A Special Licence
On 27 November 1582, William Shakespeare received permission to marry Anne Hathaway. He was 18; she was 26, the daughter of a deceased yeoman farmer from nearby Shottery. The licence allowed the couple to marry after only one public announcement instead of the customary three.
Because Shakespeare was underage, two of Hathaway’s neighbours posted a £40 bond. This promised that no legal obstacle prevented the marriage and protected the church authorities if a problem later emerged. The exact date and place of the ceremony have disappeared from the record.
A Family Arrives Quickly
The reason for the unusual licence became clear six months later. Susanna, the couple’s first child, was baptised on 26 May 1583. Twins followed in February 1585: a son, Hamnet, and a daughter, Judith. They were named after neighbours, Hamnet and Judith Sadler.
The family’s story was marked by both closeness and loss. Hamnet died in 1596, aged 11. Shakespeare was later survived by Anne, Susanna, and Judith, while his granddaughter Elizabeth Hall became his last surviving direct descendant.
These records reveal no private conversations or romantic explanation. They offer only dates, names, and legal arrangements. Yet those few details place Shakespeare not merely as a celebrated writer, but as a young husband and father whose adult life began with urgent family responsibilities.
