NEN Gallery

When William's father died, the house was passed on to William who already owned New Place, so his 'Birthplace' was leased to Lewis Hiccox who converted it into an Inn called The Maidenhead, which later became The Swan and Maidenhead.

The single bay house was used for residential purposes. At the time of Shakespeare's death, it was occupied by Joan Hart, his recently widowed sister.

In Shakespeare's will the ownership of the inn and Joan Hart's cottage passed to his eldest daughter Susanna. On Susanna's death in 1649, it passed to her only child Elizabeth who died in 1670. Elizabeth left it to Thomas Hart who was a relation of Joan Hart whose family had continued as tenants in the smaller house after her death. The Harts owned the whole property until 1806 when it was sold to a butcher, Thomas Court, who took over running The Swan And Maidenhead Inn.