Shakespeare's family in nine objects
Image of Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Family focus
Bartholomew Hathaway – Shakespeare’s brother-in-law
About the Item
The painting of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage was done by John Theobald Marshall, a local artist born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1849.
Due to popular demand, the same view of the cottage was reproduced many times in the 19th and early 20th centuries by other artists on postcards, trinkets and pottery.
What would it be like living in a house that so many people wanted a picture of?
About Bartholomew Hathaway
Bartholomew Hathaway was probably born around 1554. He was the older brother of Anne Hathaway and later Shakespeare’s brother-in-law.
He married in 1582, the same year as his sister, and he and his wife Isabella had four children.
He also served as churchwarden at Holy Trinity Church and by 1610 was doing well enough to purchase his childhood home, Hewlands farmhouse, (later known as Anne Hathaway’s Cottage) and surrounding land. He then set about extending the house by adding ten rooms to the original small farm cottage.
The farmhouse was passed down through generations of the family until 1838 when it was eventually sold. Keeping the home in the family for so long contributed towards its survival to the present day and the visitor attraction it has become.
Find out more
Find out more about Bartholomew Hathaway in this fact file about members of Shakespeare's family.
Did you know that you can visit Anne Hathaway’s Cottage? You can also find out lots about the cottage and the special items that can be seen there on the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust website
Make this!
Make your own miniature Anne Hathaway’s Cottage with this resource kit and this step-by-step video to guide you.
Information
CC-BY-NC-ND Image Courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust