Shakespeare’s Friends: Hathaways and Burmans at Shottery

Summary

The identity and the status of Shakespeare’s wife appear to be in some measure open to question. E. K. Chambers, in his authoritative William Shakespeare, is guarded upon her identity: “Anne’s parentage is not quite clear.” He accepts it only as probable that she was Agnes, daughter of Richard Hathaway of Shottery, among other Hathaways open to consideration. As for her status, there is a marked tendency, especially among the more imaginative writers upon Shakespeare’s life, to represent Anne as the yokel daughter of a peasant father, and the marriage as a mésalliance for the son of a prominent Stratford burgess. We may well value any further evidence from the records of the time which may help to clarify these questions and to place the marriage in a true perspective. Some such evidence may now be presented, drawn from the records of the Court of Chancery and from Court Rolls of the Manor of Old Stratford.

The Chancery records in question consist mainly of depositions which, after the fashion of Chancery depositions, offer a vivid picture of events and persons of deep interest to the Stratford of 1584, in Shakespeare's twentieth year. Whatever adds to our knowledge of the world of men in which he had personal contacts has an especial interest for us. The witnesses here were men from Stratford, Shottery and Wootton Wawen, among them some friends of Shakespeare's youth, whose evidence is much concerned with Richard Hathaway of Shottery.