It is a sad fact that there are no direct living descendants of the great bard, William Shakespeare. The direct line ended with his grandchildren, but of course there is always the possibility that anyone with the surname SHAKESPEARE (with or without the first or last ‘E’) could have links higher up the tree. Unfortunately, while there are some possible trees that have been researched going back to the 13th century, there is no definitive Shakespeare genealogy before Will’s grandfather, so proving a connection with 100% conviction would be probably impossible.
However, there are other names on the Shakespeare family tree, the descendants of whom could still exist today. While some of these would have to be linked higher up the tree (therefore not having a blood link to Shakespeare), these families would still be of great interest as many of them have been well documented.
(By the way, if you’d like to learn how to trace your ancestors, have a look at my Step-by-step beginner’s course at Udemy here).
The most likely surname to have blood ties with William Shakespeare is the name HART. William’s sister Joan (and the only sibling to outlive him) married a William HART, and two of their sons survived into adulthood, one of them, William becoming an actor like his uncle, and the other, Thomas, married and had three children whose descendants live today. William never married, but is believed to have had an illegitimate son, Charles, a Restoration actor, who may also have living descendants.
Shakespeare’s other siblings either died in childhood, or never had any children.
Shakespeare’s mother, Mary ARDEN, came from an aristocratic, land-owning family who could trace their roots back to England before the Conquest, but it would be difficult to take any ARDEN name back to Mary’s immediate family as all of her siblings were sisters. Five of them married (two of them twice), and the names they married into were ETKYNS, SCARLET, STRINGER, HEWINS, LAMBERT, CORNWELL and WEBBE. I know that the LAMBERTs and WEBBEs had at least one child – but whether or not any of these lines have descendants living today I do not know.
As for tracing any families that may be connected to Shakespeare through marriage (but not through blood), the following information may be of interest:
Not much is known about the family of Shakespeare’s wife, Ann HATHAWAY, other than that her father, Richard, was a yeoman farmer. We know that the name still exists today (at least in one famous actress), but whether this line can be traced back to the Hathaways of Warwickshire is uncertain without there being much information about this family.
William’s first daughter Susanna married Dr. John HALL, a respected physician, in 1607 and their only daughter Elizabeth married Thomas NASH, and when he died she married John BERNARD and living in Abington Hall in Northamptonshire. Elizabeth did not have any children, and so the direct line ends here, but the NASH and BERNARD families were wealthy and well known families with good documentation, so finding connections with these families further up the line could be possible. I do not know whether Dr. John HALL’s ancestry is known, but he is mentioned in some academic medical texts where there may be more details about his family.
Shakespeare’s only son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11 in a small outbreak of bubonic plague.
Shakespeare’s third child, Judith, married Thomas QUINEY, a local winemerchant who was the son of a good friend of Shakespeare’s. Thomas had ten siblings, some of whom married and had children, so it is possible that there are living descendants who could potentially trace their line back to this family (in fact, one of my clients has an ancestor named QUINEY, and it would be very exciting to take this line back further).
Thomas and Judith had three children, the first of whom, named Shakespeare after his famous grandfather, died at the age of six months. The other two died at the ages of 19 and 21 without marrying or having any issue.
The surname SHAKESPEARE still exists, although it is fairly rare. In fact, I actually knew a Mr. Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon back in the 1970s! He was the owner of Ferry House and let out rooms to RSC actors, including my father, mother and me, and where I spent a very pleasant summer at the age of 13. He was very old even then, and died soon afterwards I believe, but we often wondered whether he had any family links to the great man himself.
As I have said, Shakespeare genealogy links are tenuous and difficult to prove, but if any of the above names are in your ancestry and come from Warwickshire, it could be worth trying to find out whether you have either a blood or marriage link to our greatest playwright. I would be delighted to help too – even though I would be green with envy!
Recommended Books:
Shakespeare’s Country Familes by John Taplin
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Wordsworth Special Editions)
Hi – Great post, thanks.
