England -- Description and travel; Literary landmarks -- England; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Homes and haunts -- England
broken into many-coloured light, streams in upon the grave of
Shakespeare and gilds his bust upon the wall above it. He lies close by
the altar, and every circumstance of his place of burial is eloquent of
his hold upon the affectionate esteem of his contemporaries. The line of
graves beginning at the north wall of the chancel and extending across
to the south seems devoted entirely to Shakespeare and his family, with
but one exception.¹ The pavement that covers them is of that blue-gray
slate or freestone which in England is sometimes called black marble. In
the first grave under the north wall rests Shakespeare's wife. The next
is that of the poet himself, bearing the world-famed words of blessing
and imprecation. Then comes the grave of Thomas Nashe, husband to
Elizabeth. Hall, the poet's granddaughter, who died April 4, 1647. Next
is that of Dr. John Hall (obiit November 25, 1635), husband to his
daughter Susanna, and close beside him rests Susanna herself, who was
buried on July 11, 1649. The gravestones are laid east and west, and all
but one present inscriptions. That one is under the south wall, and
possibly it covers the dust of Judith--Mrs. Thomas Quiney--the youngest
daughter of Shakespeare, who, surviving her three children and thus
leaving no descendants, died in 1662. Upon the gravestone of Susanna an
inscription has been intruded commemorative of Richard Watts, who is
not, however, known to have had any relationship with either Shakespeare
or his descendants.
¹ "The poet knew," says J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps, "that as a tithe-owner
he would necessarily be buried in the chancel."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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