Sunday, March 12, 2017

Shakespeare Family of Henley in Arden

Trying to do a google search for a Shakespeare in Henley in Arden will get you a lot of information on the poet, but little else. So I am working on a project, with the help of another Shakespeare descendant of one of the Henley in Arden Shakespeare's. I am going to try and untangle some of the mess of these folks. Now, that said, I am at a large disadvantage. I don't have access to any of the court records that would help with determining more data.

So to start, here are all the available records for the Henley in Arden village Shakespeare family through 1812 (with a few marriages for those baptized before then).



Parish records of Beudesert and Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire

.Based on the records we have at least four Williams in Henley in Arden.


  1.      William who had a child who died in 1714. Possibly the William with a son Thomas born in 1733 (I can’t find the record now). He is connected somehow to Rowington families. This William may be a father of the John who died in 1713. He would be born sometime before 1693.
  2. William who was married to an Eleanor and had two children 1768-1773 (son Joseph and unreadable) William would be born no later than 1747.
  3. William who was from Claverdon, married to Elizabeth with children between 1773-1778. This William signs with an X  (William, John, and Sarah) William would be born no later than 1752. 
  4.   William who married Mary, he may be the William who married Mary Hilcox from Wootton Wawen who was from Preston Bagot. This William and Mary’s descendants are non conformists. (Joseph, Thomas, Elizabeth, George, Benjamin and Nathan). William would be born no later than 1755. This William signs his name without an e.

Additionally we have the following residents prior to 1758
John Shakespeare who marries Eleanor in nearby  Tanworth in Arden would appear to be the same as John Shakespeare in the baptisms records with wife Eleanor.[i] Based on his marriage date, he was born before 1743. No burial has been found for a John Shakespeare in Warwickshire between the years of 1783-1800.  The Eleanor who died in 1799 can be the daughter of John or Sarah, or his wife.
Sarah Shakespeare the mother of Eleanor and Thomas Shakespeare. She was born no later than 1743. If she is the Sarah who was 83 at her death (there are no other Sarah’s in the records) then she was born in 1728.
Margaret Shakespeare who married Edward Skinner. I can find no baptisms for a Margaret for this time frame nor a marriage of anyone to a Margaret. Based on parish records, they appear to move to Temple Grafton.
Note, the Shakespeares of both parishes are duplicated as residents of Henley in Arden. Due to water damage, the Wootton Wawen register is difficult to read and is missing entries

Beaudesert records
5 May 1667 Mary Shakespeare married Humphrey Lee
1 Mar 1758 Ellinor daughter of Sarah Shakespear baptized
14 Apr 1773 William Shakespeare and Elizabeth Bailenis (he’s from Claverdon, both make a mark)
23 May 1773 William son of William and Elizabeth Shakespear
18 Dec 1775 Eleanor daughter of John and Eleanor Shakespeare
17 Dec 1777 John son of William and Elizabeth Shakespeare
2 Aug 1778 Sarah dtr of William and Elizabeth Shakspear
7 Feb 1779 Elizabeth dtr of John and Eleanor Shakspear
14 December 1780 Joseph son of William and Mary Shakespear (see notes below)
25 August 1782 Thomas son of William and Mary Shakespear
8 Jan 1784 John son of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespear
6 Jan 1784 Leticia dtr of Elizabeth Shakespear
2 Jan 1785 Elizabeth dtr of William and Mary Shakespear
6 Sep 1786 George son of William and Mary Shakespear
16 Oct 1786 Thomas son of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespear
11 Oct 1787 Letitica dtr of Elizabeth Shakespear
31 Aug 1788 Benjamin son of William and Mary Shakespeare
2 Feb 1789 Mary Shakespeare (dee Wooton Wawen entry)
29 June 1793 Nathan son of William and Mary Shakespear
17 Nov 1793 William son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
5 Jul 1795 Elizabeth Shakespeare dtr of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
30 Aug 1795 James son of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
18 Sep 1796 Sarah dtr of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
1 Mar 1798 Charles don of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
9 Jan1799 Mary dtr of Elizabeth Shakespeare
5 Jan 1799 Thomas son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
28 Jan 1800 Hannah dtr of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
28 Sep 1800 Samuel son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
28 May 1801 Samuel son of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
24 Sep 1802 William son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
10 Jul 1803 Elizabeth dtr of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
17 Jun 1804 Eliza dtr of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
23 May 1806 Hannah dtr of William and Charlotte Shakespeare
15 Jan 1806 Henry son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
6 Apr 1806 Sarah dtr of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
31 Jul 1808 John son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
20 Mar 1808 William son of William and Charlotte Shakespeare
16 Oct 1809 John son of Thomas and Sarah Shakespeare
21 Jun 1809 Thomas son of John and Mary Shakespeare
6 May 1810 George son of William and Charlotte Shakespeare
24 Feb 1811 George son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
12 Jun 1811 Joseph son of Joseph and Martha Shakespeare
16 Jun 1811 Buried Sarah Shakespeare age 83
18 Nov 1811 Mary Anne dtr of John and Mary Shakespeare
2 Aug 1812 Thomas son of Thomas and Sarah Shakespeare

