Joan Hart's Cottage
What additions were made to the house?
A two-roomed cottage was added onto the west end of Shakespeare's Birthplace in the 1570s. After the Shakespeare family moved to New Place, the cottage was rented by William’s younger sister, Joan and her husband, William Hart. In the Hearth Tax returns between 1662 and 1674, it is noted that the Harts have only one hearth. There were at least 6 listed in the main adjoining property, which suggests that the Harts lived exclusively in the cottage.
There is reason to argue that William Shakespeare and his wife Anne had previously occupied this part of the house as newlyweds.
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