Shakespeare's family
(1615)."[243]
I have collected these illustrations in order to show that the name
William was not by any means rare in the Shakespeare family, and to
account for some of the errors made concerning descents.
In 1589, also in the Star Chamber proceedings, we find there is a case
brought by "Mary Ruswell against John Vale and Katharine his wife, and
Aylese Shackspire." This Alice Shakespeare was John Vale's mother-in-law
and a widow. Is it not possible she might be the sister "Alice
Shakespeare" referred to in the Griffin will?
In most of the Warwickshire districts where the name is found in the
earlier half of the sixteenth century it is found in the latter half,
and also in the seventeenth century, though sometimes branches migrated
to new neighbouring localities. It would be impossible to work out every
family in detail in a work such as this.
And yet some notices are necessary to complete the rapid survey. The
Shakespeares appear in two groups, one north and east of
Stratford-on-Avon, as at Ingon and Snitterfield. One family had settled
at Tachbrook, nine miles north-east by east from Stratford. There was
baptized "Roger, son of Robert Shakespeare, 21 April, 1557." Robert was
a weaver, and was probably son of Richard Shakespeare, of Haseley,
weaver, in the reign of Henry VIII. He had also a son John, born 1574; a
daughter, Alice, buried 1559; another, Isabel, baptized 1560.
Roger married Isabel Parkins in 1592, and Alice Higgins in 1595, and
seems to have had a son, John, not in the register. But on April 22,
1628, Elizabeth Shakespeare, the daughter of John and Christian his
wife, was baptized, and on April 4, 1630, Judith Shakespeare, the
daughter of John and Christian Shakespeare. Later generations of the
families of Roger, John, and Walter are recorded there.[244]
A few Shakespeares have been found in Alcester. But the older centre lay
further north. By far the greatest number of names are found in the
villages to the west of a line drawn between Coventry and Warwick,
including Meriden, Hampton-in-Arden, Berkswell, Knowle, Balsall,
Kenilworth, Packwood, Lapworth, Baddesley Clinton, Wroxall, Haseley,
Hatton, Rowington, and Budbrooke.
The early parish registers of Wroxall are lost, and only begin with
1586.
On Dec. 9, 1588, Fraunces Shaxper ... was buried.
May 29, 1592, Nicholas Shaxper and Alice Edmunds m.
March 25, 1593, Peter, fil. Nicolas and Alice Shaxper, bap.
Nov. 17, 1594, Susannah, daugh. of Nicolas and Alice Shaxper, bap.
Sep. 17, 1595, Elizabeth, ux. William Shaxper, buried.
Sep. 10, 1596, Cornelius, fil. Nic. and Alice Shaxper, bap.
Feb. 3, 1599, Annah, dau. of Nic. and Alice Shaxper, bapt.
April 9th, 1600, Annah, dau. of Nic. and Alice Shaxper, buried.
June 15th, 1603, Hester, dau. of Nic. and Alice Shaxper, bapt.
(No Registers from 1604 to 1641.)
1641, Peter Shakspeare buried.
May 17th, 1642, William Smith and Catherine Shakspere, m.
Sept. 25, 1645, Nicolas Shakspere buried.
May 16th, 1665, Ralf Stokes and Margaret Shakspeare m.
Jan. 26, 1670, Robert Shakespeare and Ann Averne m.
Oct. 4, 1678, Jane, dau. of Robert Shakespeare the elder, buried.
March 29, 1681, Robert, fil. Richard Shakespeare and his wife, bapt.
May 30, 1714, Ann, ux. Robert Shakespeare, buried.
May 13, 1719, Robert Shakespeare buried.
From the Hatton and Haseley Registers, which recorded the death of Roger
Shakespeere, 1558, and of Domina Jane, 1571, we also find:
Isabel, uxor Thomas Shakspere, formerly wife of John Tybotes,
buried April 4, 1570.
Nov. 5, 1570, Katharine Shakespere, filia Nicolas Shakespere, bapt.
Jan. 6th, 1579, Elizabeth, dau. of Nicolas Shakespere, bapt.
Jan. 6th, 1589, William Shakespere and Barbara Stiffe, married.
March 25, 1593, Peter, son of Nicolas and Alice Shakespeare, bapt.
