Shakespeare's Family

udith, twins. The boy died young, in 1596, before the grant of arms was completed. Anne Hathaway is described as of Stratford in the marriage bo

rection in the church of Rewardine, in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, and pertained to the family of Hatheway of the same pl

VIII., and was probably father of the Richard befriended by John Shakespeare in 1566. The Stratford registers record the birth of Thomas, son of Richard Hathaway, April 12, 1569; John, February 3, 1574, and William, November 30, 1578. Anne Hathaway, we know, from the words on her tombstone, must have been born before the register commenced (1558). There is not another Agnes, or Anne, recorded that could represent the legatee of Richard Hathaway's will o

ttery." This man died in 1601, and by his will bequeathed to the poor "Forty shillings that is in the hand of Anne Shaxspere, wife unto Mr. Wyllyam Shaxspere, and is debt due to me." It was a common custom of the days

HAWAY'S

ace

the trustees at the marriage of Isabel, his granddaughter, the daughter of Richard Hathaway of Bridge Street. A Richard is mentioned in the registers as being baptized in 1559 (but it is not clear that he was the son of this Richard or of Bar

away, ￡50 to Thomas Hathaway, and ￡10 to Judith Hathaway. His wife also remembered them, as will be afterwards shown. William Hathaway, of Weston-u

ves. We do not know anything about Anne Shakespeare after her husband's death

re not able to secure this, but they buried her as near him as they could. Her daughter Susanna

her I would entreat the good angel to move the stone, so that thy figure might come forth, as did the body of Christ; but my

84-85. Hamnet-surely the model of Shakespeare's sweet boys-had died on August 11, 1596. So the name Shakespeare had glor

eed to believe that such a ceremony, even without a license, could be performed in the gossipy town of Stratford without the news of it somehow reaching the father's ears, if there had been any attempt really to deceive. There is no reason to imagine Shakespeare disapproved of the alliance. The young man came of an old Stratford family. It is possible, howev

, and Judith Shakespeare was a subscribing witness. But neither she nor her future mother-in-law signed their names, nor even the customary cross, but a strangely-penned device of their own. Thomas Quiney lived in

e French. By 1630 he was involved in lawsuits, left the town council, and tried to dispose of the lease of his house. In 1633 Dr. Hall and Thomas Nash acted as trustees for his estate. His fortunes seemed to have become worse and worse. In 1652 he went to the Metropolis, where his elder brother Richard was a thriving grocer in Bucklersbury, in company with Roger Sadler. Richard, in

d they christened their eldest son, "Shaksper, filius Thomas Quyny gent.," November 23, 1616. But

Hall; and they may have been present at the marriage of their cousin, Mrs. Elizabeth Hall, to Mr. Thomas Nash. But they died within a month of each other, probably of some infectious fever, the younger first-"Thomas filius Thom?

nently suitable father, distinguished alike in his art and his character, author of "The Court of Virtue," and many metrical Bible translations; but he died in 1566, and the Stratford Dr. John Hall was born in 1575. Halliwell-Phillipps[187] suggests that he may have been connected with the Halls of Acton, Middlesex, because he left his only daughter his "house an

ll of Stratford in the list of the gentry 12 Henry VI., 1433. There was also a Richard Hall, gentleman,[190] of Idlicote, in the sixteenth century, who seems to have moved about a good deal, as there is a record of "Elizabeth, daughter o

g going abroad at the time? They are not further referred to in Stratford records. In a manuscript of the British Museum a table is sketched of the Halls of Henwick in Hallow. John Hall of Henwick had a son Thomas, who married, first, Anne, daughter of William Staple, and, second, a daughter of Hardwick. He had at

what account for the degree of intimacy he seems to have had with the county families, both Puritan and Catholic. His fame as a physician rapidly spread. He resided in a house in Old Town, on the way from the church to the chapel. His only daughter, Elizabeth, was baptized at Stratford on February 21, 1607-8,[194] during her grandfather's (William Shakespeare's) life. His name occurs in the town records

in 1623, but was excused from taking office on account of his professional engagements. On April 22, 1626, Mr. Thomas Nash married his daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Hall. Hall gave the church a costly

of orders, sundry other misdemeanours, and for his continual disturbance at our Halles." Evidently Dr. John had opinions of his own, and had the courage to express them. He was a deeply religious man, and, though he has been supposed to have shown Puritan tend

had a pew at each side of the church, while there was not room for the burgesses' wives to sit or kneel in. It was true that the said Mr. Hall had been a great benefactor to the church, and the Bishop of the diocese

n the chancel of the parish church, though he had already disp

beth, and his study of books to his son-in-law Thomas Nash. The manuscripts he would have given to Mr. Boles had he been present, but Nash was to keep them and use them as he pleased. It is

