The Descendants of

Benjamin Shakespeare & Ann Geary

of Brierley Hill, Staffordshire

Benjamin Shakespeare and Ann Geary married 28 July 1823 at St. Thomas's Church, Dudley, Worcestershire. Just under three months later their first child, Isaiah, was baptised in nearby Brierley Hill. Their second child, Benjamin, born in 1825, was, together with his brother, John - ten years his junior - tried at Stafford on 7th March 1864 for the crime of 'wounding with intent'. Both brothers were sentenced to transportation and arrived in Australia on separate ships. Of the five known Shakespeare convicts transported to Australia Benjamin seems to be the only one to have left descendants, for he left a family behind in England when he was forcibly removed to Australia. On Christmas Day 1850 he had married Mary Humphries at All Saints Church in Birmingham. A year later he is to be found living with his wife's family - note that although Benjamin and Mary were married the census enumerator recorded Mary under her maiden name:

This census entry also has a number of other inaccuracies: Netherton, which is given as Benjamin's birthplace was actually in Worcestershire, although it shares a border with the Staffordshire town of Brierley Hill, which is where Benjamin's baptism is recorded. Benjamin's age also seems to be wrong, for the only Benjamin, son of Benjamin born in the area was born in 1825, and baptised 21 August the same year at Brierley Hill, son of Benjamin Shakespeare and Ann (nee Geary).

Patty Harriman, nee Shakespeare, has provided the following certificates and parish register entries:

Some of Benjamin's descendants later emigrated to Australia, although it is not clear whether they knew him. Later descendants are also to be found in the State of Maine, USA.

From information supplied by Patty Harriman (nee Shakespeare) and Malcolm Ward, supplemented by further details from the parish registers, IGI and census records.