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The Children of William Shakespeare

William and Anne Shakespeare had three children. Their first child was Susanna, born a mere six months after the wedding of her parents. She was christened on May 26, 1583, and twins arrived in January, 1585. William Shakespeare moved to London and left Anne and the children living with the Shakespeare family in Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon. They were baptized on February 2 of that year and named Hamnet and Judith, after two very close friends of William: the Stratford baker, Hamnet Sadler and his wife, Judith.Shakespeare's Children

Witty beyond her sex, but thats not all,Wise to salvation was good Mistress Hall.(Susanna Halls Epitaph)Susanna was raised in Stratford-upon-Avon.She was illiterate so she would not have attended school or received an education which customary for most girls in the Elizabethan era.The first we hear of Susanna is on May 5th 1606 when Susanna was named as a recusant for not attending an Easter Day Church service.Susanna Shakespeare was 24 years old when she announced her betrothal to Dr. John Hall who also lived in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Life of Susanna Shakespeare (Hall)3Susanna and John Hall were married on June 5th 1607.It was a good marriage - William shared some business ventures with Dr. Hall.Susanna gave birth to a baby girl eight months after her wedding to Dr. John Hall.Shakespeare's granddaughter, Elizabeth, was baptized on February 21st 1608 at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.Shakespeare appointed John and Susanna executors of his will.Dr. Hall and Susanna inherited and moved into New Place after Shakespeare's death.Dr. Hall left detailed records of his medical practice which reveal that, astonishingly, he had developed a treatment for scurvy made from local grasses and plants high in ascorbic acid, over one hundred years before James Linds discovery that the disease could be treated with citrus fruit. When Susanna herself contracted scurvy, Johns treatment was a complete success.John Hall died suddenly in 1635 and was buried close to Shakespeare at Holy Trinity Church. Like her sister, Susanna, Judith was raised in Stratford-upon-Avon.Judith was also illiterate.The first we hear of Judith is when she is betrothed to Thomas Quiney, a vintner and tavern owner from Stratford-upon-Avon.William would have initially approved of the betrothal as Quiney came from a good family.Judith married Thomas Quiney on February 10th 1616. Judith was 31 years old and Thomas Quiney was 27 years of age.

The Life of Judith Shakespeare (Quiney)William Shakespeare's initial approval of the marriage would have quickly changed when he discovered the scandalous news that Thomas Quiney had made another girl pregnant, nether-the-less the marriage went ahead.But there were more problems! A special licence necessary for all weddings during Lent - Quiney did not get one!The situation was so serious that on March 12th Judith and Thomas were excommunicated!On March 26th Thomas Quiney was prosecuted for 'carnal copulation' with a woman called Margaret Wheeler. ( She had died in childbirth along with her baby by Quiney)

Thomas Quiney admitted his guilt and was sentenced to perform public penance. This penalty was , however, lessened to a small fine of five shillings and private penance.William modified his Will on March 25th 1616 to ensure that Judith would inherit a sum of money (300) in her own name. Quiney was left out of the Will and Shakespeare left the bulk of his fortune to Susanna!With the death of her husband sometime around 1652, Judith was alone. She lived to the amazing age of seventy-seven, and was buried on February 9, 1662. Sadly, there was no epitaph praising her wit and wisdom.

Hamnet Shakespeare, twin to Judith, was raised in in his grandfather's house in Stratford-upon-Avon.Little is known about the life of Hamnet.There are no records that show that Hamnet Shakespeare attended a school but it would have been customary for a boy of Hamnet's background to have received an education.Hamnet sadly died at the age of just 11 years old. There were constant outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague, during Elizabethan times and in 1596 Hamnet caught and died of the deadly disease.Hamnet Shakespeare was buried in Stratford on August 11th 1596.Hamnet Shakespeare9Susanna Shakespeare and John Hall had just one daughter, Elizabeth:Elizabeth Hall lived a noteworthy life indeed. John and Susanna made sure Elizabeth was well educated and we have evidence that her handwriting was well formed and clear like that of her father.Elizabeth was baptized on February 21st 1608.Her first husband was the wealthy barrister Thomas Nash, son of Shakespeares good friend, Anthony Nash. They were wed in 1626 and moved into New Place, where Nash died in 1645.

THE GRANDCHILDREN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

10Four years later Elizabeth married her second husband, John Barnard, who was knighted in 1661 by Charles II, thus receiving the title Lady Elizabeth Bernard. Sir and Lady Bernard took up primary residence at Abington Manor, Johns sprawling estate in Northamptonshire, with his eight children from a previous marriage. Elizabeth had no children.She died in 1670, just days short of her sixty-second birthday.Judith Shakespeare and Thomas Quiney had three children:Shakespeare Quiney was born in November 1616. Shakespeare Quiney died in infancy, aged 6 months old, in May 1617.Richard Quiney was born in October 1617. He died in January 1639 aged 21 years old (possibly of the plague).Thomas Quiney was born in January 1619. He also died in Jan 1639, the same month as his brother, he was just 19 years of age.