John Shakespeare (1531-1601):
William Shakespeare’s father John Shakespeare was the illiterate son of a farmer. Moved to Stratford from Avon in 1551 and had business like a store, trading animals, wool, malt, and corn, his father manufactured and he sold. He married Mary Arden in 1557. That same year he achieved a step up in status as the ale-taster*. They had eight children between 1558 and 1580. The two oldest daughters died as infants and so William was like the oldest child. In 1568 John was elected Mayor of Stratford.
William Shakespeare’s father John Shakespeare was the illiterate son of a farmer. Moved to Stratford from Avon in 1551 and had business like a store, trading animals, wool, malt, and corn, his father manufactured and he sold. He married Mary Arden in 1557. That same year he achieved a step up in status as the ale-taster*. They had eight children between 1558 and 1580. The two oldest daughters died as infants and so William was like the oldest child. In 1568 John was elected Mayor of Stratford.
The family had trouble from 1570 – 1592. One reason was because John made some business mistakes that, he got behind on his taxes, he was released from the career of mayor and the lost all their property except for their house on Henley street in Stratford. Another reason was religion. John and his family were Catholic. Queen Elizabeth was Protestant, and Catholics were not well thought of after Mary Queen of Scots stint on the thrown, so that for those who said loyal to their religion found times difficult, this was the Shakespeare’s problem. However, all this changed with William’s rise to fame. When in the mid 1590’s he played for the protestant queen the family became accepted in society. Eventually he was reinstated to the town council and two years before his death in 1601.
Q: What is an ale taster?
A: Because ale was consumed so frequently by people in this time they had ale tasters. Four people were elected to this position in a city. Their job was to make sure that enough ale and bread was made in the town and to regulate the price of ale.
Apparently this old profession is now a competition in London.
Mary Arden Shakespeare (1540 -1608):
John and Mary married one year after the death of her father. She brought to the marriage what her father left her, the family estate, called Asbies. After the marriage she moved to John’s house on Henley Street. Mary was also illiterate. She had a difficult life, struggling with her husband in through his difficult years, losing three children to the plague, losing some of her family to the Catholic cause after Queen Elizabeth retook control of the thrown.
John and Mary married one year after the death of her father. She brought to the marriage what her father left her, the family estate, called Asbies. After the marriage she moved to John’s house on Henley Street. Mary was also illiterate. She had a difficult life, struggling with her husband in through his difficult years, losing three children to the plague, losing some of her family to the Catholic cause after Queen Elizabeth retook control of the thrown.
She gave birth to eight children, four sons and four daughters. Their first daughter lived for two months dying of the Bubonic Plague in November of 1558. Her next daughter was Margaret; her cause of death in 1562 is also unknown but was probably also the plague. In 1564 William was born. Next was Gilbert on October 10 1566. Joan was born in 1569 to be followed in 1571 by Anne. Unlike Anne who died on the plague at age seven Joan was the longest living child of the Shakespeare’s, surviving to age 77. Richard was born in 1574 and finally Edmund in 1580. Shakespeare’s only sibling to outlive him was Joan.
Education:
John’s political positions allowed his sons to attend school for free. Due to a lack of records on his education it is assumed that he went to a grammar school from the ages 7-14. Before this, however, boys usually went to what were called petty schools where they were taught how to behave and Catechism.
John’s political positions allowed his sons to attend school for free. Due to a lack of records on his education it is assumed that he went to a grammar school from the ages 7-14. Before this, however, boys usually went to what were called petty schools where they were taught how to behave and Catechism.
Q: What is Catechism?
A: Catechism is a set of books filled with questions that the children learn while also memorizing the answers. This petty school education would have taught him to respect his parents, prayer morning and nightly, as well as things like manners.
Grammar schools taught children to translate Latin to English vice versa, they also learned Greek but there was less emphasis on this than Latin. They studied the classical authors like, Ovid, Plautus, Horace, Virgil, Cicero, and Seneca. School ran 40-44 weeks out of the years usually from six in the morning to five in the afternoon. The main way of teaching was repetition and the giving of exams. In order to better learn Latin full immersion was expected of the students in the class room. The movie version of being struck with a cane as punishment for wrong doings is true; however, the duration was longer. Performing drama was a great part of the curriculum and there was usually a performance at the end of each term.
Generally speaking boys went on to study at a university when they finished grammar school at fourteen but because of his father’s financial troubles William was unable to join his peers at the university.
Unknown years:
Between 1578 and 1582 there is no record of what Shakespeare was up to. Considering the fact that his father was having financial trouble historians assume he working with the family business. This is later. At the same time the fact that he was educated in astronomy, law, seamanship, military structure and Italy there is speculation that he somehow obtained this knowledge during this time.
Between 1578 and 1582 there is no record of what Shakespeare was up to. Considering the fact that his father was having financial trouble historians assume he working with the family business. This is later. At the same time the fact that he was educated in astronomy, law, seamanship, military structure and Italy there is speculation that he somehow obtained this knowledge during this time.
Marriage:
In 1582 documentation on the bard is found again in the form of a marriage certificate. He and Anne Hathaway had a sword point wedding as I have heard it called and six months later their daughter Susanna was on May 26th 1583. During this time the couple was living with William’s family on Henley Street. Two years later the couple had twins Hamnet and Judith. However apart from these events 1582-1592 are also considers the unknown years. By 1592 the bard was in England though his family was still in Stratford.
