Thomas Quiney

Thomas Quiney
Born
Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Baptised26 February 1589
Died1662 or 1663 (aged 73 or 74)
Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Occupation(s)Vintner and tobacconist
Known forThe husband of William Shakespeare's daughter
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1616; died 1662)​
Children3

Thomas Quiney (baptised 26 February 1589 – c. 1662 or 1663)[1] was the husband of William Shakespeare's daughter Judith Shakespeare, and a vintner and tobacconist in Stratford-upon-Avon. Quiney held several municipal offices in the corporation of Stratford-upon-Avon, the highest being chamberlain in 1621 and 1622,[2][3] but was also fined for various minor offences.

In 1616, Quiney married Judith Shakespeare. The marriage took place during a season when a special licence was required by the church, and the couple had failed to obtain one, leading to Quiney's brief excommunication. Quiney was also summoned before the Bawdy Court less than two months after the wedding to answer charges of "carnal copulation" with a Margaret Wheeler, who died in childbirth. Scholars believe that as a result of these events William Shakespeare altered his will to favour his other daughter, Susanna Hall, and excluded Quiney from his inheritance.

Judith and Thomas had three children: Shakespeare, Richard, and Thomas. Shakespeare Quiney died at six months of age, and neither Richard nor Thomas lived past 21. The death of Judith's last child led to legal wrangling over William Shakespeare's will that lasted until 1652. Scholars speculate that Thomas Quiney may have died in 1662 or 1663 when the burial records are incomplete.[4]

  1. ^ Chambers, Edmund Kerchever (1930). William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. ii, 4, 7.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SS_edu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Eccles, Mark (1963). Shakespeare in Warwickshire. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 140. Thomas Quiney was chosen burgess and constable in 1617 and chamberlain in 1621 and 1622, heading his second account with a couplet in French from the poet Saint-Gelais.
  4. ^ Eccles, Mark (1963). Shakespeare in Warwickshire. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 141. Thomas may have died in 1662 or 1663, when there is a gap in the register.