Have you come across the name Bridget Hart (possibly born 1634 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England)? She married Robert Duffield in 1660, and I am descended from them. Some ancestry charts say Bridget’s father was William Hart, or William Peter Hart, Jr., b. 1605, the son of Joan Shakespeare. (But no one lists their source — where did that come from?!) And from your work it seems like there’s no indication Joan’s son William had a daughter Bridget. It seems unlikely to me (but fascinating). I wish I could pin down Bridget’s birthdate and parents. Anyway, I’m wondering if you have ever come across her name or if you have any thoughts about this. Thank you!
Hi Leslie. No I haven’t heard of Bridget. You are right not to trust the Ancestry charts – there are too many people making assumptions, and I think a little bit of wishful thinking is in the mix too! You need to search and verify original sources at every step. For these dates I would suggest searching to see if there are any wills for the Hart family in the area she was born in. Try FindMyPast and The National Archives as well as Ancestry. A search of The National Archives Discovery search engine will also tell you whether there are any documents available that might be useful. Not all of these are online, but you can then hire someone to look at them for you if necessary. Use the Association of Genealogists and Research Agents (AGRA) to find genealogists in Yorkshire.
I hope this helps.
Ros
Thank you for these ideas, Ros. Since I wrote that post, I have found a little more on this, but still haven’t proven anything. I’m happy to have your specific suggestions on how to proceed and am going to do exactly the searches you suggest. Thank you! If I find anything interesting, i’ll report back.
Thanks Leslie – good luck with your searches. Yes, please do report back if you find anything!
Ros
Hello, I have been researching my mother’s family name of *Stanfield* for over 15 years not. I found records in Virginia showing Jenney Shakespeare, who married a Robert Stanfield she was born abt. 1705 in England, came to the US and married Robert Stanfield abt. 1722, there was a ships document showing her arrival here, but I have not been able to fine ANY other records of her. Have you any information with regard to a Jennie Shakespeare?
Hi Beverly
I had a quick look, but I cannot find any Jenny Shakespeare (or any variations on the name). Jenny could be a nickname of course, or often a variation of Jane, Jennifer or Janet. The only female Shakespeares I can find within 5 years of 1705 are Sarah, Elizabeth, Anne or Margaret. But that is just a quick search, and further searches could reveal more. I don’t suppose you have any information on where in England she came from? Have you tried all possible search websites – e.g. Ancestry, FindMyPast, FamilySearch etc?
Hi my Name is Dale Hart.
We did a trip to Europe 2 years ago landed up in Stratford . There was a pic cut out where we posed for a pic. My youngest commented that I looked just like him.
I went on to read that Joan had the hatter William Hart.
And so the questions started.
Could you give me latest genealogy you have for the Harts and if there is any possibility a branch landed up in South Africa. I’m trying to bridge the gap.
Hi Dale
I’m afraid I don’t have a detailed family history of the Hart family, but it certainly is very likely that there are living descendants. Of course, over several centuries, there could be hundreds of descendants spread all over the world.
If you wish to try to find a link, it is always necessary to work from your own family and work backwards, rather than the other way around. I don’t know what genealogical sources are available in South Africa, but if you can trace your family back to an immigrant from England, then in theory it may be possible to trace back and find out whether there was a link with the Harts of Stratford, or if you found any 17th or 18th Harts connected with the theatre, that could be a possibility.
Would I would suggest therefore, is that you first trace your South African family back to immigration. You might need a local genealogist for this – as I say, I have no idea how difficult or easy this would be. Once you have an English connection, then you can use Ancestry.co.uk or FindMyPast.co.uk etc – but do make sure you don’t rely on published trees on Ancestry – they are full of errors! Try and get a copy of original records, and never make assumptions. If you find it difficult, then I would be happy to help at my usual professional fees.
If you have any further questions, please email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com
Good luck!
