Theme summary: Susanna

Susanna Hall, nee Shakespeare, was born in 1583 in Stratford-upon-Avon to parents William and Anne. Living to the age of 66, she married the physician, John Hall, in 1607 and gave birth to her only child, Elizabeth, in 1608. She is thought to have lived at Hall’s Croft from 1613-16, when she inherited the far grander New Place on her father’s death. This archive is an homage to Susanna and the lives we might imagine she led. It offers a new way to explore the evidence we have for her eventful life. Follow this theme in the digital spatial archive to explore what we know about Susanna and new ways she can help us explore the lives of early modern women.

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In the Collection

A curated search on Susanna Hall-related items in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Archive and Collections can be viewed on the online catalogue.

Further Research

Shakespeare Documented

Shakespeare Documented, hosted by Folger Shakespeare Library, contains 30 resources relating to Susanna, including over 20 original documents from several different archive collections. It is the best place to start to discover the primary textual sources of her life. (https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/)

External archive sources

Follow the links below to the archives and online resources that hold the primary documentary evidence for Susanna Hall’s life:

1. The National Archives discovery website
2. The British Library online catalogue
3. Worcester archive and archaeology service website collections page
4. Kent History and Library Centre homepage
5. Folger Shakespeare Library online catalogue

Find out more

1. Dr Ailsa Grant Ferguson (University of Brighton) discusses ‘Looking for Susanna Hall’ (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Research Conversation)
2. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s ‘Shakespedia’ contains entries on Susanna, her parents and paternal grandparents, her siblings and her daughter. (https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/)
3. The website of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, allows you to take a virtual tour of the church, including the Shakespeare graves. Susanna is buried next to her husband, John Hall, and her parents at the church’s altar. (https://shakespeareschurch.co.uk/explore/).