A rare letter fragment has revealed a previously unknown side of William Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne Hathaway, casting doubt on the long-held notion that their relationship was unhappy.
For centuries, it has been assumed that William Shakespeare‘s marriage to Anne Hathaway was unhappy. He left her in Stratford-upon-Avon to pursue his theatrical career in London, leaving her with a modest inheritance and a ‘second-best bed’ as her only bequest.
However, a recent analysis of a 17th-century letter fragment has cast dramatic new light on their relationship, challenging the long-held notion that the couple never lived together in London. The letter, addressed to ‘Good Mrs Shakspaire,’ suggests that Anne Hathaway spent significant time with her husband in the capital, and even managed her own finances.
Anne Hathaway was born in 1556 in Shottery, Warwickshire, England.
She married William Shakespeare in 1582 when she was 26 years old and he was 18 years her senior.
The couple had three children together: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith.
Anne's life is not well-documented, but it is believed that she managed the family farm and raised their children while her husband pursued his career as a playwright.
She died in 1623 at the age of 67, leaving behind a significant legacy as the wife of one of literature's greatest figures.
The letter, preserved by accident in the binding of a book in Hereford Cathedral’s library, appears to place Anne Hathaway at a previously unknown address in Trinity Lane – now Little Trinity Lane in the City. It also mentions a joint debt that Shakespeare was holding in trust for an orphan named John Butts.
According to Professor Matthew Steggle, a leading Shakespeare expert, the text suggests that ‘Mrs Shakspaire’ had independent access to money and was expected to pay her husband’s debts herself. This is a significant departure from the prevailing view that Anne Hathaway stayed in Stratford all her life and never visited London.
Steggle‘s research has uncovered crucial evidence, including a 1608 book that contains the letter fragment, as well as analyses of biblical texts by Johannes Piscator. The letter was published by Richard Field, a native of Stratford who was Shakespeare‘s neighbour and first printer.
The discovery of John Butts, an orphan who was living in Norton Folgate outside the city walls, has also shed new light on Shakespeare‘s life. It appears that Shakespeare worked with Butts‘ mother, and that the young boy was involved in the hospitality industry, which would have been familiar to Shakespeare and his business partners.
The research is being published in the journal of the British Shakespeare Association, on the anniversary of Shakespeare‘s birth. For Shakespeare biographers who favour the narrative of an unhappy marriage, Steggle‘s findings present a difficult problem that challenges their assumptions about the couple’s relationship.
