Visitors' Books

Shakespeare’s Birthplace became a place of literary pilgrimage in the late eighteenth century, and, even when in private ownership, as it was until 1847, visitors were encouraged to sign their names in visitors’ books, frequently adding comments or commemorative verses. Surviving books date from 1812 and the details from those covering the period before 1847, have been entered into this database, totalling some 37,500. The books contain entries from a wide variety of visitors, some famous at the time, others subsequently so, and from an increasingly wide geographical area as continental visitors began to visit Britain on a regular basis. The database can be searched by name, date, address, if given, and country. Also recorded are the names of others in a party if known, details of remarks entered and editorial information about signatories where identified.