Happy Birthday William Shakespeare – Hereford Cathedral

Did he or didn’t he?….Letter discovered in Hereford Cathedral’s Archives shines fresh light on relationship between Mr and Mrs Shakespeare.

Happy Birthday William Shakespeare

New research centred on a letter discovered in Hereford Cathedral’s Library & Archives collection addressed to a ‘Mrs Shakespeare’ sheds fresh light on the relationship between William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway.

An article published by The Guardian newspaper today (23 April) – thedate kept as William Shakespeare’s birthday – suggests The Bard did not leave his wife Anne in Stratford as previously believed, but that they lived a happy life together in London.

The letter is material waste and has been used in the binding of a copy of Johann Piscator’s Analysis logica omnium epistolarum Pauli (London: George Bishop, 1608), bound with his Analysis logica septem epistolarum apostolicarum, quae catholicae appellari solent (London: G. Bishop, 1597) (Hereford Cathedral Library LHS H3).

The book was printed by Richard Field, a known associate of William Shakespeare and is currently held in the library of Hereford Cathedral on deposit as part of a larger collection from the Lady Hawkins School in Kington.

The existence of the letter was reported back in Note and Queries October 1978 by the then honorary librarian of the Cathedral, F.C. Morgan.

In 2016 the letter was shared again by the then librarian, Dr Rosemary Firman who put out an appeal to people to help solve the puzzle with their own research.

The letter was also displayed in the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library to mark the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

Now, new research shared today in The Guardian newspaper by Dr Matthew Steggle of Bristol University, indicates that there is in fact a link to the Shakespeare family within the letter. He uses contemporary archival research techniques to uncover a fascinating story which would put a fresh perspective on Anne Hathaway’s role in Shakespeare’s business affairs.

Jennifer Dumbelton, Librarian at Hereford Cathedral, said:

“The mystery of these letters has been circulating for decades, so it’s thrilling to see Dr Steggle’s fresh approach to the problem!

‘It’s testament to how small details can make a big difference to our understanding of history when closely analysed through different lenses like those offered by humanities studies.

‘The Lady Hawkins School collection is a gem, and we’re lucky to hold it at the cathedral,’ she added.

The letter is not currently available to view within Hereford Cathedral, but discussions are underway on how best to exhibit or share the document in the coming months.