In what century did the playwright William Shakespeare die?

William Shakespeare died in 1616 at 52 years of age. His burial in Holy Trinity Church is recorded in Stratford-upon-Avon's parish register on 25 April 1616. A monument still stands in the church, which notes the date of Shakespeare's death as 23 April 1616 (In the 17th century).

The grave below Shakespeare's monument does not bear his name, but was believed to be Shakespeare's from at least 1656. It is also the first in a row of graves that commemorate his family, including his widow Anne, who died in 1623. Shakespeare’s family line came to an end with the death of his grand-daughter Elizabeth in 1670.

Visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon can still visit the church and William Shakespeare's grave, where a curse is inscribed on the stone: 'Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To digg the dust encloased heare, Blest by the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones.'