Collection: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The Shakespeare collections of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust together with those of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) have been jointly Designated as a Collection of National Importance since 2005. In addition the Shakespeare documents that we hold were added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2018, as part of a joint submission with seven international partner organisations. SBT has managed the library and archive collections of the RSC since 1964 and continues to do so under a formal management agreement.

  In defining our collections we have created the following scheme, with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and the properties we manage, at the centre of four broad collection areas. This is just one way in which the collections can be viewed but it does provide a sense of the connections to be made between the museum, library, and archive material which has come into our care since 1847.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2025

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  Our collections contain approximately 7,000 museum items, 50,000 books and pamphlets, including 3,000 rare and early printed books and 1,000,000 archive items. Where mention is made of Shakespeare’s life we will use his birth and death dates as the defining factor (1564 -1616); where mention is made of Shakespeare’s times we will take this to mean the period c. 1530 – c. 1650.

  William Shakespeare

  His family, friends, country, town, society, his influences and the world he lived in.

  Our collections include material that relates to the life of William Shakespeare, his family and their contemporaries and their life and times.

  SBT holds 31 ‘Shakespeare Documents’ – hand-written documents dating from Shakespeare’s lifetime that contain mention of his name. These records are central to understanding Shakespeare’s life in Stratford and provide a vivid picture of him as a gentleman/businessman, documenting the ups and downs of his family life, and his rise in wealth and status in his hometown. The documents are also powerful in the personal connection they provide with William Shakespeare. In addition to these documents, the wider local archive includes material which details the lives of his relatives and his contemporaries. These records provide a unique picture of Shakespeare as a son, husband, father, and neighbour.

  We also hold finds from archaeological digs undertaken at various sites associated with Shakespeare; most recently, the digs taking place at New Place have resulted in a range of new material entering our collections.

  We have many objects which date from the 1500s and early 1600s including the WS Seal Ring, furniture, art and other domestic objects which can be used to illustrate what Shakespeare and his Stratford contemporaries may have had in their houses and how they lived their lives.

  Our collection contains many early printed materials covering aspects of Shakespeare’s life, his knowledge and learning. These collections also cover the source material for his plays, many of which are represented in our early printed book collection.

  Shakespeare’s Stratford and surrounding area

  The history of the town and Borough and its people.

  SBT holds records of local government, churches, manors, private estates, businesses and individuals, dating from the 1100s to the present day. Broadly speaking, these collections cover the geographical area covered by the present-day Stratford-on-Avon District. Such records provide a rich documentary heritage for Stratford and illustrate its development into the market town which William Shakespeare knew as man and boy, as well as documenting his lasting impact on the town, i.e. showing the development of Stratford as a focal point for the celebration of Shakespeare’s genius. In this way, it’s hard to talk about ‘Shakespeare’s Stratford’ without noting its double meaning – both the town in Shakespeare’s lifetime and the town which has now become synonymous with his name.

  We also hold a number of objects relating to the town administration such as the Seal of the Peculiar Court and Richard Quiney’s seal from when he was High Bailiff. Other Stratford items include the base of the Medieval Market Cross, angels from the Guild Chapel, reproductions of Guild Chapel frescoes, and relics such as a piece of wood supposedly taken from the Shakespeares’ pew at Holy Trinity.

  In particular we hold material relating to the Shakespeare family homes – Mary Arden’s House & Palmer’s Farm, Halls Croft, New Place, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and the Birthplace itself.

  There are a large number of images of the local area. These include the photographic collection of the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, local photographs taken by Joe Cocks and a large collection of glass slides. We also have a large collection of representative artwork showing views of Stratford and the surrounding area from the mid-1700s to the present.

  The archaeological collection consists of artefacts found in and around Stratford during various archaeological digs and chance finds which provide evidence on the development of Stratford as a town e.g. Anglo-Saxon and Roman archaeology, and finds from the 1200s-1400s such as religious seals and a bishop’s ring.

  We also hold the historic records of a number of organisations and businesses based in Stratford-upon-Avon, these include local solicitors, Flower’s Brewery, Fred Winter and the Stratford-upon-Avon Choral Society. We also manage the parish records of Stratford-upon-Avon.

