Shakespeare was born in England in April of 1564 in the small town of Stratford of Avon. Interestingly, we have many legal and business records about Shakespeare showing his marriage, the birth of his children, property he owned, his will, business documents concerning the Globe theater, records of other places his plays were performed, and, of course, early copies of his plays and poems.

The frustrating aspect of Shakespeare's biography is the lack of information that has come down to us about his personal or interior life: we have no personal letters, for example, that he wrote to friends or family, and no diaries or journals that he kept. Therefore, we have very little idea what he was thinking when he was writing his plays. We have, for instance, no direct evidence of his religious beliefs, his politics, or what most drove him to achieve. Therefore, scholars scour his plays and poetry for hints of what he might have been like. This has led to many conflicting theories, such as that he was a secret Catholic sympathizer—others will argue he was a fervent Protestant. As there is no real way of knowing, the debates about will no doubt continue. If someone were to find a personal letter, say, that he wrote, that would be an event of extraordinary importance in the literary world.

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon- Avon, England in April of 1564; hence his nickname the Bard of Avon.  The exact date of his birth is unknown because of the lack of written records from the time, however his birth date is usually thought to be around April 26th because that is the day that he was baptized.  Here is some additional information for you.  Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582 when he was 18 and they had three children, one of which (his only boy) died at a very young age.  In addition to being a playwright, Shakespeare was also an actor and a poet.  He died on April 23, 1616. 

When and where was Shakespeare born?  

The traditional date for William Shakespeare's birth is April 23, 1564. The exact date of Shakespeare's birth is not known for sure, but records indicate he was baptized on April 26, 1564. Because babies were generally baptized in to the Anglican Church (Church of England) within a few days of their birth, historians assume Shakespeare was probably born a few days prior to his baptism. 

The location Shakespeare was born is Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Stratford-upon-Avon is located roughly 100 miles northwest of London, and he spent most of his life in one of these two cities. Even today, Stratford-upon-Avon remains a small town, containing less than 30,000 residents. However, the town has become famous as the birthplace of Shakespeare; as many as 5 million tourists visit Stratford-upon-Avon each year.

When was William Shakespeare born?

Unfortunately, we do not know the precise date of William Shakespeare's birth. In Early Modern England, record keeping was not as rigorous as it is today. What's more, Shakespeare would not have been born in a hospital or birthing center setting where a birth certificate might have been issued. The good news is that most churches kept records of baptisms, weddings, funerals, and the like, and records from a church in Stratford-upon-Avon indicate that Shakespeare was baptized on the 26th of April, 1564. 

At the time Shakespeare was born, there was no strict rule for when children were supposed to be baptized. Especially if a baby was born small or not expected to survive, parents might wait to have a baptism performed until they were certain that the child would survive. The traditional date given for Shakespeare's birth, which is unverifiable, is the 23rd of April-- three days prior to his baptism. A baptism at three days old would be sensible, giving the mother and baby enough time to rest and recover after the difficulties of labor. The number three is also very important in Christianity, so baptism on the third day of life may have been considered auspicious by Shakespeare's parents. 

When was William Shakespeare born?

Technically, we don’t know the exact date of Shakespeare’s birth in Stratford-on-Avon, because birth records were not kept in England in 1564; what we have is a christening date, or baptism date (April 26, 1564), and scholars have deduced that his birth was probably less than a week earlier, judging from the habits of the time.  In addition, putting his birth date at April 23rd coincides with the date of his death 52 years later, on April 23, 1616.   

So we celebrate his birthday as April 23, 1564; many cities recite all his sonnets in a group reading on this date each year, or perform key scenes or famous soliloquies from his plays.

When was Shakespeare born?

Details about Shakespeare's life are sketchy, but he was thought to be born in 1564, probably on April 23rd.

When was Shakespeare born?

Historians believe that William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. This date is based on his recorded baptism date of April 26, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon.

William Shakespeare was the oldest living child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. There were two girls born before him but neither survived infancy. He was followed by five other siblings.

When Shakespeare was eighteen he married Anne Hathaway. They had three children: Susanna, Judith and Hamnet. Susanna was born in 1583 and the twins Judith and Hamnet were born in 1585.

After the birth of his children (the exact year is unknown) Shakespeare moved to London and by 1592 he was recognized as a playwright and actor.

William Shakespeare died fifty-two years after his birth, on April 23, 1616. He is buried in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Where and when was William Shakespeare born?

The actual date of Shakespeare's birth is not certain, though it may be April 26, 1564. It is more traditionally celebrated on St. George's Day, April 23rd.

He was born in Stratford, in England, and baptized in the Holy Trinity Church. Law required that parents have their children baptized on the Sunday following the child's birth (unless unable and could provide reason), so this is how scholars have arrived at the date above (from the baptismal records of the Church).