these days. However, she lived to a good old age, as a widow, and we can take pleasure in the thought that her husband left her well off and that she may have taken it easier once her daughters had grown up.
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Although factual information has been available about Anne Hathaway since the seventeenth century, she has been wildly exaggerated, outrageously degraded, enthusiastically embellished and completely ignored – until now.
'Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway' is the first cultural history of Anne Hathaway ever published. It examines representations of Anne from the earliest depictions in art and literature, to contemporary portrayals in books, theatre and film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=einw_93aevM
1. This drawing by Sir Nathaniel Curzon, dated 1708, purportedly depicts Anne Hathaway.
2. Anne Hathaway.
3. Stratford-on-Avon. Henley street showing Shakespeare's House
Background from {[https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/life/shakespeare-wife-anne-hathaway/]}
Background from { https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/life/shakespeare-wife-anne- hathaway /]}
Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s Wife
Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, was born in 1556. Shakespeare was eight years younger than her. When they married in 1582 he was eighteen and she was twenty-six. She was pregnant at the time and whatever their relationship was like – which we don’t know anything about – he had no alternative other than to marry her because it was socially unacceptable for a woman of her standing to have a child without being married.
Anne Hathaway was the eldest of the eight children of a farmer, Richard Hathaway. They lived in a big farmhouse, called Hewland Farm in the village of Shottery, one mile from Stratford. When Richard died in 1581 she continued to live with her siblings and step-mother in the farmhouse, which is now known as Anne Hathaway’s cottage – one of the most visited tourist buildings in England. When she married she went to live with her husband in his parents’ house in Henley Street, Stratford.
The Shakespeares had two daughters and a son. Their son Hamnet died, aged eleven. It is generally thought that he died of the plague. (Read more about Shakespeare’s family.)
Soon after the marriage Shakespeare went to work as an actor in London while she remained in the Henley Street house with her in-laws. Shakespeare visited frequently but his wife Anne Hathaway never went to London, as far as anyone knows.
Anne’s in-laws were fairly prosperous, although that prosperity was on the decline, but their standard of living improved as her husband became, at first, well-off as a successful playwright and theatrical operator and then famous as the writer and presenter of the most successful plays of his time, even performing, occasionally, for the King and his royal court. Anne lived the life of what would be the equivalent, in our times, of a millionaire’s wife and enjoyed the prestige that came with having a successful and very wealthy husband. In 1596 her husband bought, and moved the family into, New Place, one of the biggest houses in town.
On his retirement in 1610, Shakespeare settled in Stratford and lived the last six years of his life as a family man – husband, father and grandfather. During those years the Shakespeares enjoyed a rich social life, visited by some of the most glittering stars of the age, men like Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton, whose names are still among the most famous as literary figures.
After Shakespeare’s death in 1616, Anne continued to live in New Place as a wealthy widow, until her death in 1623, aged sixty-seven. She was buried beside her husband in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
Anne Hathaway’s Life as an Elizabethan Housewife
While her husband, William, was working hard in London to support the family, Mrs Shakespeare was working hard, too, in the home in Stratford. Here we take a look at what Anne Hathaway’s life as an Elizabethan housewife would have been like.
Girls in Elizabethan England were not given a formal education and weren’t even taught to read at home. Even among the great families that was the case, and a man would have been very advanced if he taught his daughters to read. Sir Thomas Moore, Henry VIII’s chancellor, was notorious for teaching his daughters to read and encouraging them to read philosophy and theology books. The rest of the community considered that scandalous. Queen Elizabeth was also an exception. Being groomed as a possible monarch, she was educated by the best tutors available.
But Anne Hathaway was illiterate, as were her two daughters. A great deal would have been expected of her, though, as a wife. She was responsible for managing the household which in those days, was far more demanding than it is today. Anne had to cook and preserve the food herself, using equipment that we would consider impossible today. Acquiring food was in itself an almost full-time job – there were markets, but not nearly as well-stocked as markets are today. Poor harvests, such as those that occurred in the 1590s, led to widespread starvation. Most housewives had kitchen gardens where they grew basic vegetables, which were roasted or boiled and served in soups and stews.
What qualities did Anne have to possess to be called a good housewife? Regardless of all her other functions, there were some precise expectations for her presence in the kitchen. In one of the first cookery books published in England, 1615, the author says: now that I proceed unto Cookery itself, which is the dressing and ordering of meat, in good and wholesome manner; to which when our House-wife shall address herself, she shall well understand that these qualities must ever accompany it; First, she must be cleanly both in body and garments, she must have a quick eye, a curious nose, a perfect taste, and ready ear; (she must not be butter-fingred, sweet toothed, nor faint-hearted) for the first will let everything fall, the second will consume what it should encrease; and the last will lose time with too much niceness.
If the Shakespeare household was typical there would have been three meals a day. Each member of the family would have had a quarter of a pound of meat, a loaf of bread, homegrown vegetables, milk, butter, cheese, and ale. When she got hold of a chunk of meat Anne would have had to preserve it in salt or smoke it. Later, as William brought in more money, she would have been able to buy spices to counter the extreme salt taste of the meat or disguise the taste of meat that had gone off. She would also have to turn milk into butter and cheese – commodities that didn’t go off as quickly as milk. And she would have to brew ale – a very weak ale, safe from the diseases that water carried.
When her husband was at home on a visit, and particularly after his retirement, when he lived at home with her, she had to entertain his friends. Anne would have been expected to arrange sleeping accommodation for his guests, good meals and bathing facilities.
Anne also had to do the household accounting, budgeting, and everything that goes with making ends meet with, perhaps, some treats for the children. Considering that she could not read and write it all had to be done in her head.
Anne had three children, fewer than most of her neighbours would have had, but even then, raising them was a huge job. She had to do everything to keep them alive and well at a time when child mortality was common. Even so, in spite of all her efforts her son, Hamnet, died aged eleven of unknown causes. She had to teach her daughters household skills and she had to make sure that her son had the best education possible. Hamnet’s grandfather and father had both been to school and his mother had an obligation to ensure a good schooling for him as well.
It’s doubtful that Anne had any time for herself in the way that we try and make time for ourselves these days. However, she lived to a good old age, as a widow, and we can take pleasure in the thought that her husband left her well off and that she may have taken it easier once her daughters had grown up.
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