  Shakespeare’s Legacy

  The works, the performances and local commemorations of him.

  The collection includes printed materials on William Shakespeare, particularly reference books, periodicals, photographs, pictures, individual editions of the plays (including early printed editions) and sets of complete works, and books on the performance history of the plays. These also document the stage history of Shakespeare and other dramatists, especially of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.

  Our visual art collections include works which are inspired by Shakespeare and/or his work, life and times e.g. the Phillip Sutton painting of Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre and also artwork that focuses on the Shakespeare properties especially from the 1800s. It also includes statues and other artworks commissioned by, or on behalf of, SBT and displayed in our properties and in our gardens.

  We hold many items and documents which chart the growth of Stratford as a centre for Shakespeare tourism and pilgrimage, including material relating to the 1769 Shakespeare Jubilee, trade and souvenir samples, mulberry wood items etc. We also have material relating to the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations, the Shakespeare Club, and items relating to Shakespeare memorials in Stratford and significant Shakespeare anniversaries.

  We also hold material relating to the establishment of local cultural institutions, such as The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust itself, which was set up to protect and preserve Shakespeare’s legacy, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and predecessor theatres, which were established to perform and promote Shakespeare’s works. In this way, while the archive is geographically focussed on Stratford, it demonstrates Shakespeare’s national and international legacy.

  Acquisitions and disposals from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) collection are covered by their Acquisition and Disposal Policy. As well as records associated with the development of the RSC and its performance history dating from 1879 to the present, this collection also includes papers relating to Bram Stoker’s time as manager to Henry Irving and his company at the Lyceum Theatre and the Frank Benson Company Archive.

  SBT owns the theatrical photographic archives of Tom Holte, Joe Cocks, Reg Wilson and Malcolm Davies which cover Royal Shakespeare Company production images from 1952 – 2010.

  The Michael Bogdanov archive consists of 118 boxes of material spanning the entire career of the theatre, film and television director. Material includes not just Shakespearian productions but also records relating to children’s theatre, community theatre and musical theatre.

  Shakespeare in the world

  How Shakespeare has influenced us, artistic & critical responses to Shakespeare and his works, how he is celebrated internationally.

  Shakespeare’s legacy places Stratford-upon-Avon and SBT on the world stage – with foreign visitors, international festivals and theatre tours. Therefore while Stratford is at the centre of the collection, there is much which illustrates Shakespeare’s popularity across the globe.

  Our library contains translations of the plays into 89 languages, biographies, critical studies, and other works which explore the impact of Shakespeare on the arts, language, and culture. We collect commentaries on his work, material that explores the relationship between Shakespeare and other writers and the ongoing teaching of Shakespeare.

  We also hold objects relating to the global legacy of Shakespeare, including commemorative items from all over the world such as a German wreath of oak leaves from 1864, a series of medals minted in 1964 from many different countries, a large number of Chinese artefacts, and recently, material collected from festivals across America as part of the Shakespeare on the Road project.

  Our visual arts collection also includes many responses to Shakespeare from international artists e.g. the Usov sculpture of Shakespeare, a statue of Titania and Bottom made from Royal Copenhagen porcelain.

  Shakespearian scholarship, from early antiquarians such as James Saunders through to Halliwell-Phillipps, forms an important part of our collection, not only because their work created much of the collection but also their research and investigations are recorded in their personal papers which we hold.

  Other collections

  Our library collection also contains works on the theory and history of drama, books on acting and theatrical production and biographies by and of actors, pre-Shakespearian English drama, foreign drama, social and economic history, law, education, philosophy and theology.

  Closed collections

  We have a small number of collections which are closed to future acquisition. Whilst SBT no longer develops these collections, these are appreciated by researchers and underpin SBT’s own heritage as a custodian of knowledge before alternative institutions had fully developed. Through the life of this policy these collections will be fully reviewed and decisions made on their long-term future.

  Natural History

  The Trust holds one closed Natural History collection. All future offers of such material are now passed on to Warwickshire County Museum Service. We hold a small, but representative collection of Blue Lias and Ice Age fossils.

  Numismatics

  The Trust has a small collection of classical, English and foreign coins.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2025

  Licence: CC BY-NC