Mary (Arden) Shakespeare (abt. 1538 - bef. 1608)

Born about 1538 in Wilmcote, Aston Cantlow, Warwickshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of John Shakespeare — married about 1557 in Wilmcote, Aston Cantlowe, Warwickshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 9 Sep 1608 before about age 70 in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England

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Biography

This is the profile for Mary (Arden) Shakespeare, who was the mother of the playwright William Shakespeare.

Parentage; Date and Place of Birth

Mary Arden was the youngest daughter of Robert Arden,^[1][2][3][4] a relatively wealthy "husbandman" or farmer of Wilmcote, Aston Cantlow, Warwickshire.^[5] Both her parentage and the fact that she was Robert's youngest daughter are established by Robert's 1556 will, which contains a bequest to "my youngste dowghter Marye."^[6][7] As discussed in Robert Arden's profile, the identity of Robert's first wife, and the mother of Mary and all of Robert's other children, is unknown.

Mary's date of birth is uncertain. Stopes, in her 1901 Shakespeare's Family, stated that it was probable the Mary was born about 1535, based on the argument that, since she was named as a co-executor in Robert's 1556 will,^[6][7] she was probably 21 at the time.^[2] If Mary had been born in 1535, however, she would have been an oldish 44 or 45 when her youngest child was baptized in May 1580. Eccles, in his 1961 Shakespeare in Warwickshire, focused on that fact and stated that she must have been born within a few years of 1540.^[4] If Mary had been born in 1540, however, she would only have been a very youngish 16 when named as a co-executor in her father's November 1556 will and only 16 or 17 when she was married about 1557. Pogue, without discussion, simply states that Mary was born about 1538,^[3] which seems a very reasonable mid-point estimate.

Since Robert Arden appears to have lived in Wilmcote, Aston Cantlow, Warwickshire his entire life,^[5] Mary was almost certainly born there.

Marriage

Mary Arden married John Shakespeare. The fact that Mary Arden was the Mary who was John Shakespeare's wife is established, in part, by records relating to the sale by John and Mary Shakespeare of Mary's inheritance in Robert Arden's estates in Wilmcote^[8][9] and Snitterfield.^[10][9]

The date and place of their marriage is uncertain. They were probably married sometime in 1557, based on (1) the fact that Mary is not referred to as John Shakespeare's wife in Robert Arden's November 1556 will and (2) the fact that their first-born child was baptized in September 1558.^[11][12][13] Since it was most common for women to be married in their home parish, they were probably married in Aston Cantlow.^[12][13]

Children

Mary and John Shakespeare had the following children, all born in Stratford-on-Avon:

1. Jone/Joan, bpt. September 15, 1558,^[14] no further record, presumed to have died young
2. Margaret, bpt. December 2, 1562,^[15] bur. April 30, 1563 at Stratford-on-Avon^[16]
3. William, bpt. April 26, 1564, m. November 1582 Ann Hathaway, bur. April 25, 1616 at Stratford-on-Avon. (See discussion and sources in William's profile.)
4. GIlbert, bpt. October 13, 1566,^[17] never married,^[18] bur. February 3, 1612 at Stratford-on-Avon^[19]
5. Jone/Joan, bpt. April 15, 1569,^[20] m. by 1600 William Hart,^[21][22] bur. November 4, 1646 at Stratford-on-Avon^[23]
6. Anna/Anne, bpt. September 28, 1571,^[24] bur. April 4, 1579 at Stratford-on-Avon^[25]
7. Richard, bpt. March 11, 1573/4,^[26] never married,^[27] bur. February 4, 1612/3 at Stratford-on-Avon^[28]
8. Edmund, bpt. May 3, 1580,^[29] never married,^[30] bur. December 31, 1607 at St. Giles, Cripplegate, London^[30]

Death

Mary was buried at Stratford-on-Avon on September 9, 1608.^[31][32]