Ros
I came across this site while searching for the Shakespeare Family tree for a school project. Looks helpful and seems more legit than the ancestor websites that rely on people linking to each other. https://sites.google.com/site/shakespearefamilytree/
Thanks Ed
We’ve found DNA links to descendants of the Webb(Gloucester) Boone lines and Webb (Stratford on Avon) Arden line. We believe that Margaret Arden (1488-1548) was the mother of my 13th Great Grandfather John Ilsley and that she then married (the already married) Sir John Alexander Webb jr. We have a good confirmation of DNA match with a descendant of Rober Arden Story and also the Descendents of Moore, Bromwich, Devereux and Muxlow family lines. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you wish to correspond.
Hi all, I am a descendent of the Quiney family on my Grandmothers side.
Anyone else with similar ties?
Regards.
Hi, I am a descendant of the Harts, my grandmother was a hart, who married a Keays, anyhow I have some genealogy paperwork somewhere that I could fish out if Dale Hart is interested, cheers!
Just wondered if anyone on here with concrete evidence of being the blood ancestor of William Shakespeare through their direct ancestor link to Joan Shakespeare has had their DNA tested on Ancestry? Through a DNA connection I found I was genetically connected to someone with the Linville line from the Harts and another tree had the names Shakespeare and Hart in their index, though maddeningly the tree was private! My great grandfather and all the previous ancestors were William Hart, I can trace them back to Kent in the early 1800’s but maddeningly no further! There is also a Susanna in the line. So DNA evidence may be my only hope of proving my connection! Thanks all!
Hi I am related to Shakespeare through the female (marriage) side, it was traced back in the 70s so I am asking my grandparents to dig it out! My surname is Hill but again this changed through marriage. When I have more information I will post again.
Hi Lauren
That was quite an impressive achievement in the 70s! It would be difficult enough now even with the internet. I would be very interested to see your information – thanks for posting.
Ros
My family line might be connected to Joan Shakespeare. I have had my DNA test done on Ancestry.com, but haven’t searched for a connection yet. My grandfather was from Macon, Missouri. His father’s mother was Susan Anna Danner and her parents were Jeremiah Winfield Danner and Martha linville. Martha’s linville family is connected to the Harts and the harts are connected to Joan Shakespeare. I believe my line is directly connected, but someone once told me it was connected, but not through DNA. I would love more information if anyone would like to connect with me. Michelle (michelle_angbo@yahoo.com)
I have a friend names Lena Shakespeare, her mom is Japanese, and her dad is from the United Kingdom. They still live today. wondering if she is a descendant of the Shakespeare family.
Hi my name is Alexis Tolkkinen and I was able to trace my family back on my moms side to Abigail Shakespeare. It said that she was the grandmother of William Shakespeare himself. One of my ancestors did have the last name Webb now that I think of it. My ancestors name wasabigail Shakespeare (Webb) and her husbands name was Richard Shakespeare. I am American and was able to trachea back to the 1300s in England. I was just wondering if that means that I am related to him
Hi I’m American and I researched way back on my mothers side. I’m wondering if I am related to Shakespeare because one of my ancestors unnamed was Abigail Shakespeare( Webb) and her husband was Richard Shakespeare.
Hi Alexis. I’m just wondering which source it was that said Abigail was Shakespeare’s grandmother? It is likely (though I don’t think completely proven) that Richard was Shakespeare’s grandfather. If you are directly descended from both Richard and Abigail, and you have done all your research meticulously (using original sources at all times) and with no assumptions, and if Richard and Abigail were Shakespeare’s grandparents, then, yes, you would be a first cousin, many times removed! It would be a good idea to double check all your facts. I would be interested to know what sources you have used?
Cheers
Ros
I am a descendant of Williams brother and would be happy to share my family tree showing my connection.
Yes, I used ancestry.com and Geni and was able to trace on my mothers grandmothers side to Richard and Abigail.
I was kind of shocked when i found that one of my ancestors had the last name Shakespeare and when i saw that they were related.
That would be still very distant though.
I could trace to Henry Shakespeare the son of Richard and Abigail Shakespeare if that’s helpful.
