Agnes (Arden) Stringer (abt. 1521 - bef. 1569)

Born about 1521 in Wilmcote, Aston Cantlow, Warwickshire, England

Ancestors

Wife of John Hewins — married about 1544 in Aston Cantlow, Warwickshire, England [uncertain]

Wife of Thomas Stringer — married before 17 Jul 1550 in Bearley, Warwickshire, England

Died before 1569 before about age 48 in Bearley, Warwickshire, England [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Vivienne Caldwell [send private message]

Biography

Parentage; Date and Place of Birth

Agnes Arden was a daughter of Robert Arden.^[1][2][3][4] The fact that he had a daughter named Agnes is established by, among other things, a July 17, 1550 grant by Robert Arden to his daughters of remainder interests (after his and his wife's deaths) in his Snitterfield estates, which included a grant (in Latin) to "Agnetis Strynger, nunc uxoris Thome Strynger, ac nuper uxoris Johannis Hewyns, dudum de Bereley, modo defuncti, filie mei predicti Roberti Ardern,"^[5] which translates to "Agnes Strynger, now wife of Thomas Strynger, and formerly wife of John Hewyns, long of Bereley, now deceased, the daughter of me the aforesaid Robert Ardern." As discussed in Robert Arden's profile, the identity of Robert's first wife, and the mother of Agnes and all of Robert's other children, is unknown.

Agnes was probably born about 1521. The dates of birth of Agnes and her sisters Joan and Katherine are estimated as 1521, 1523 and 1525, respectively, based on (1) their younger sister Margaret's estimated date of birth of 1627^[6] and (2) their presumed birth order based on the order in which they are mentioned in the 1550 deed granting them property in trust.^[1][7][8][9]

Since Robert Arden appears to have lived in Wilmcote, Aston Cantlow, Warwickshire his entire life,^[10] Agnes was almost certainly there.

First Marriage and Children

Agnes married, first, John Hewyns of Bearley, Warwickshire.^[3][2][4] Based on her estimated date of birth and fact that she had 2 children prior to her second marriage in 1550, they were probably married sometime in 1540-1546. Since it was most common for women to be married in their home parish, they were probably married in Aston Cantlow.

Agnes and John Hewyns had the following children, both presumably born in Bearley:

1. Thomas^[4]
2. Margaret^[4]

Agnes's first husband, John Hewyns, died sometime before October 1550.

Second Marriage and Children

Agnes married, second, Thomas Stringer. Since Agnes was referred to as his wife in the July 17, 1550 deed, they were married sometime before that date.^[3][2][4] There is an entry in the Bearley parish register that records their marriage on October 15, 1550,^[11] which is inconsistent with the date of the deed. Eccles suspected that the October 15, 1550 date was a transcription error that arose when the original register was copied over.^[3]

Agnes and Thomas Stringer had the following children, all born in Bearley:

1. Alice, July 10, 1552,^[12][3][13] bur. June 10, 1552^[3][13] (The inconsistency between Alice's baptismal date and her burial date was noted by Eccles and blamed on a transcription error.^[3] It is possible, however, that Agnes and Thomas had one daughter named Alice who was born in 1551 and died in June 1552 and had another daughter named Alice born in late June or early July 1552.)
2. John, bpt. May 20, 1554^[14][3][13]
3. Areden/Arden, bpt. February 24, 1555/6^[3][15][13]

Death

Agnes died before 1569,^[3][4] when her husband signed alone in selling their interests in Robert Arden's Snitterfield estates to Alexander Webbe and his wife Margaret (Agnes's sister).^[16] Agnes's place of death is uncertain. Records show Thomas Stringer holding a house in Bearley at least as late as 1563, but in the 1569 sale document, he is described as "of Stocton, Shropshire."^[16][17] It is therefore likely that Agnes died in either Bearley, Warwickshire or Stockton, Shropshire.

^{[16] [11] [15] [14] [12] [9] [8] [17] [7] [6] [10] [13] [4] [3] [2] [5] [1]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Halliwell-Phillipps, J.O. Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare. Seventh Edition. Volume the Second. Longmans, Green and Co., 1887. p. 173. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} 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. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10} Eccles, Mark. Shakespeare in Warwickshire. The University of Wisconsin Press, 1963. pp. 18-19.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 1692 of 3128.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Halliwell-Phillipps, J.O. Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare. Seventh Edition. Volume the Second. Longmans, Green and Co., 1887. pp. 173-175. Link to pages at hathitrust.org.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} See the profile for Agnes's sister Margaret.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} 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.37. Link to page at archive.org.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Chambers, E.K. William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems. Vol. II. 1930. p. 39. Link to page at archive.org.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 200 of 3128.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} See the profile for Agnes's father, Robert Arden.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVYM-MNT : 10 February 2018), Thomas Stringer and Agnes Hweus, 15 Oct 1550; citing Bearley,Warwick,England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 246,640, 554,763, 555,360, 557,304.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NG1Q-T2T : 11 February 2018, Alice Stringer, 10 Jul 1552); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 246,640, 555,360.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4} Pogue, Kate Emery. Shakespeare's Family. Praeger, 2008. Kindle edition location 1698 of 3128.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NY5H-1JX : 11 February 2018, John Stringer, 20 May 1553); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 246,640, 555,360.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Warwickshire County Record Office, Archive reference: DR0135/1, Baptisms, marriages & burials, 1551-1647, Warwickshire Baptism. Link to transcript and image at findmypast.com.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2} Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Finding No: BRU15/2/15. Link to record at collections.shakespeare.org.uk.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} 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. pp. 40-41. Link to page at archive.org.