The Children of William Shakespeare

THE CHILDREN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE & ANNE HATHAWAY

Just six months after their marriage Anne and William became the parents of their first daughter - Susanna Shakespeare

The baptism of Susanna Shakespeare was conducted on May 26, in Stratford Parish Church

Anne and William's twins, Hamnet and Judith, were born two years after Susanna

Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare were baptised on February 2nd 1585

Anne was 28 years old and William 21 years old

William Shakespeare moved to London and left Anne and the children living with the Shakespeare family in Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon

SUSANNA SHAKESPEARE

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

Susanna 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

HAMNET SHAKESPEARE

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

JUDITH SHAKESPEARE

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

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!

THE GRANDCHILDREN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

• Susanna Shakespeare and John Hall had just one daughter, Elizabeth

Elizabeth was baptized on February 21st 1608

Elizabeth married Thomas Nashe in 1629 but he died just six years after the marriage

Elizabeth was married again to Sir John Bernard (1604 - 1674) thus receiving the title Lady Elizabeth Bernard Elizabeth had no children

• 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