Shakespeare or on a bend "sable, a spear of the first, the point steeled." "Here lyeth ye Body of John Hall, gent

us est, medica c

regni Gaud

itis qui nestor

nes, sed cap

desit adest f

m nunc quoq. mo

er Mrs. Hall's death. She may have wished the words set up, to determine h

d of the family. Indeed, in one of his letters he speaks of "Mrs. Hall, my mother-in-law, who lives wi

also in the counties adjacent, as appears by these observations, drawn out of severall hundreds of his as choycest, now put into English for common benefit by James Cooke, practitioner in Physick and Surgery, 1657." Cooke, in the introduction, relates the strange manner in which he became possessed of them, Mrs. Hall not knowing they were in her husband's handwriting, and, believing they were part of a poor scholar's mortgage, transferred them to him with other books. Cooke used the books as guides in his own practice, and then expanded the contractions, translated and published them, "being acquainted with his ap

n by the poet after the traditional "merrymaking with Ben Jonson and Drayton," when later gossips say he "drank too much." The earliest dated cure is 1617. But is it too much to imagine that the undated illness of Drayton, recorded in "Obs. XXII.," occurred at the same time as the death of the poe

sing of God, she was cured in sixteen days." But on May 24 of the same year she was struck down with an erratic fever. Sometimes she was hot, by-and-by sweating, again cold, all in the space of half an hour. Her father's treatment again healed her; "the symptoms remitted daily till she was well, thus was she delivered from death and deadly diseases, and was well for many years." Many other familiar names occur in this volume-"Mrs. Queeny," Mrs. Smith, Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Throgmorton, Mrs. Sheldon, Mrs. Greene, John Nason, the Underhills, Mrs. Baker, Dr. Thornbery, Bishop of Worcester (aged

ntitled Elizabeth Nash to the full inheritance as heir-general, and within a few weeks after the unexpected death of her cousins, Susanna Hall, widow, joined with Mr. and Mrs. Nash, May 27, 1639, in making a new settlement of Shakespeare's entails on Mrs. Hall for life, after whom on Mr. and Mrs. Nash, and the longer liver of them, after them, to the heirs of their body, and in default of such,

as likely to outlive his mother-in-law and his wife, for on August 20, 1642, he executed, w

n July, 1643, marched from Newark to Kineton by way of Stratford, where she was reinforced by Prince Rupert and 2,000 men. She held her court for three days[198] in Shakespeare's

akespeare. "Heere resteth ye body of Thomas Nashe Esq. He mar. Elizabeth,

nes, hunc non v

itiis, abstu

eret lux ultima

aras per male

zure, a pellet between 4 cross-crosslets sable, for Nash; 2 and 3 sable a buck's head caboshed argent attired or, betw

ash, and to his heires and assignes for ever, one messuage or tenement with the appurtenances comonly called or knowne by the name of The New Place ... together with all and singular howses, outhowses, barnes, stables, orchards, gardens, etc, esteemed or enjoyed

do under the unexpected provisions of her husband's will, of which she was left sole executrix and residuary legatee. She and her mother combined in levying a fine on the property,[200] and reconveying it to the sole use of her mother and herself, and their heirs fo

testator had no power to demise property which had belonged to her grandfather, and had been left to herself. She explained that her mother was still living, and that in conjunction they had levied the fine. She only disputed that part of her husband's will concerning

assailed, and she was perhaps prudent in her opinion that the fewer papers that were produced the shorter time would the suit last. No replication or decree is recorded. The litigation apparently terminated in a compromise, doubtless hastened by Mrs. Nash's second marriage. Perhaps Edward Nash by this time realized t

annot be answered by the register, as it is lost. Whether her marriage weakened her mother's health, or whether the state of her mother's health had hastened her marriage, we know not; but a month later, on July 11, 1649, Mrs. Hall died

gent., the daughter of William Shakespeare, gent.