In 1582 documentation on the bard is found again in the form of a marriage certificate. He and Anne Hathaway had a sword point wedding as I have heard it called and six months later their daughter Susanna was on May 26th 1583. During this time the couple was living with William’s family on Henley Street. Two years later the couple had twins Hamnet and Judith. However apart from these events 1582-1592 are also considers the unknown years. By 1592 the bard was in England though his family was still in Stratford.
Anne Hathaway (1556 -1623):
Anne was the daughter of a farmer in a neighboring town. She was probably illiterate. Despite being one of eight children, the daughter or a farmer and 26 when they married (the Mormon and Elizabethan equivalent of an old maid) she brought a dowry of money and property to the marriage. It is not surprising to me that an 18 year old boy not in school just working for the family wondered to the neighboring town and found something to do (no pun intended).
Anne was the daughter of a farmer in a neighboring town. She was probably illiterate. Despite being one of eight children, the daughter or a farmer and 26 when they married (the Mormon and Elizabethan equivalent of an old maid) she brought a dowry of money and property to the marriage. It is not surprising to me that an 18 year old boy not in school just working for the family wondered to the neighboring town and found something to do (no pun intended).
Supposedly this is a sketch of Anne I am not positive about this.
Susanna Shakespeare Hall (1583-1649):
Susana was illiterate; she did not receive the customary education for boys or girls in this time. She was marked as a recusant (those who refused to attend church meetings) when she did not go to church one Easter, so it appears that she had the same spunk that her father and grandfather had. She married Dr. John Hall on the 5th of June 1607. Eight months later she gave birth to Elizabeth. They were executors of Williams will and inherited New Place when he died. Elizabeth had no children.
Susana was illiterate; she did not receive the customary education for boys or girls in this time. She was marked as a recusant (those who refused to attend church meetings) when she did not go to church one Easter, so it appears that she had the same spunk that her father and grandfather had. She married Dr. John Hall on the 5th of June 1607. Eight months later she gave birth to Elizabeth. They were executors of Williams will and inherited New Place when he died. Elizabeth had no children.
This is believed to be Elizabeth.
Hamnet Shakespeare (1585 -1596):
There is not much known about Hamnet other than that fact that he died of the Bubonic Plague at age eleven and was buried August 11th 1596.
There is not much known about Hamnet other than that fact that he died of the Bubonic Plague at age eleven and was buried August 11th 1596.
Judith Shakespeare Quincy (1585-1662):
There is not much known of her until she married Thomas Quincy on February 10th 1616. Judith was 31. It should have been a respectable marriage Thomas was a tavern owner, but their marriage was riddle with scandals. First prior to the marriage William found out that Thomas had gotten another woman pregnant but the wedding was not stopped. Next a special license is required to marry during lent and Thomas did not get one which lead to the couples excommunication a month after the wedding. A few weeks later he was prosecuted for ‘carnal copulation’ after the other woman died in child birth along with the baby. William changed his will about a month before his death leave Judith a sum of money, nothing to Thomas and the rest to Susanna. Judith and Thomas had three children all born after the death of their grandfather. They had Shakespeare, Richard and Thomas. All died before the age of 22 so there are no further descendents of William and Anna Shakespeare.
There is not much known of her until she married Thomas Quincy on February 10th 1616. Judith was 31. It should have been a respectable marriage Thomas was a tavern owner, but their marriage was riddle with scandals. First prior to the marriage William found out that Thomas had gotten another woman pregnant but the wedding was not stopped. Next a special license is required to marry during lent and Thomas did not get one which lead to the couples excommunication a month after the wedding. A few weeks later he was prosecuted for ‘carnal copulation’ after the other woman died in child birth along with the baby. William changed his will about a month before his death leave Judith a sum of money, nothing to Thomas and the rest to Susanna. Judith and Thomas had three children all born after the death of their grandfather. They had Shakespeare, Richard and Thomas. All died before the age of 22 so there are no further descendents of William and Anna Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s Successes:
I was wondering where his money came from and these are the explanations I found. His poems were very popular in Stratford. He was a member of the Chamberlain’s men, the most significant acting troupe in England. He received 10% of the profits from the Globe Theater, a big theater with many performances. He purchased New Place in 1597; it was the second largest house in Stratford. He was the leading growing of corn and malt in Stratford.
I was wondering where his money came from and these are the explanations I found. His poems were very popular in Stratford. He was a member of the Chamberlain’s men, the most significant acting troupe in England. He received 10% of the profits from the Globe Theater, a big theater with many performances. He purchased New Place in 1597; it was the second largest house in Stratford. He was the leading growing of corn and malt in Stratford.
To the best of my knowledge this is New Place.
Dates his plays were first printed:
Henry VI Part I – 1594
Henry VI Part II – 1594
Titus Andronicus – 1594
Romeo and Juliet – 1597
Richard II – 1597
Richard III - 1597
Love’s Labour’s Lost – 1598
Henry IV Part I – 1598
Henry IV Part II – 1600
Much ado about Nothing – 1600
Henry V – 1600
The Merry Wives of Windsor - 1602
Hamlet – 1603
King Lear – 1608
Pericles - 1609
Trolius and Cressida – 1609
Othello – 1622
The Tempest – 1623
The Winter’s Tale – 1623
Henry VIII - 1623
Macbeth – 1623
Antony and Cleopatra – 1623
Coriolanus – 1623
Timon of Athens - 1623
Meassure for Meassure - 1623
Twelfth Night – 1623
All’s Well That Ends Well - 1623
As You like it -1623
Julius Caesar - 1623
Henry VI Part III – 1623
Taming of the Shrew – 1623
The Comedy of Errors – 1623
Two Gentlemen of Verona – 1623
The Two Noble Kinsmen – 1634
