John Shakespeare

John Shakespeare
Arms granted in 1596
Bornc. 1531
Snitterfield, Warwickshire, England
Died7 September 1601(1601-09-07) (aged 69–70)
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
SpouseMary Arden
Children8, including William, Gilbert, Joan and Edmund
FatherRichard Shakespeare
FamilyShakespeare family
Shakespeare's restored house on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, now open to the public as Shakespeare's Birthplace

John Shakespeare (c. 1531 – 7 September 1601) was an English businessman and politician who was the father of William Shakespeare. Active in Stratford-upon-Avon, he was a glover and whittawer (leather worker) by trade. Shakespeare was elected to several municipal offices, serving as an alderman and culminating in a term as bailiff, the chief magistrate of the town council, and mayor of Stratford in 1568, before he fell on hard times for reasons unknown.[1] His fortunes later revived and he was granted a coat of arms five years before his death, probably at the instigation and expense of his son, the actor and playwright.[2][3]

He married Mary Arden, with whom he had eight children, five of whom survived into adulthood.[4]

  1. ^ Campbell & Quinn 1966, pp. 751–3; Schoenbaum 1987, pp. 39, 42.
  2. ^ Schoenbaum 1987, p. 227.
  3. ^ "The Parents of William Shakespeare". www.william-shakespeare.info. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  4. ^ Campbell & Quinn 1966, pp. 752.