Jhon Hill's children everi one of them one sheep; and allso to John Fullwodes children everi one of them one shepe. My wyll is, that they said sheepe soe geven them shall goe fforward in a stocke to they use of they sayd children untyll the come to the age of discrecion. Item, I geve and bequethe to John Payge and his wyfe, the longer liver off them, vj.s. viij.d., and to John Page his brother, j. strike of wheat and one strike of maulte. I geve to John Fullwod and Edwarde Hill my godchilde, everi one of them, one shipe more. Allso I geve to Robarte Haskettes iij s. iiij.d. Also, I geve to John Peter ij.s. And allso to Henrie Berrie, xij.d. Item, I give to Jhohan Lamberde, xij.d. And to Elizabethe Stiche, my olde gowne. Item, [I geve] and bequeth to John Hill my sonne, my parte and moitie of my croppe in the ffieldes, as well wheate, barley, and pease, painge for the same half the lordes rente and dueties belonginge to the same, so that my wyll is the sayd John Hill shall have the nexte croppe uppon the grounde after my desease. I geve to the said Jhon Hill my best platter of the best sorte, and my best platter of the second sorte, and j. poringer, one sawcer, and one best candlesticke. And also I geve to the said John two paire of sheetes. I give to said Jhon Hill my second potte, my best panne. Item, I geve and bequeth to Jhon Fullwod, my sonne in lawe, all the rest of my housholde stuffe. Item, I give and bequeth to John Hill my sonne, one cowe with the white rumpe. And also I geve to John Fullwod, j. browne steare of the age of two yeares olde. Item, I give and bequeth to my brother Alexander Webbes children, everi one of them xij.d. a pecce. The rest of all my goodes moveables, and unmoveables, not bequethid, my bodie brought home, my debtes and legacies paid, I geve and bequeth to John Fullwod and to John Hill, to the use and behalf of the said John Fullwodes and John Hilles children, to be delivered unto them and everie of them when the come to age of discrecion. Yf any of the said children doe die before they recover their partes so geven by me, their partes deseased shall remain to the other so levinge with the said John Fullwod and John Hill, [whom] I do ordaine and make my ffull executors of this my last wyll. Allso, I ordeyne and make my overseers, Addam Palmer, George Gibbes. These being witnesses, Thomas Edkins, Richarde Petifere, with others. The inventorie of all the goodes moveable and unmoveable of Annes Ardenne of Wylmcote deceased, praised by Thomas Boothe, Addam Palmer, George Gibbes, Thomas Elkins thelder, Thomas Edkins the younger, the xixth day of Januarye, anno regni Elizabethæ reginæ xxiij. Inprimis in the halle twoe table bordes with a coobbarde and a painted clothe, three coshens with shilves, other formes and benches viij.s. Item, three pottes of brasse, ij. calderons, ij. brasse pannes, ij. peeces of pewter, with iij. candelstickes, with two saltes, xvj.s. Item, ij. broches, j. payre of cobbardes, j. fireshovell, with pott-hokes and linkes for the same, xvj.d. Item, in the chambers her apparrell, 1.s. Item, the beddinge and bedstides with apreeware in the said chambers, iij.li. iij.s. iij.d. Item, three coffers with a peece of woollen clothe, xv.s. Item, the cowperie ware, with a maulte mylle, one knedinge troughe with syves, and a stryke Item, flowre oxenne, ffowre kyne, ij. yearlinge calves Item, xxxviijth sheepe Item, three horses and one mare Item, five score pigges X.8. xij.li. xiij.s. iij.d. iij.s. iiij.li. xiij.s. iiij.d. Item, wayne and wayne geares, plowe and plowgeres, carte and cart geares Item, the wheate in the barne her parte, iiij.li. Item, her part of barly in the barne, iij li. Item, her parte of hey in the barnes, xiiij.s. Item, the wheate one grounde in the fieldes her parte, v.li. Item, her parte of peason, iii.li. vj.s. viij.d. Summa totalis, xlv.li. XXX.S. It has been proved by Mr. Hunter, and appears indeed from this will, that Agnes Arden was first married to a person of the name of Hill. She was, therefore, the second wife of Robert Arden, married probably