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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Anne Hathaway
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(1556–1623) The wife of William *Shakespeare, whose name is widely remembered for two reasons: her family home survives (*Anne Hathaway's Cottage) and is much visited; and Shakespeare left her in his will his 'second best bed'. This bequest (his only mention of his wife in the document, written as an afterthought between the lines) has caused much amusement and scholarly speculation. But common law automatically secured for Anne the family house and a third of the estate. And it has been argued in Shakespeare's defence that the best bed may have been the one kept for guests, making this the marital bed.
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