Wootton Wawen
19 Apr 1713 John Shakespeare apprentice buried
14 Aug 1739 Margaret Shakespeare married Edward Skinner
1 Mar 1758 Eleanor dtr of Sarah Shakespeare (duplicate)
9 Nov 1766 Thomas son of Sarah Shakespeare
28 Jan 1767 Sarah dtr of John and Eleanor Shakespeare
28 Dec 1768 Joseph son of William and Eleanor Shakespeare
1771 Unreadable  child of William and Eleanor Shakespear (Elizabeth)
May 1773 Unreadable child of William and Elizabeth Shakespeare (duplicate William)
24 Dec 1780 Joseph son of William and Mary Shakespeare (see notes below)
20 May 1783 Thomas Shakespeare and Elizabeth Morrell marriage, witnesses John Shakespeare and Mary Tidmonth
2 Jan 1785 Elizabeth dtr of William and Mary Shakespeare
14 Oct 1787 Letitica dtr of Elizabeth Shakespeare
12 Nov 1787 Elizabeth Shakespeare and William Horton marriage, witness Sarah Hughes make x mark
31 Aug 1788 Benjamin son of William and Mary Shakespeare
2 Feb 1789 Mary dtr of  Thomas Shakespeare (My line)
9 May 1794 Susannah Shakespeare burial
6 Feb 1799 Eleanor Shakespeare burial
Jan 1799 Thomas son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
28 Jan 1800 Hannah dtr of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
28 Sep 1800 Samuel son of Thomas and Jane Shakespeare
10 Jul 1803 Elizabeth dtr of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
29 Jul 1805 Thomas Shakespeare and Elizabeth Barker married
6 Apr 1806 Sarah dtr of Thomas and Elizabeth Shakespeare
18 May 1807 John Shakespeare and Martha Pettyford married
28 Jul 1807 John Shakespeare and Mary Tyler married
28 Oct 1807 Joseph Shakespeare and Martha Clarke
21 Jun 1809 Thomas son of John and Mary Shakespeare
8 Jan 1809 Mary dtr of Joseph and Martha Shakespear
2 Sep 1809 Thomas Shakespeare and Sarah Dyke married
12 Jul 1811 Joseph son of Joseph and Martha Shakespeare
15 Nov 1811 Mary Anne dtr of John and Mary Shakespeare
18 Apr 1814 George Shakespeare and Susan Lewis married
28 Oct 1817 Mary Shakespeare and John Phillips married (my line)

Special Notes  
John Shakespeare married an Eleanor Vine in 1764 in Tanworth in Arden. (no witnesses listed)
William Shakespeare of Preston Bagot married Mary Hancox of Wootton Wawen  27 Nov 1776 witnessed by a Mary Shakespeare, everyone witnesses and participants sign
Eleanor Shakespeare married Edward Watson in 1791 in Kenilworth. Signs name
A Benjamin Shakespeare was buried in Tanworth in Arden in 1687 and 1726
14 April 1712 Mary the daughter of William Shakespeare of Beaudesert was buried in Rowington parish.



[i] John Shakespeare who signs his name on the marriage record of Thomas Shakespeare as a witness is likely an Uncle of Thomas. There are no baptisms for a John or a Sarah of this time frame in Tanworth in Arden. There are records of a family who signs without the e in Corley (Keresely) Parish, who descend from a Thomas and have children John and Sarah.

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