Record revealed
Jane Austen’s will
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Piece
Will of William Shakespeare 25 March 1616. Proved 22 June 1616.
Catalogue reference: PROB 1/4
What’s it about?
This record is about the Will of William Shakespeare 25 March 1616. Proved 22 June 1616. dating from 22 June 1616 in the series Prerogative Court of Canterbury: Wills of Selected Famous Persons. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
Is it available online?
Yes, this record is available online and can be downloaded. How to view it.
Can I see it in person?
No, this record is not available to see in person at The National Archives. Other ways to view it.
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- PROB 1/4
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Title (The name of the record)
- Will of William Shakespeare 25 March 1616. Proved 22 June 1616.
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Date (When the record was created)
- 22 June 1616
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Description (What the record is about)
- Will of William Shakespeare 25 March 1616. Proved 22 June 1616.
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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For the will box, please see PROB 1/4A
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
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Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
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- Topics
- Wills and probate
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Custodial history (Describes where and how the record has been held from creation to transfer to The National Archives)
- The wills of Shakespeare (PROB 1/4) was seen by three of the members of the Royal Commission on Public Records in 1913. It had been placed in special storage conditions, at the Principal Probate Registry at Somerset House, because of its popularity with visitors.
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Publication note(s) (A note of publications related to the record)
- Many of the wills in this series have been published and discussed in biographical and other studies. The will of Shakespeare in particular has been subjected to a wide variety of different interpretations. Bibliographical references to these interpretations may be found in Playhouse wills 1558-1642 ed E A J Honigmann and Susan Brock (Manchester, 1993)
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C198022/
How to order it
- View this record page in our current catalogue
- Check viewing and downloading options
- Select an option and follow instructions
Series information
PROB 1
Prerogative Court of Canterbury: Wills of Selected Famous Persons
See the series level description for more information about this record.
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
1,265,632 records
Within the department: PROB
Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
106 records
Within the series: PROB 1
Prerogative Court of Canterbury: Wills of Selected Famous Persons
You are currently looking at the piece: PROB 1/4
Will of William Shakespeare 25 March 1616. Proved 22 June 1616.
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