Holy Trinity Church, Stratford Upon Avon.

Said to be England’s most visited Parish Church.
It receives many thousands of visitors each year due to the fact that
William Shakespeare was baptized here, worshipped here, and is buried in the chancel.

The church also has beautiful stained glass windows throughout.

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Baptism and Burial: William Shakespeare [1564- 1616].

The website: Finding Shakespeare, click here..   has some information on birth and death of William Shakespeare..
An excerpt..
According to the Church’s register, Shakespeare was baptized on the 26th of April 1564. This entry is recorded in Latin—the language of the old church— and reads ‘Gulielmus filius Johannes Shakspere” (William son of John Shakespeare). Fifty-two years later, the register also records William’s death in English—the language of the reformed Church or The Church of England—on the 25th of April 1616. Both of these entries are vital to our understanding of Shakespeare and his times, as they provide the only piece of evidence to accurately calculate his entire life span. Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, Shakespeare’s baptismal entry in the parish register allows us to accurately estimate his birth to have taken place sometime in late April, as in the sixteenth century baptisms were typically performed within three days of birth . Likewise, burials tended to happen two to three days after death. As a result of this tradition, many speculate that Shakespeare was born on the same day he died— the 23rd of April 1564 and the 23rd of April 1616.

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Shakespeare’s epitaph has the words..
“Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones”.

Here we find the grave of Shakespeare and his close family members,
all of which can be seen in the small video below..
From left:
The grave of ANNE, wife of William Shakespeare [1556-1625].
The grave of the poet WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE [1564-1616].
The grave of THOMAS NASH, first husband of Elizabeth, grandaughter of poet [1593-1647].
The grave of JOHN HALL, physician son-in-law of William Shakespeare [1575-1635].
The grave of SUSANNE, elder daughter of the poet and wife of John Nash [1583-1649]

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From the website of Stratford Upon Avon.. click here..
On the closure of the College by Henry VIII the tithe (tax) income privileges were sold off. The duty of employing a Priest and looking after the Chancel went with the privileges. A share in them was purchased in 1605 for #440 by the son of a local glove-maker, one William Shakespeare. This, and not his ability as a poet and playwright, gave him the right of burial in the chancel. Until the 1790`s there stood a charnel house to the south of the chancel. Here the bones of those dug up to make room for new graves were laid to rest. Shakespeare obviously didn’t like this idea and had a curse put on his grave slab – not at all uncommon at the time.

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Shakespeare’s Wedding

“There is some mystery surrounding which local church Shakespeare was married in. His marriage license still exists, but the name does not crop up in any registration. So several local churches lay claim to hosting his wedding. Whether or not there was a great romance leading up to the Shakespeare Hathaway nuptial we know that the wedding happened in haste. Normally ecclesiastical law required three readings of banns, announcements of couple’s intent to marry, but it was possible to speed the process, as the Shakespeare did, by getting license from the Bishop. This coupled with the arrival of baby Susanna Shakespeare, only six months later, would indicate that Anne was pregnant when the couple married”.

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Also in the Chancel – Vernicle / Image of Christ: Recently discovered within the Chancel sedilia canopy, the remarkable 15th century carving, is a rare survivor from the destruction of all such images during the Reformation. It is probably a so-called “Vernicle”, a representation of the image reputably printed on St. Veronica’s handkerchief as she wiped the face of Christ on his route to crucifixion.

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Stained Glass Windows

The church is distinctive in that every single window in the nave and chancel is filled with stained glass and glorious color as the light shines through them. These windows were created by nationally acclaimed designers: C.E. Kempe, Tower/Kempe, Heaton Butler and Baines, Clayton and Bell, Ward and Hughes, Lavers, Burrand and Westlake, and William Holland.

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Related Links:

2014 Vacation: UK.. click here..
Stratford-upon-Avon Attractions.. click here..

My Vacations.. click here..
Vacation: USA.. click here..
Vacation: UK.. click here..
Vacation: India.. click here..
UNESCO World Heritage Site.. click here..
Home: Public Art in Chicago .. click here..

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