Shakespeare's family
family as with the earldom. Only the eldest sons bore the Chevron
chequy, the rest of the family bore the Beauchamp crosses crosslet. In
some such way the Ardens also seem to have made a similar distinction,
though in later times the meaning was occasionally forgotten, and the
usage became confused.
Drummond suggests that the Ardens might also have borne these arms to
suggest that they, too, had a claim to the earldom of Warwick. The arms
Thomas bore were Chequy or and azure, a chevron gules, which his
ancestors assumed to show they held their lands from the Earls of
Warwick, whose Chevron was Ermine on the like field.[381]
The descendants of William of Rodburne,[382] the second son of Henry de
Ardern, were more fortunate than their cousins. Thomas de Draiton was
the elder, and William de Rodburne the younger. Thomas married Lucia (6
John), and had Thomas de Arden of Hanwell, Sir Robert de Arderne de
Draiton, and Ralph.[383] Thomas,[384] who bore as arms Ermine a fesse
chequy, or and azure, as now borne, married Rose, daughter of Ralph de
Vernon, with whom he obtained the lordship of Hanwell. He was living in
1287, and had a son, Thomas, who presented to the church of Holdenby,
1334. This Thomas married Johanna de ---- (?), and had an only daughter,
Joan, who married Sir John Swynford. Ralph married Alicia de Bellocampo.
Sir Robert de Arderne de Draiton married Nichola,[385] widow of William
de Boutvilein. His son, Sir Giles, had a son, also Sir Giles. This
latter had an only daughter, Margaret, who married Ludovic Greville, and
carried Draiton into the possession of that Warwickshire family.
Ralph, son of Ralph, the second son of Thomas of Hanwell, married
Isabella, daughter of Anselm de Bromwich, and lived at Pedmore,
Warwickshire, 16 Edward II. In 17 Edward II. he was certified to be one
of the principal esquires in the county. His son, Sir John, was knighted
33 Edward III., and bore for his arms the same as his ancestor, Thomas
of Hanwell: Ermine, a fesse chequy or and az. He had only one daughter
and heir, Rose, who married Thomas Pakeson, afterwards an outlaw. To
John succeeded in Curdworth his brother Henry, whose wife was Elena, the
first to establish himself in Park Hall, which was confirmed to him by
Sir John de Botecourt, 47 Edward III., releasing him of all service,
save only of an annual red rose. He was devoted to Thomas de Beauchamp,
then Earl of Warwick, who granted him several other manors, also on
payment of a red rose. In 4 Richard II. his niece, Rose, released to him
her interest in Pedmore, Curdworth, Winworth, Sutton, and Norhull, of
her father's inheritance. Sir Henry bore the fesse chequy or and az.,
with three crescents for difference,[386] before his brother's death
(see Roll, Edward III., and arms in Lapworth Church). He left his son,
Sir Ralph, heir, who served under the Earl of Warwick at the siege of
Calais.
Ralph settled on his mother, Elena, for life, the manors of Wapenham and
Sulgrave, in Northamptonshire, with remainder to his brothers Geoffrey
and William. He married Sibilla (2 Henry V.), and left by her two sons,
Robert and Peter.[387] Robert was from the age of eight years a ward of
Joan Beauchamp, Lady of Bergavenny. He married Elizabeth, daughter and
heir of Richard de Clodeshall; was in the King's service, was Sheriff of
the County, and Knight of the Shire. He sided with the Yorkists in the
Wars of the Roses, was taken, attainted of high treason by James, Earl
of Wiltshire, and other judges appointed to try such cases, and was
condemned. He was executed on Saturday after the Feast of St. Laurence
the Martyr, 30 Henry VI. The custody of his lands was granted to Thomas
Littleton, Serjeant-at-Law, Thomas Greswold and John Gamell, Esquires.
Two years after his death his son Walter obtained the King's precept to
his escheator to hand over the lands of his mother's inheritance to him,
and shortly afterwards he secured his father's also. He married Eleanor,
daughter of John Hampden of Hampden, in Buckinghamshire, and appears in
the register of the Guild of Knowle, 1457, with his "wife Alianore." He
had a large family, each of them in some special point interesting to
the genealogist, and therefore worthy of some attention and of careful
detail. It must not be forgotten that his father's attainder and the
Wars of the Roses had temporarily crippled the resources of the family.
Walter Arden's will, July 31, 1502, is preserved at Somerset House,[388]
an interesting will in many ways. His eldest son and heir was John,
Esquire of the Body to Henry VII., who was to pay 20 marks for his
funeral. "Item. I will that my sonne Thomas have during his lief x marc,
which I have given him; and that my sonne Martyn have the manor of
Nafford during his lief, accordyng as I thereof made him astate yf it
canne be recorded, and yf not, thenne I will that the same Martyn and
every of my other sonnes, Robert, Henry and William have eche of them 5
marc by yere during eche of their lives, and that my feoffees of my
landes make eche of them a sufficient astate of londes & tenements to
the yerely value of 5 marc during every of their lives." He left his
wife, Eleanor, executrix, Edward Belknap and John Bracebridge, Squiers,
and John Boteler of Solihull, overseers, "Richard Slystre, Vicar of
Aston, John Charnell[389] & Thomas Ardern,[390] Squiers, witnesses."
Dugdale seems to have read the will, and is interested in the mortuary
bequest, but, curiously enough, supposes Martin to be older than Thomas.
