Shakespeare's Marriage May Have Been Happier Than Believed

For over 200 years, literary researchers have believed that William Shakespeare left his wife Anne Hathaway in Stratford-upon-Avon when he moved to London. The fact that he almost entirely excluded his wife from his will has been interpreted as him probably feeling bitter towards her.

But now a letter has been found, addressed to "dear Mrs. Shakespeare", which appears to show that they actually lived together in central London between 1600 and 1610.

In the letter, found in a book cover from that time, it is claimed that Shakespeare withheld money from an orphan boy named John Butts.

In the letter, Butts instead asks Mrs. Shakespeare for money. On the back of the letter, there is a response, which is believed to have been written by Mrs. Shakespeare.

"The letter was first discovered in 1978 and has been known for a while. However, no one has been able to identify the parties involved or seen any reason to believe that Mr. Shakespeare in the letter was the William Shakespeare", says Professor Matthew Steggle from the University of Bristol.

The letter refers to Trinity Lane, and of the four married couples with the surname Shakespeare who lived in London during the period, it was only William who lived in that area.