William Shakespeare buys New Place, May 1597

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Date:4th of May 1597

Description:In May 1597, William Shakespeare purchased New Place from William Underhill. This was reputedly the second largest house in Stratford, and stood on the corner of Chapel Street and Chapel Lane. It had been built by Hugh Clopton about a hundred years earlier.

Not all the documentation for this purchase has survived. This document, known technically as an exemplification of a fine, records a fictitious legal action the result of which was Shakespeare's successful acquisition of the property. This was enrolled in the records of the central courts and could be turned up should a dispute later arise, rather like registration today .

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust reference: ER 27/4


Timeline

The timeline shows resources around this location over a number of years.

1570s
Note of Shakespeare's ownership of New Place and its garden, c. 1605-10
Note of Shakespeare's ownership of New Place and its garden, c. 1605-10

On the back of a 1572 lease of a barn and garden in Chapel Lane, a clerk later scribbled ...

1600s
Shakespeare acquires some property in Chapel Lane, September 1602
Shakespeare acquires some property in Chapel Lane, September 1602

Copy of court roll recording the assignment to William Shakespeare of premises in ...

1990s
Artist's impression of New Place, Stratford upon Avon
Artist's impression of New Place, Stratford upon Avon

Artist's impression of New Place as it would have been in the time of William Shakespeare. New ...

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Donor ref:ER 27/4a (18/10045)

Source: The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust - Records

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