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Richard Shakespeare
'Bailiff' of Wroxall
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This Richard is universally referred to as the 'Bailiff
of Wroxall' in various textbooks and a significant number of biographies
of the poet, William Shakespeare. The reason for this seems to be that he
was proposed as being synonymous with the Richard Shakespeare of
Snitterfield, believed by many to be the poet's grandfather, by Yeatman in
his book 'The Gentle Shakespeare.' That this idea is erroneous is easily
seen by examining the records of both places. Richard of Wroxall is
continuously recorded in the records relating to Wroxall from about 1523
until he disappears from these records in about 1559. The Richard of
Snitterfield similarly has a continuous record of existence in that place
from 1528 until his death in about 1561. This is further elaborated by
both Stopes and
Chambers in their books. Richard had at least three or four contemporary namesakes, but, conjecturally, several of these may be references to the same people, which would possibly reduce the number to two. The first of these, which has led to much speculation, is the Richard of Snitterfield, almost unquestioningly identified as the grandfather of the poet. However, there is evidence that this identification is mistaken, and that John, son of this Richard, is not actually the poet's father. It is possible that he may be the same Richard Shakespeare mentioned but once in a Subsidy Roll of Budbrooke. The second Richard, described as of Rowington, died about 1561 - his will survives. The last Richard, who may be the same as one of the other Richards, is described as a 'weaver', and another Richard, who may be the same, was possibly the father of a Robert, who was later described as a weaver in Haseley. Here there is scope for confusion, as Hatton and Haseley, both part of the manor of Wroxall, are sometimes referred to interchangeably - in fact, the parish registers for both places survive in one volume, and are mixed. At this point we may indulge in a little speculation. It is known that the 'Bailiff' disappears from the records in about 1559, presumably he died around this date. This leads to the possibility that he was the same man as the 'weaver' of Rowington, who made his will in 1560 and died about 1561. This would not be unusual, as Shakespeares in both Wroxall and Rowington are recorded as holding land in both places, and one, John Shakespeare of Rowington, actually refers to 'my brothers and sisters in Hatton', although this latter detail is crossed through in his will. Chambers informs us that the sons named in the 1561 will were a Richard and a William, and that Fripp had given the name of the wife of will writer as Alice. Here there are similarities and confusion, but nothing definite. The Bailiffs Family The only thing that can be said with any certainty is that his wife was named Alice (they are recorded in the register of the Knowle Guild) and that the Bailiff had a sister Agnes, who was the wife of Richard Wadham (or Woodham). The Bailiff and his brother-in-law had joint tenure of a property in Haseley. Records of the Woodham family are sparse, and they seem to have been few in number, but there is an interesting reference in the next generation of Shakespeares: John Shakespeare, labourer, of Wroxall, in his will dated 1574, leaves a legacy to his 'brother Wadhams children,' meaning his brother in law. He does not name this brother-in-law directly, but later in his will makes one James Wadham his overseer - quite likely to be the 'brother Wadham' referred to. This James is of the correct date to have been a son of the earlier Richard, brother-in-law of the Bailiff, which leads to the interesting speculation that this James may have married his Shakespeare cousin. There are two other Shakespeares in Wroxall contemporary with this John, the first being Robert, a weaver (again another similarity to the Haseley Richard and Robert), who also left a will. Chambers suggests that John and Robert may have been brothers, and his reason for suggesting this is that the goods of both were prised by a William Shakespeare after their deaths. This William is the third Shakespeare of this Wroxall generation, and John, the labourer, names him as his brother in his 1574 will. Another suggestion put forward by Chambers is that these three were possibly sons of 'the earlier William', by which he almost certainly means the William and Agnes, members of the Knowle Guild. However, this seems unlikely, as William and Agnes transferred a property via the manor court, in which their daughter (and presumably heir) Agnes is party to the transaction, meaning that they had no sons. The younger William, brother of John, and possibly of Robert, died in 1614 and left a will dated 1613. The burial of his wife is recorded some years earlier in the Wroxall parish registers. The death of the Robert, weaver, in 1565 seems to exclude him from