Perhaps this error arose from the testator's desire to settle Natford
upon Martin. This does not seem to have been so settled. Martin had his
five marks, married an heiress, Margery East, settled at Euston, in
Oxfordshire, and appears in the Visitations there, associated with the
Easts and the Gibbons. Robert was the Arden made Yeoman of the King's
Chamber, a presumption made definite by Leland's[391] remark that "Arden
of the Court was younger brother to Sir John Arden, of Park Hall." On
February 22,[392] 17 Henry VII., he received a Royal Patent as Keeper of
the Park at Altcar, Lancashire; another, as Bailiff of Codmore,[393]
Derby, and Keeper of the Royal Park there; a third gave him Yoxall for
life,[394] apparently, however, for a payment of L42.
A Robert Arden, who had been Escheator to the Crown for Nottingham and
Derby under Henry VII., received a new patent 2 Henry VIII.[395] On June
28, 7 Henry VIII., order to cancel five recognizances amounting to L200;
one made by Robert Arderne, of Holme, co. Notts, may concern the same
gentleman.[396]
Henry seems to have died young. William settled at Hawnes,[397] in
Bedfordshire, bore as arms three cross-crosslets fitchee or, on a chief
of the second, a martlet for difference. He seems to have died before
his eldest brother. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Francklin of
Thurley in County Bedford, and widow of George Thrale. His son Thomas
married Anne, daughter of Richard Bowles of Wallington and widow of
Thomas Gonnel. His daughter Joan married John Moore; his daughter
Elizabeth married John Lee of Harlington.
Thomas certainly survived Sir John, Henry, and possibly also William.
Sir John married Alice d. of Richard Bracebridge of Kingsbury, and died
in 1526. His will was drawn up on June 4 of that year.[398] After
various bequests to churches, he left some special heirlooms to his son
and heir, Thomas, to his son John an annuity from Natford of five marks
a year for life, with other land, and gifts to him, his wife, and _their
heirs_. "Item. I will that my brothers Thomas, Martin & Robert have
their fees during their lives." That is, it may be remembered, ten marks
for Thomas, and five marks each for the other two. "Item. I will that
Rauf Vale and Hugh Colyns[399] have their fees as they have had during
their lives." Bequests of furniture were left to "my daughter Geys
Braylys," "my daughter Katerine _Muklowe_,"[400] "my daughter Brown,"
"my daughter Margaret Kambur," "my sister Margaret Abell," "my sister
Alice Buklond," "my son Thomas Bralis." To Joane Hewes, Agnes Abell,
John Charnell, various remembrances, his son Thomas to be sole executor,
Sir John Willoughby overseer; witnesses, Martin Ardern, Robert Ardern,
Symon Broke, clerk; John Charnell, John Croke, Rauf Vale. The will was
proved June 27, 1526.
Where was Thomas, son of Walter, meanwhile? I have only been able to
find two of the name contemporary with the cadet of Park Hall. A Thomas
Arden of Saint Martin's Outwich, London, citizen and clothworker, on
November 29, 1549, drew up a short will,[401] leaving his wife, Agnes,
his sole heir and executrix, proved January, 1549. I endeavoured to
learn if by chance he had come from Warwickshire, but the
apprentice-books of the company do not begin early enough. There was a
commercial family of Ardens in London, of whom he more probably was a
member. The possibility of his being a Warwickshire man I thought worthy
of careful consideration, but have been able to bring no further facts
forward.
There was also a Thomas Arden of Long Itchington mentioned in the
Subsidy Lists, whose will is preserved at Lichfield.
The other Thomas Arden was settled at Wilmecote, in the parish of Aston
Cantlow, on lands formerly owned by the Beauchamps. There is no record
how he acquired them. Aston Cantlow[402] had been settled, with the
castle and Honour of Bergavenny, upon Sir William de Beauchamp, second
son to Thomas, Earl of Warwick. He died 12 Henry IV., and Richard
Beauchamp, Earl of Worcester, his son and heir, inherited all his lands.
Richard's daughter and heir, Elizabeth, married Sir Edward Neville, a
younger son to Ralph, Earl of Westmorland, who was forthwith summoned to
Parliament as Lord Bergavenny. Dugdale gives us the arms depicted on the
roof of the chancel of Aston Cantlow Church, three varieties: "Gules, a
fesse betwixt six cross-crosslets or" (Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick);
"Argent 6 cross-crosslets fichee Sable, upon a chief Azure two mullets
or" (Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon); "Argent, 3 cross-crosslets fichee
Sable upon a chief Azure a mullet and a Rose Or." But Dugdale does not
know the family this represents. Could it be a variety of the Ardens?
The Thomas Arden who resided here paid subsidy of 26s. 8d. on L10 land,
being one of the largest landholders in the parish. He bought certain
lands at Snitterfield on May 16, 16 Henry VII., associated with certain
gentlemen whose names are suggestive, as I have shown on page 28. John
Mayowe transferred his property to Robert Throgmorton, Armiger,[403]
afterwards knight, Thomas Trussell[404] of Billesley, Roger Reynolds of
Henley in Arden, William Wood of Woodhouse, Thomas Arden of Wilmecote,
and Robert Arden, the son of this Thomas Arden. We know that Robert
Throgmorton was an intimate friend of the Ardens of Park Hall, and his
association with Thomas of Wilmecote strengthens the supposition that
the latter was the son of Walter. We know that this Thomas was the
father of Robert Arden, who was the father of Mary, Shakespeare's
mother, and her six sisters. It does not seem unlikely he bore arms, and
was the Esquire witness of Walter Arden's will, _who has never been
located elsewhere_. If he bore arms, it is more than likely that, as a
younger son, they were derived from _the Beauchamps_, and might even
have been those found by Dugdale in the Aston Cantlow Church, where he
was buried. It is probable that Robert bore the cross-crosslets with a
difference, as did his contemporary, William Arden of Hawnes. We have at
least Glover's[405] testimony that among the arms of Warwickshire and
Bedfordshire are "Arden or Arderne gu, three cross-crosslets fitchee or;
on a chief of the second a martlet of the first. Crest, a plume of