Sept. 8, 1593, Thomas, son of Nicholas and Elizabeth Shakspere, bapt.
March 14, 1596, Susannah, dau. of Wm. Shakspere, gentleman, and
Barbara, bapt. (March 6th, 1597. This child was buried.)
July 23rd, 1598, Katherine, dau. of Wm. and Barbara Shakspere,
baptised.
Sep. 21, 1606, Thomas Shaxper buried.
Dec. 26, 1607, Nicholas Shaksper of Busall buried.
Jan. 26, 1607, Elizabeth Shaksper of Busall buried.
Aug. 28, 1608, Marie, daughter of Thomas Shaxsper, bapt.
Feb.--, 1610, Barbara, wife of Mr. William Shakspere, buried.
Jan. 20, 1612, John Hastings and Susanna Shaxper, married.
The parish registers of Haseley and of Hatton are mixed.
There are many Shakespeare wills preserved in Lichfield. Christopher
Shakespere of Packwood, August 31, 1551, proved August 15, 1558,
mentions a wife Isabel, and sons, Richard, William, Roger, Christopher,
and John, and daughters Alice and Agnes; Elizabeth Shakspere of St.
Werbergs, Derby, 1558; Roger Shakspere of Tachbrook, August 2, 1605;
wife Alice and son John; William Shakespeare of Coventry, shoemaker,
March 18, 1605-6; Administration of John Shakespeare's goods, 1606;
Thomas Shakespeare of Packington Parva, April 28, 1610, had a wife,
Phillip, and sons, George (who was to have Coleshill lands), Thomas,
Andrew, and a daughter, Alice Croft; Anne Shakespeare of Knowle's will,
1743.
There has been a group entered in the Calendar in relation to the
Shakespeare and Ensor connection (Nichols's "Herald and Genealogist,"
vol. ii., p. 297):
Thomas Shakespeare of Coventry, admin. 1693.
George Shakespeare of Fillongley, will 1700.
Sara Shakespeare of Pen, admin. 1712.
Thomas Shakespeare of Arley, " 1720.
William Shakespear of Coventry, " 1724.
William Shakespear of Arley, " 1729.
George Shakespear of Coleshill, " 1734.
Anne Shakespeare of Coventry, " 1751.
George Shakespeare of Fillongley, " 1754.
Mary Shakespeare of Aston, " 1768.
There was an administration granted to Elizabeth Shakespeare, widow, of
the estate of Roger Shakespeare, of Chesset Wood, in the parish of
Hampton-in-Arden, April 15, 1597.
John Shakespeare, of Knowle, Warwickshire, left to his eldest son,
Henry, L5, and to each of his children L5--John, Elizabeth, Henry,
Thomas; to his granddaughter, daughter of John, L5; his property he left
to his youngest son, John, 33 Charles II., September 30, 1681.[245] A
William Shakespeare,[246] of Knowle, is mentioned in 12 George II., as
"tenant to the precipe."
The will of Robert Shakespeare, of Wroxall, March 19, 1565, shows that
he had a son Nicolas, that another Nicolas owed him money, and that his
goods were prised by a William Shakespeare. John Shaksper, of Wroxall,
labourer, leaves his goods between his son Edward and his wife; mentions
his sister Alice, his brother Woodam's children, his cousin, Laurence
Shaxper, of Balsal, or Beausal, his brothers, William and Nicolas, and
his daughter, Alice Windmiles, December 15, 1574.
William Shakespeare, of Wroxall, husbandman, in his will, dated November
17, 1609, left legacies to brothers and sisters not named.
John Shakespere of Budbrooke, left his best suit to Nicolas Shakespeare;
to his father-in-law, Thomas Burbidge, his best boots; to Mary
Shakespeare, two shillings; to Isabel Poole, late servant to Nicolas
Shakespeare, ten shillings. Anne Burbage, now the wife of William
Shotteswell, sole executrix, December 28, 1642.[247] He was buried
December 30, 1642.[248]
Nicolas Shakespeare,[249] of Budbrooke,[250] being aged and weak, leaves
L4 to the poor; L10 to his mother-in-law, Penelope Parkes; L40 to his
brother-in-law, Richard Parkes; L10 to his cousin, Richard Naso; L10 to
William Sattlewell, of Packwood. Residue to his dear wife Marie, sole
executrix, October 23, 1655.
