Edward Shakespeare "born abt 1580" (on BCC)
Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:00 am
I am writing this in the hope of correcting a misconception of this Edward Shakespeares birthdate. Like many others I spent decades looking for an Edward Shakespeare born around 1580 - this came from estimating his birth from the first recorded baptism of one of his children (1603/4 in Rowley Regis): he obviously came from elsewere, and Warwickshire seemed the likeliest place. There are some other facts to consider:
1. There is a baptism of a daughter of a John Shakespeare in Rowley Regis in 1609
2. A James Shakespeare married in 1629 in Halesowen, and had daughters baptised there in 1630 and 1637
3. There is a marriage of a Thomas Shakespeare and Ann Gibbons recorded at Sedgley in 1581
4. The burial records of Edward and his wife Ann (both at Dudley) have the additional information in the register (very unusual) buried: 'Old Edward Shakespeare' (1634) and 'Old Ann Shakespeare' (1636) - this would be be very strange information to add for individuals who would both be in their early fifties!
The breakthrough came with finding a will (written 1574, proved 1575) of a John Shakespeare, Labourer (again an unusual occupation for someone leaving a will at this time, although most of the Shakespeares - and there weren't many - left wills due to their landowning status). This mentions a son Edward Shakespeare who subsequently disappears from his birthplace in Wroxall, Warwickshire. Six years after the will is the marriage for 'Thomas' Shakespeare in Sedgley - I believe this is Edwards marriage (we know from later parish register entries that his wife WAS named Ann, and this age making them some 20 years older fits more with the descriptions at their burial. I think that Thomas was miswritten for Edward in the 1581 marriage entry (from many years experience I have found this is not unusual - proving it is another matter!, but it must be remembered that parish register entries were often written some time after the event (maybe on a yearly basis) from earlier notes: it is also important to remember that registers from prior to 1603 are NOT original: they were copied from earlier paper registers onto parchment following a law introduced at this time - this gives us a second opportunity for miscopying/ mistranscription. Bearing this in mind I think that the John (at Rowley Regis_ and James (at Halesowen) are both sons of Edward and Ann, born BEFORE the existing entries in the Rowley Regis parish registers, possibly at Kingswinford (where the surviving registers begin in 1603) or elsewhere - all of these places mentioned bordered each other, and you can walk between them, even today, in a very short time - surviving records indicate that the immediately following generations of the family were settled on the Dudley/ Kingswinford border around the Woodside/ Pensnett border.
How does all of this fit with the Edward Shakespeare in the 1575 will? Well....this Edwards father was named John, also mentioned in the will was John's brother in law James (Wadham) - see any similarity with the names? At this point in time the number of male Shakespeares alive (ANYWHERE) was in the mid 20s (the name is VERY VERY rare!!) - there was not another Edward Shakespeare in existence for another 50 years or so, so if anyone doubts that this is our man I can give you all of the names and dates. Additionally, the John Shakespeare of the will makes an unusual provision, in that he 'hopes that his landlord will allow his wife and son to continue their tenancy' (or words to that effect) - perhaps the fact that he didn't accounts for Edward making his way to the Dudley area (it's only about 35 miles away).
If you believe all of this could someone please add the necessary correction to the bcc tree (Edwards birthdate would be circa 1560, and he married Ann Gibbons at Sedgley in 1581 - his parents were John Shakespeare and Isabell Wadham, both of Wroxall, Warwickshire: the 1580/81 birthdate which appears all over the internet is both irritating and wrong (sorry to use such strong language, but it annoys me!!)
Steve
1. There is a baptism of a daughter of a John Shakespeare in Rowley Regis in 1609
2. A James Shakespeare married in 1629 in Halesowen, and had daughters baptised there in 1630 and 1637
3. There is a marriage of a Thomas Shakespeare and Ann Gibbons recorded at Sedgley in 1581
4. The burial records of Edward and his wife Ann (both at Dudley) have the additional information in the register (very unusual) buried: 'Old Edward Shakespeare' (1634) and 'Old Ann Shakespeare' (1636) - this would be be very strange information to add for individuals who would both be in their early fifties!
The breakthrough came with finding a will (written 1574, proved 1575) of a John Shakespeare, Labourer (again an unusual occupation for someone leaving a will at this time, although most of the Shakespeares - and there weren't many - left wills due to their landowning status). This mentions a son Edward Shakespeare who subsequently disappears from his birthplace in Wroxall, Warwickshire. Six years after the will is the marriage for 'Thomas' Shakespeare in Sedgley - I believe this is Edwards marriage (we know from later parish register entries that his wife WAS named Ann, and this age making them some 20 years older fits more with the descriptions at their burial. I think that Thomas was miswritten for Edward in the 1581 marriage entry (from many years experience I have found this is not unusual - proving it is another matter!, but it must be remembered that parish register entries were often written some time after the event (maybe on a yearly basis) from earlier notes: it is also important to remember that registers from prior to 1603 are NOT original: they were copied from earlier paper registers onto parchment following a law introduced at this time - this gives us a second opportunity for miscopying/ mistranscription. Bearing this in mind I think that the John (at Rowley Regis_ and James (at Halesowen) are both sons of Edward and Ann, born BEFORE the existing entries in the Rowley Regis parish registers, possibly at Kingswinford (where the surviving registers begin in 1603) or elsewhere - all of these places mentioned bordered each other, and you can walk between them, even today, in a very short time - surviving records indicate that the immediately following generations of the family were settled on the Dudley/ Kingswinford border around the Woodside/ Pensnett border.
How does all of this fit with the Edward Shakespeare in the 1575 will? Well....this Edwards father was named John, also mentioned in the will was John's brother in law James (Wadham) - see any similarity with the names? At this point in time the number of male Shakespeares alive (ANYWHERE) was in the mid 20s (the name is VERY VERY rare!!) - there was not another Edward Shakespeare in existence for another 50 years or so, so if anyone doubts that this is our man I can give you all of the names and dates. Additionally, the John Shakespeare of the will makes an unusual provision, in that he 'hopes that his landlord will allow his wife and son to continue their tenancy' (or words to that effect) - perhaps the fact that he didn't accounts for Edward making his way to the Dudley area (it's only about 35 miles away).
If you believe all of this could someone please add the necessary correction to the bcc tree (Edwards birthdate would be circa 1560, and he married Ann Gibbons at Sedgley in 1581 - his parents were John Shakespeare and Isabell Wadham, both of Wroxall, Warwickshire: the 1580/81 birthdate which appears all over the internet is both irritating and wrong (sorry to use such strong language, but it annoys me!!)
Steve
