IT has been one of the greatest historical mysteries, with more plot twists and turns than a work penned by the Bard but this week, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust revealed it had solved one of its toughest puzzles.

Some clever detective work by a local historian has revealed that the 100,000 visitors per year who flock to pay homage to Shakespeare's mother at Mary Arden's House in Wilmcote should have been knocking at the house next door instead.

Super sleuth Dr Nat Alcock discovered that Mary Arden grew up at Glebe Farm, a farmhouse in the grounds of the old Mary Arden's House, smashing a legend that has stood since the 18th century.

The myth of Mary Arden's House is believed to have been started by John Jordan, a dabbling historian and impoverished wheelwright who became an amateur guide to raise extra pennies. The house was bought by the trust in the 1930s and although no one actually claimed for sure that the house was the family home of the Ardens, it was widely believed to have been so.

However, while working for the trust on a reappraisal into the land at Wilmcote, Dr Alcock stumbled across a link to East Sussex and was able to solve the riddle by discovering the 1587 rental of Glebe Farm among papers stored at the county's records office.

The research also confirmed that the traditional Mary Arden's House in fact belonged to farmer Adam Palmer, a close friend of the family who acted as executor to the will of Robert Arden, Shakespeare's grandfather.

Speaking yesterday (Wednesday) the director of the birthplace trust, Roger Pringle, said the trust never deceived the public and there was never any intention of hiding the truth.

"This is a very exciting discovery and means we have finally solved one of the most enduring mysteries," said Mr Pringle.

"I don't think this will have an adverse effect on the number of visitors we see as Mary Arden's House is visited mainly by families and people from Coventry and Birmingham, who come to see it as a farm and not as a historical place."

He said the properties would swap names, Glebe Farm would become Mary Arden's House and the old house would be known as Palmer's Farm with functions remaining more or less the same, the only major change being the opening of the second floor of the new house.