12 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About William Shakespeare
9. Shakespeare's Birthday Is April 23rd... When Actually No-One Is Entirely Sure
April 23rd is a special date in English calendars - not only is it Saint George's Day, it is also celebrated as Shakespeare's birthday. Rightly Britons wish to celebrate the life of one of literature's most-revered writers, but unfortunately it is unclear whether or not April 23rd was actually Shakespeare's birthday - although it is likely to be have been the date on which he died. Shakespeare was baptised on April 26, 1564 - but the actual date he was born was not documented. Custom in 16th-Century England dictated that someone was baptised three days after their birth, which suggests Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, although no-one can be entirely sure. Furthermore, Shakespeare did die on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52 - meaning that at least this date does bear a direct link to the Bard's lifetime. To confuse matters further, however, the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1582 - and this would move Shakespeare's baptism from April 26th to May 3rd, putting his birthday as April 30th by most modern-day calendars...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
April 23rd is a special date in English calendars - not only is it Saint George's Day, it is also celebrated as Shakespeare's birthday. Rightly Britons wish to celebrate the life of one of literature's most-revered writers, but unfortunately it is unclear whether or not April 23rd was actually Shakespeare's birthday - although it is likely to be have been the date on which he died. Shakespeare was baptised on April 26, 1564 - but the actual date he was born was not documented. Custom in 16th-Century England dictated that someone was baptised three days after their birth, which suggests Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, although no-one can be entirely sure. Furthermore, Shakespeare did die on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52 - meaning that at least this date does bear a direct link to the Bard's lifetime. To confuse matters further, however, the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1582 - and this would move Shakespeare's baptism from April 26th to May 3rd, putting his birthday as April 30th by most modern-day calendars...