her sex, but

tion was good

akespeare was i

with whom she'

nger, hast

h her that

yet set her

th comfort

ll live, her

st nere a te

for the record of the death of one Richard Watts, who owned some of the tithes and had the right to be buried in the chancel. Bu

new settlement was made, devising it to the use of John Barnard and his wife, and the longer liver of them, to the heirs of the body of Elizabeth, failing whom to any persons she might name. In default of such nomination, the property was to go to the right heirs of the survivor. A fine was

mily in Lady Barnard's will, and a limitation to the barest law and justice towards her husband, whom she did not leave her executor. The will was drawn up on January 29, 1669-70, and she died at Abington in February. "Madam Elizabeth Bernard, wife of Sir John Bernard, Knight, was buried 17th Feb., 1669-70."[203] No

ard Bagley, citizen of London, was to receive the amount. How she was connected with these men I have been unable to find out. "Judith Hathaway, one of the daughters of my kinsman, Thomas Hathaway, late of Stratford," ￡5 a year or ￡40 in hand. Unto Joane, the wife of Edward Kent, another daughter of the said Thomas Hathaway, ￡50, failing whom to her heir, Edward Kent the younger, at his coming of age. To this same Edward Kent she left ￡30 for his apprenticeship. To Rose, Elizabeth, and Susanna, three other "daughters of my kinsman, Thomas Hathaway, ￡40 a piece." Henry Smith was to have ￡5 for his pains, and Edward Bagley to be residuary legatee. "To my kinsm

her other legatees, but it is very noticeable her preference

t or its site remained, accrued to Edward Bagley, "citizen of London," her executor and residuary legatee, who pr

ter Barbara, wife of Sir John Clopton, various bequests, among which appear "A yarde land in Stratford field I bought of Mr. Hall, of the value of ￡12 10s. by year ... fyftly Land I bought of Sir John Clopton in the mannor of Clopton, of the yearely value of ￡10. Sixtly 4 yard land lying in Stratford and Bishopton field

ce came back to the heirs of the Cloptons, from whom it was purchased. I had hoped we might find something from the w

, I have heard of many of the name who boast a lineal descent from the poet; and of one even who boasts of having inherited not only the Shakespeare's dinner-service, but his teapot! Yet that the presence of the name is a certain bar to the descent, as above shown, no such claiman

aged 87, Mrs. Hammond, mother of Mr. Wm. Hammond, of No. 8, Scots Yard, Cannon Street, London, Indigo Merchant. The deceased was one of the few remaining descenda

of the Barnards, had some Shakespeare letters, an

oucester, kept by an old gentleman named Smith. Outside the passage to the inn was a signboard, "

TNO

"Display of He

id., pp.

he Beverston Registers (Notes and

akespeareana Gene

gs to his uncle Nash and his aunt, his cousin Sadler and his wife, his c

ford Burial

ven very shortly after completing her sixty-sixth year, or even before she completed it, as was done in the case of Lady Joyce Luc

ers, "Genealogi

rms of the burgesses

utlines,

cton Re

ter Wills and Ma

7, by Henry Ferrers; Nichols's "Coll. Top. et Gen.," vii

rs, Dom. Ser., E

ery in the time of Elizabeth was brought by Giles Fletcher, LL.D., Joan his wife, and Phineas his eldest son, against John Hall (not the physician) concerning the site of the manor of Henwick and the land of Hallow. In the

ve been son of the John Hall who married Elizabeth Carew, n

ratford

ments and Corporation Re

Queries, Fifth S

awaiting the glorious joys of the Kingdom of God. Worthy was he to have surpassed Nestor in well-earned years, in every land, but impartial Time h

ugh Clopton

-Phillipps, "Ou

ter Term,

ouse, 96, Alchin

re Antiquities,"

gton Paris

ouse, 96, Alchin

-Phillipps, "Ou

rset House

October, 1686;

ing Herald

she had no children, as proved both by the registers

mith really descen