According
to tradition, the great English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare was born in
Stratford-on-Avon on April 23, 1564. It is impossible to be certain of the
exact day on which he was born, but church records show that he was
baptised on April 26, and three days was a customary amount of time to
wait before baptising a newborn.
He died in
Stratford-on-Avon on April 23, 1616; it is not clear how he died, and
numerous suggestions have been put forward. In 1616, there was an outbreak
of typhus (“The new fever”) which may have been the cause. The average life
expectancy of someone born in London, England in the 16th century was about 35
years old, he died aged 52.
He
is buried in the sanctuary of the parish church, Holy Trinity. Read here and here.