to him in 1550, and was only step-mother to the family of seven daughters, of whom Mary, the wife of John Shakespeare, was the youngest. Shakespeare's grandmother on either side has still to be discovered. Mary Hill married John Fullwood in 1561, at Aston Cantlow, "John ffullwood and Marey Hill weare mareyd the xv.th of November." Their children are mentioned in the will of Agnes Arden, who seems to have been estranged from the family of her second husband, for even if we suppose she did not approve of the matrimonial choice of Mary Shakespeare, there seems to be no reason why remembrances of some kind should not have been given to the other branches of the family. Be this as it may, Mary Arden shared the affection and confidence of her father with her sister Alice, being *This family long held property in Wilmecote. Averie Fulwood, in his will dated Feb. 21st, 1630-1, says, " Item, I doe give and bequeathe unto my sonne Averie Fullwood that parte of how schold stuffe which was putt into his possession att the tyme thatt I did sett and lett my livinge in Wilmecoate in the countie of Warr." joined with her as executrix to his will, November 24th, 1556. To Mary he leaves his estate called Ashbies in ' Wilmecote, a farm of considerable value. Robert Arden, as appears from this will, was a substantial yeoman, a class whose proverbial vigour and honour would do no discredit to a poet's descent. Richard Shakespeare was also a considerable holder of land, and thus we find the poet of nature rising where we would wish to find him rise, from the inhabitants of the valley and woodland, carrying in his blood the impress of the healthiest and most virtuous class possessed in those days by England. The reader will peruse with interest the will of Robert Arden,' Shakespeare's maternal grandfather: In the name of God, Amen, the xxiiij.th daye of November in the yeare of our Lorde God 1556, in the thirde and the forthe yeare of the raygne of our soveragne Lorde and ladye, Phylipe and Marye, kyng and quene, &c. I Robart Arden of Wyllmcote in the paryche of Aston Caunntlow, secke in bodye and good and perfett of rememberenc, make this my laste will and testement in maner and forme folowyng. Fyryste, I bequethe my solle to Allmyghtye God and to our bleside Laydye Sent Marye, and to all the holye compenye of heven, and my bodye to be beryde in the churchyarde of Seynt Jhon the baptyste in Aston aforsayde. Allso I give and bequethe to my youngste dowghter Marye all my lande in Willmecote, cawlide Asbyes, and the crop apon the grounde sowne and tyllide as hitt is. And vj.li. xiij.s. iiij.d. of monye to be payde orr ere my goodes be devydide. Allso I gyve and bequethe to my dawghter Ales the thyrde parte of all mye goodes moveable and unmoveable n ffylde and towne, after my dettes and leggeses be performyde, besydes that goode she hathe of her owne att this tyme. Allso I gyve and bequethe to Agnes my wyfe vj.li. xiij.s. iiij.d. apon this condysione, that [she] shall sofer my dowghter Ales quyetlye to ynyoye halfe my copye houlde in Wyllmcote dwryng the tyme of her wyddowewhodde: and if she will nott soffer my dowghter Ales quyetlye to ocuppye halfe with her, then I will that my wyfe shall have butt iij.li. vj.s. viij.d. and her gintur in Snyterfylde. Item, I will that the resedowe of all my goodes moveable & unmoveable, my ffuneralles & my dettes dyschargyde, I gyve & bequethe to my other cheldren to be equaleye devidide amongeste them by the descreshyon of Adam Palmer, Hugh Porter of Snytterfyld, and Jhon Skerlett, whome I do orden & * It has been previously printed, but most inaccurately, in Malone's Shakespeare. The original is preserved at Worcester. make my overseeres of this my last will & testament, & they to have for ther peynes takyng in this behalfe xx.s. apese. Allso I orden and constytute & make my ffull excequtores Ales & Marye my dowghteres of this my last will & testament, and they to have no more for ther peynes takyng now as afore geven them. Allso I gyve & bequethe to every house that hathe no teme in the