It has been a long-standing belief that William Shakespeare’s union with Anne Hathaway was not particularly joyful. He relocated to London to advance his acting career, leaving her behind in Stratford-upon-Avon, and later designated in his will that she would inherit his “second best bed,” which, though not the finest, was still considered a significant possession.
However, a prominent Shakespearean scholar has examined a fragment of a 17th-century letter that seemingly brings new insights into their marital connection, challenging the notion that the couple did not cohabit in London.
Matthew Steggle, a professor specializing in early modern English literature at the University of Bristol, suggests that the letter indicates the Shakespeares resided at an uncharted location in Trinity Lane—now known as Little Trinity Lane in the City. Furthermore, it reveals their joint involvement with a trust fund that Shakespeare managed for an orphan named John Butts.
Addressed to “Good Mrs Shakspaire,” the correspondence references the passing of a Mr. Butts and mentions a son, John, who is left “fatherless.” It also includes a Mrs. Butts who had requested “Mr. Shakspaire” to manage finances for her children until they reached adulthood. This hints at Shakespeare’s reluctance to disburse the funds owed to young Butts.
Steggle remarked: “The author of the letter appears to assume that ‘Mrs Shakspaire’ has her own access to finances. They express hope that Mrs. Shakspaire might ‘pay your husband’s debt’.”
Interestingly, the letter does not request Mrs. Shakspaire to mediate with her husband; rather, it implies she should directly handle the payment, much like Adriana from *The Comedy of Errors*, who takes on the responsibility for settling her husband’s debt, saying, ‘Knowing how the debt grows, I will pay it.’
Steggle pointed out that for the past two centuries, the common belief has been that Anne Shakespeare remained in Stratford throughout her life and likely never visited London.
The document alluding to the couple who “dwelt in Trinity Lane” provides evidence suggesting that she indeed spent considerable time with her husband in the city.
This fragment was inadvertently preserved within the binding of a book at Hereford Cathedral’s library. Discovered in 1978, it has gained minimal attention as “no one could identify the names or places mentioned,” according to Steggle.
Key findings include the 1608 book that housed the fragment, which contained Johannes Piscator’s analyses of biblical texts. This book was printed by Richard Field, a Stratford native who was both a neighbor and the first publisher for Shakespeare.
Steggle noted that it would be an “extraordinary coincidence” for a document referencing a Shakspaire to be bound so closely to 400 leaves printed by Field, considering the documented connections between Field and the Shakespeares.
In the letter, John Butts appears to be under an apprenticeship, indicated by the phrase “when he hath served his time.” After researching records from 1580 to 1650, Steggle found a John Butts who fit this description: an apprentice, fatherless, and cared for by his mother.
Additionally, he uncovered a 1607 mention of a John Butts in Bridewell records, which included details about his “disobedience to his Mother” and that he was “set to work.”
Later research led Steggle to locate John Butts in Norton Folgate, outside the city walls, residing on Holywell Street (now Shoreditch High Street), an area known to host several of Shakespeare’s fellow actors and acquaintances.
This same neighborhood is where Shakespeare was active in the 1590s, initially at the Theatre in Shoreditch, the primary venue for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men during that period, and later at the neighboring Curtain theater. Shakespeare’s longtime business partners, the Burbages, were also involved in hospitality and sustenance ventures nearby.
Steggle remarked: “John Butts, now an adult living on the same street, working in the hospitality sector that Shakespeare was invested in, would certainly have been known to the Burbages. This links Shakespeare to Butts through various connections in Norton Folgate.”
If the handwriting on the back of the letter—possibly from Anne—were to be confirmed, it would represent “the closest semblance of her voice ever documented,” he pointed out.
This research is set to be published in the journal *Shakespeare*, associated with the British Shakespeare Association, on April 23, which marks Shakespeare’s birthday.
Steggle concludes: “For biographers who uphold the narrative of a ‘disastrous marriage’—indeed, for all scholars of Shakespeare—the Hereford document poses a significant challenge.”