being the same Robert, also a weaver, and son of Richard, weaver, mentioned above, as of Haseley. The reason for this is that the 'Haseley' Robert, although he baptised a son, Roger, at Haseley in 1559, also has a son baptised there as late as 1574. There, is however, a long gap between the children of this Robert recorded in the Haseley registers, so there remains the possibility that the later children are those of a younger Robert. It is certainly possible that the Bailiff was the father of the next generation of Shakespeares in Wroxall (ie Robert, John and William) as they are the only ones of their generation, and Richard is really the only one of his generation who had continued links with, and, seemingly, residence in, the manor of Wroxall, William, with his wife Agnes, has been discounted above, and the only other recorded contemporary of Richard who appears in the records and cannot be accounted for among the Rowington line, is a John whose wife is mentioned with their son Anthony in the manorial records. Anthony seems to have later moved to Budbrooke with his mother. Not everyone outlived their father, or even achieved their allotted 'three score years and ten' : the poet only lived for fifteen years after his father. That these three can be said to be of the next generation after Richard can be seen from the records relating to them: the earliest reference to Richard is in 1523. The only real reference to John is his will - he appears to have died at quite a young age as he makes specific provision for his son Edward who does not seem to have attained his majority by the time of the will. William, definitely John's brother, and probably also Roberts', did not die until 1614. The clue that Robert did not achieve great age is that his son Nicholas married in 1592, at an age when he was able to father a number of children, and is possibly, unless there is a generation missing, the same Nicholas who was buried at Wroxall in 1645. Unfortunately records are sparse following the dissolution of the Abbey until the start of the surviving Wroxall parish registers, so any speculation must remain just that. What does seem certain is that just about all of the later Shakespeares in Wroxall, apart from the burials of William and his wife and a few 'unattached females' seem to be descendants of Robert 'the Weaver' who died in 1565, via his son Nicholas. There were certainly other Shakespeares known to be alive in the intervening period, of whom little is known, as they appear fleetingly in the records. Common to these records are a number of different Nicholas Shakespeares, hinting at a close relationship, but again furnishing no definite clues. Chambers, Appendix E, gives a pedigree of the Wroxall/ Rowington family, which accounts for many of the recorded individuals of the period and seems fairly conclusive given the records of continued land ownership across the generations. He does attempt to fit the Bailiff into this, but concedes that this is only speculation based on the fact that a Richard, no relationship given, is mentioned in the will of a John Shakespeare, dated 1546. What Did Richard Do? Although he is mostly known for being Bailiff of Wroxall it seems that this may have been a position he held only briefly. There is but one reference to him as holding this position in the records, in 1534. The following year a John Hall was appointed his successor. It seems that the position was not such a high status one as that, for instance, of the poet's father in Stratford, and Richard was probably what we may refer to as 'Manor Bailiff.' That this was a paid position is without doubt, for it is even recorded that he received 40 shillings a year for performing his duties, which almost certainly included tasks such as collecting rents due to the Lady of the Manor (the position held by the Prioress of the Abbey). Richard, like just about all of his kinfolk was also a farmer, again confirmed by the manorial records. A number of the Shakespeares of this time also appear to have indulged in other trades, and that of weaver appears to be a common theme. It is therefore not impossible that the farmer/ weaver of Haseley may be the same man as in the 1561 Rowington will. The Haseley/ Hatton registers record a William Shakespeare, 'gentleman,' who married a Barbara Stiffe and had a number of children there. It has been suggested that he is a son, or possibly grandson, of the ex-bailiff, and this is another similarity with the 1561 will. A Summary of Some of the Records Relating to Richard The earliest mention we have of Richard is in 1523 when he is assessed for xiid. in a tax assessment. Other records include:
Note: Here is an interesting clue: the same Nicholas Edwards who wrote the 1556 letter concerning the removal of the bells from the Priory, is also mentioned in the will of Robert Shakespeare, Weaver: 'Detts that Robert Shaxspere doth owe. Item to Nicholas Edwards xxvjs. viijd.' |
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