paryche of Aston to every howse iiij.d. Thes beyng wyttnesses, Sir Wylliam Bouton, Curett. Adam Palmer. Jhon Skerlett. Thomas Jhenkes. William Pytt. with other mo. Probat. fuit &c. Wigorn. &c. xvj. die mensis Decembris anno Domini, 1556. The Inventory of all the goodes moveable and unmoveable of Robart Ardennes of Wyllmcote late desseside, made the ixth day of December in the thyrde & the forthe yeare of the raygne of our soveraygne lorde and ladye Phylipe and Marye, kyng and quen, &c. 1556. Imprimis, in the halle ij. table bordes, iij. choyeres, ij. fformes, one cobbowrde, ij. coshcnes, iij. benches & one lytle table with shellves, presede att, viij.s. It. ij. peyntide clothes in the hall and v. peyntid clothes in the chamber, vij. peire of shettes, ii. cofferes, one which, preside at xviiij.s. It. v. borde clothes, ij. toweles & one dyeper towelle, presid att vj.s. viij.d. It. one ffether bedde, ij. mattereses, viij. canvases, one coverlett, iij. bosteres, one pelowe, iiij. peyntide clothes, one whyche, presid att xxvj.s. viij.d. It. in the kechen iiij. panes, iiij. pottes, iij. candell stykes, one bason, one chafyng dyche, ij. cathernes, ij. skellettes, one frying pane, a gredyerene, and pott hanginges with hookes, presed att lj.s. viij.d. It. one broche, a peare of cobbardes, one axe, a bill, iiij. nagares, ij. hatchettes, an ades, a mattoke, a yren crowe, one ffatt, iiij. barrelles, iiij. payles, a quyrne, a knedyng trogh, a lonng seve, a hansaw, presid at xx.s. ij.d. It. viij. oxen, ij. bollokes, vij. kyne, iiij. weyyng caves, xxiiij.li. It. iiij. horses, iij. coltes, presid att viij.li. It. Ito. [52] shepe presid att vij.li. It. the whate in the barnes, & the barley, presid att xviij.li. It. the heye & the pease, ottes & the strawe, presed att iij.li. vj.s. viij.d. It. ix. swync presid att xxvj.s. viij.d. It. the bees & powltrye, presed att v.s. It. carte & carte geares, & plogh & plogh geares with harrowes, presed att xl.s. It. the wodd in the yarde, & the batten in the roffe, presid att xxx.S. Summa totalis, lxxvij.li. xj.s. x.d. The Ardens, as we have already seen, were established. in the parish of Aston Cantlow as early as 1438, and thus Shakespeare's ancestors, on the maternal side, had been landed proprietors for considerably more than a century. before the marriage of his father. According to Mr. Collier, Robert Arden, Mary Shakespeare's grandfather, was nephew to Sir John Arden, who died in 1526, and who had been an esquire of the body to Henry VII. It was most probably one of the Ardens who is referred to in the papers at the College of Arms, respecting a grant of arms to John Shakespeare, "whose antecessors were for there valeant and faithefull service advaunced and rewarded by the most prudent prince King Henry the Seventh." The three drafts of the paper in which this passage occurs exhibit alterations. which show the uncertainty regarding the exact place in the pedigree in which these "antecessors" were to be placed, and the rolls of that reign do not contain the name of Shakespeare. We shall hereafter have occasion to refer more particularly to this subject, now merely quoting Harrison, who wrote about 1580, and who tells us that men not in trade, and willing to pay for the honour, "shall for monie have a cote and armes bestowed upon him by heralds, who in the charter of the same doo of custome pretend antiquitie and service, and manie guie things." It would be very desirable to obtain more positive evi- .. dence in all these discussions, but what is now before us will enable future biographers to say, without risking the accusation of presumption, that John Shakespeare, father of the ever-living poet, was the son of a substantial farmer at Snitterfield. He came to reside as a tradesman at Stratfordupon-Avon about the year 1551. No long time elapsed before he filled the successive offices of the corporation, having attained the highest elevation in 1568, when he was elected High Bailiff. It is sufficiently evident that he was during the earlier part of his career at Stratford in thriving |