^{[9] [8] [10] [22] [23] [28] [19] [31] [25] [16] [29] [26] [24] [20] [17] [15] [14] [5] [7] [12] [4] [21] [27] [18] [13] [3] [30] [32] [11] [2] [6] [1]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} French, George Russell. Shakspeareana Genealogica. McMillan and Co., 1869. p. 468. Link to page at archive.org.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Stopes, Mrs. C.C. Shakespeare's Family, Being a Record of the Ancestors and Descendants of William Shakespeare with Some Account of the Ardens. James Pott & Company, 1901. p. 36. Link to page at archive.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 651 of 3128.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Eccles, Mark. Shakespeare in Warwickshire. The University of Wisconsin Press, 1963. p. 22.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} See the profile for Mary's father, Robert Arden.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} French, George Russell. Shakspeareana Genealogica. McMillan and Co., 1869. p. 470. Link to page at archive.org.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Halliwell-Phillipps, J.O. Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare. Seventh Edition. Volume the Second. Longmans, Green and Co., 1887. p. 53. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} French, George Russell. Shakspeareana Genealogica. McMillan and Co., 1869. pp. 484-485. Link to pages at archive.org.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Chambers, E.K. William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems. Vol. II. 1930. pp. 35-41. Link to pages at archive.org.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} French, George Russell. Shakspeareana Genealogica. McMillan and Co., 1869. pp. 480-481. Link to pages at archive.org.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Stopes, Mrs. C.C. Shakespeare's Family, Being a Record of the Ancestors and Descendants of William Shakespeare with Some Account of the Ardens. James Pott & Company, 1901. p. 51. Link to page at archive.org.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} Eccles, Mark. Shakespeare in Warwickshire. The University of Wisconsin Press, 1963. p. 25.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 677 of 3128.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Baptisms, 1558-1652. 1897. p. 1. Link to page at archive.org.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Baptisms, 1558-1652. 1897. p. 6. Link to page at archive.org.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Burials, 1558-1622/3. 1905. p. 8. Link to page at archive.org.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Baptisms, 1558-1652. 1897. p. 12. Link to page at archive.org.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 869 of 3128.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Burials, 1558-1622/3. 1905. p. 81. Link to page at archive.org.
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Baptisms, 1558-1652. 1897. p. 15. Link to page at archive.org.
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 990 of 3128.
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1} Schoenbaum, S. William Shakespeare: A Compact Documentary Life. Oxford University Press. 1977. pp. 27-28. Link to pages at archive.org.
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Burials, 1558-1622/3. 1905. p. 143. Link to page at archive.org.
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Baptisms, 1558-1652. 1897. p. 18. Link to page at archive.org.
25. ↑ ^{25.0 25.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Burials, 1558-1622/3. 1905. p. 29. Link to page at archive.org.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Baptisms, 1558-1652. 1897. p. 20. Link to page at archive.org.
27. ↑ ^{27.0 27.1} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 883 of 3128.
28. ↑ ^{28.0 28.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Burials, 1558-1622/3. 1905. p. 83. Link to page at archive.org.
29. ↑ ^{29.0 29.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Baptisms, 1558-1652. 1897. p. 30. Link to page at archive.org.
30. ↑ ^{30.0 30.1 30.2} Stopes, Mrs. C.C. Shakespeare's Family, Being a Record of the Ancestors and Descendants of William Shakespeare with Some Account of the Ardens. James Pott & Company, 1901. p. 110. Link to page at archive.org.
31. ↑ ^{31.0 31.1} Savage, Richard. The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, in the County of Warwick. Burials, 1558-1622/3. 1905. p. 76. Link to page at archive.org.
32. ↑ ^{32.0 32.1} Stopes, Mrs. C.C. Shakespeare's Family, Being a Record of the Ancestors and Descendants of William Shakespeare with Some Account of the Ardens. James Pott & Company, 1901. p. 60. Link to page at archive.org.

See also:

• Wikitree Shakespeare Project