Shakespeares marriage license

Anne lived in the cottage with Bartholomew, her step-mother, and her other siblings. No doubt she was bombarded with a barrage of household tasks to fill her days at Hewland Farm, as it was then called. Anne did not attend any schools and hence was completely illiterate. During that time everybody was married inside the church and there were no provinces for registry marriage offices.

As Anne was pregnant, they need to get married as soon as possible. If anyone has an objection at that time, it can be raised. If Banns were not read, that marriage would not be considered as legal. This was time-consuming. However the faster alternative was to obtain permission from the Bishop. Hence they presented a sworn statement which confirmed that there were no pre contacts and their marriage was legal and lawful.

This was presented before the Bishop of Worcester. He then issued a marriage bond, which confirmed that William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. She outlived her husband, dying in August of , and is buried in the chancel of Stratford's Holy Trinity church next to Shakespeare.

It's important to understand how truly little we know about Anne Shakespeare because there is simply so much conjecture about her. Scholars and authors over the centuries have attempted to paint various portraits of Anne. Some suggest a cuckolded, bumpkin wife left behind in Stratford. Others draw a more favorable caricature, such as the love that inspired Shakespeare's muse.

Two of the most recent contributions to the field, Stephen Greenblatt's Will in the World and Germaine Greer's Shakespeare's Wife , offer diametrically opposed viewpoints on the subject.

To Greenblatt, Shakespeare hated his wife. To Greer, Anne is a heroine systematically wronged by history. Both viewpoints, whatever their authors' best intentions, must ultimately be recognized for what they are: pure speculation. Learned speculation, perhaps, but speculation nonetheless. For facts, we can only rely on two references: Shakespeare's marriage license and his will. On November 27, , the diocese records in Worcester show a license issued for the marriage of William Shakespeare and one Anne Whately of Temple Grafton.

The next day, friends of the recently deceased Richard Hathaway of Shottery posted a surety bond for the marriage of William Shakespeare to Richard's daughter, Anne Hathaway. Critical consensus is that "Whateley" was simply a clerical error. However, some suggest that the two records refer to different marriages, or even that Shakespeare meant to marry Anne Whateley but was forced to marry Anne Hathaway due to her pregnancy.

Much more ink has been spilled, however, about the timing of the marriage license. The customary protocol was for a couple to be wed after three successive readings of the banns announcing the upcoming marriage in the church. On her wedding day, a Tudor bride would have worn her best set of clothes, with her hair worn loose and crowned with a garland of herbs.

She would have been escorted by her bridesmaids who would spread rushes before her to protect her shoes and clothes from mud. The groom would dress in his finest doublet and hose, and been escorted by his male friends to the bride's house with the musical accompaniment of the pipe and tabor. It was common for the groom to bring gloves for wedding guests in exchange for herbs and flowers an appropriate gift since Shakespeare's father was a glover.

The wedding ceremony began at the door of the church and the ring was blessed. Afterwards the wedding party entered the main body of the church for nuptial mass.

It is difficult to define the exact nature of Anne and William's relationship due to a lack of documentary evidence. William Shakespeare signed his will on 25 March Some have read this as a slight against Anne; but the second-best bed would have been their marriage bed, since the best bed was typically reserved for guests.

Under medieval common law in England a widow was entitled to one third of her late husband's estate for her life or widowhood even though it was not specifically mentioned in the will.