John Shakespeare,[251] yeoman, of Lapworth, made his will October 30,
1637; proved by his wife Dorothy 1638. He had no children, and his
nephew, John Twycross, came in for most of his possessions. He left his
brother Christopher sixpence a week. Christopher's son John, and his two
grandsons, John and Thomas, had each twenty shillings. There was another
brother not named, whose three sons, Edward, William and Thomas, and
three daughters were to have L3 6s. 8d. each. Edward's two sons had also
legacies. The testator also mentions his sister, Catharine Shotteswell,
Catharine, Elizabeth, Winifred, Humphrey, Thomas, and John Shakespeare.
Overseers, John Fetherston, of Packwood, Esq., and John Shaxpere, of
Ringwood. Dorothy Shakespeare left no will. Letters of administration
were granted to her nephew, Antony Robbins, July 13, 1655.[252] In the
table of benefactions in Lapworth Church (near Knowle) it is recorded
that John Shakespeare and John Twycross gave each two shillings a year
to the poor of Lapworth and Packwood. "Humphrey Shakespeare gave twenty
shillings to the poor of this parish, and the like to the poor of
Rowington, 1794."
Thomas Shakespeare, of Lapworth, fuller, February 21, 1655, desires to
be buried in Rowington. He leaves to his kinsman, Richard Shakespeare,
of Kenilworth, his implements and L5; to his kinsman, Thomas
Shakespeare, of Lapworth, L5; to his kinsman and godson, Thomas
Shakespeare, of Rowington, L5; to his kinsman, Richard Shakespeare, L6
13s. 4d.; to his kinswoman, Mary Shakespeare, L5; to his kinsman, John
Shakespeare, L5; to his brother William's son's daughter Elizabeth,
sixpence, if demanded; to the poor of Rowington, forty shillings. The
executrix was his kinswoman, Elizabeth Shakespeare, and the overseers,
Thomas Sly, of Lapworth, and his kinsman, Thomas Shakespeare, of
Whittlygate in Rowington; proved May 18, 1658.[253]
It may be seen that Rowington was the central source of most of these
Shakespeares. Besides those already mentioned, we may note that there
was a case of John Shakesper _versus_ William Skinner, farmer, of the
Church of Rowington; an answer of William Skinner to the Bill of
Complaint; a document relating to Thomas Shakespeare, of Rowington,
1571, marked "Skinner"; and another concerning John Shakespeare. John
Shaxper of Rowington's will was drawn up in 1574.[254] He left his
property called Madywattons, at Shrawley, to his son George, with
remainder to his daughter Annis, and L20 to his son Thomas. He left
legacies to his brothers Nicolas and Thomas and his Aunt Ley, the
midwife. His wife's name was Eleanor. His goods were prised at L8 6s.
8d. by Thomas and William Shaxper, among others. The will of Richard
Shakespere, of Rowington, November 13, 1613, which caused so much
heartburning, showed that his son William had a son John, and that his
son Richard had four sons (Thomas, William, Richard and John). Thomas
and John's children are not mentioned. Another will[255] in the same
year of Thomas Shakespeare, of Mowsly and Rowington, October 13, 1613,
mentions sons--John, Thomas and Richard; and daughters--Eleanor, Joan
and Annis. John had two sons--William and John. John Shakespeare de le
Hill, Rowington, made his will January 20, 1652; his wife was Mary; his
children, William, John, and Margaret Vernon.
The Shakespeares from the Register of Rowington, printed by Mr. Rylands,
are given in the notes.
In 1593 Thomas Shakespeare and Florence, his wife, with her sister,
Alice Grace, sued Thomas Grace[256] and John Harding for certain lands
not specified, settled by their father on them. Thomas Shackspeare, of
Rowington, was assessed for the subsidy of 1597.[257] Thomas Shaxper,
senior, of the same place, in 7 Jac. I., 1610. A survey of Crown lands
in Warwickshire, 4 Jac. I., 1607, in the Land Revenue Office shows
Thomas, George, Richard and John as holding property there. A Thomas
Shakespeare was presented in 1632.[258]
Thomas Shakespeare, of Rowington, _temp._ John Pickering, Lord Keeper,