I posted a couple of months back about my DNA quest and it is certainly bearing fruit! Looking back at John Webb’s extensive family tree, I was able to find several of the names he had posted amongst the direct descendants of people I am connected through by DNA, linking me back to Sir John Alexander Webb, Shakespeare’s great grandfather. I also found several Linvilles from Pennsylvania, who also are believed to be connected to Shakespeare through the Hart line. So, the DNA is showing my connection, and it seems too much of a co-incidence that there is so much Webb and Linville DNA in my matches! But I would be grateful if any of the people who have offered their family trees, would be able to email me any information and I am happy to reciprocate with my DNA findings! Had it not been for the DNA test I would have never known any of this, so I recommend getting one done! kennedylamb@yahoo.com
Sorry, I picked up the wrong file in my earlier post of today. The correct details I have if of a Edward Shakespeare born 1579 in Dudley, Worcestershire who married an Ann Gibbons born 1580 Rowley Regis, Staffordshire and died 1636, Dudley, Worcestershire.
Hi Trevor. I’ve deleted the earlier post. I do not have any information whether there are any Shakespeares in Dudley who have links to the Stratford family. Have you been to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust at Stratford?
My maiden name was Loretta Jeanne Marks, My maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Etta Margaret Webbe (Russell, married name). My uncle Ralph Russell who is currently 94 years of age, as I have been told, has performed a family Genealogy and traced our family back to the Shakespeare family.
i live in the usa, but gggrand mother was winifred shakespeare born 1790. warwick, england. married andrew weeks 1812. found marriage but never found her birth, says born in warwick. any suggestions?
Hi Sue. It can be very frustrating when you can’t find a baptism, and there can be many reasons. Firstly, the indexes could have been mistranscribed – so try all kinds of searches, using different spellings, try searching without the surname, or with the surname and without the forname. Secondly, the registers for where she was baptised may not have survived, especially if it was non-conformist. Although the marriage record says ‘of this parish’ – it does not necessarily mean she was born there. She could have been born somewhere else in the county, or outside of it. (I did notice a family in Birmingham having children at this time). Was she still alive for the 1851 census? – this would give a more specific birthplace.
Have you tried searching for any wills in the Warwickshire area for all people with that surname during Winifred’s lifetime? If you find a will where she is mentioned, this can help to solve her identity and origins. Obviously, if the family had no property, it is unlikely, but it is always worth checking.
I would also try and follow up the witnesses on the marriage – particularly Mary Grundy, who might be a married sister, if you are lucky!
Keep looking – hopefully you will find something! Let us know how you get on.
Ros
If you are serious about being willing to help trace genealogy, my maiden name is Shakespear. My great Aunt said she traced our line back to William’s brother or uncle, sadly she’s no longer living. My ancestry.com line has more names than I can comprehend & I’d love some help discerning the actual line.
Hi Toni. I’m a professional genealogist, so obviously I do trace genealogy but I charge for it. If you check out the Services or home page on this website you will get an idea of what I do and how much I charge. Do get in touch if you want some professional research carried out.
Ros
Margaret Arden, William’s aunt, is my 12th great grandmother…and I guess that would make me 1st cousins (12 times? or 13 times? removed)…
Hi, I am a descendant of William Shakespeare. My grandmother’s maiden name was Webb. Some of our family can be traced back prior to the William Conquest in 1066. William Shakespeare’s great grandparents are my 13th great grandparents. I know William’s mother Mary Arden married her cousin. I am not sure whether I am from the Arden side, as well. Sir John Alexander Webb who was from Stratford Warkwickshire, England and was also an officer of rank in the Army of King Henry VIII , was my mother’s mother’s father’s 10th great grandfather.
Sir John Alexander Webb had a daughter named Abigail Webb.
Abigail Webb married Richard Shakespeare (William’s grandparents)
Abigail and William had a son named Robert Shakespeare who married his cousin, Mary Arden.
Robert and Mary Arden had William Shakespeare . My 12th great grandfather was the brother to Abigail Webb whom was the grandmother of William Shakespeare.
My 12th great grandfather also Married an Arden girl, Margaret Arden. My mother has mentioned our family inter-married over many many generations to keep titles and blood lines within the family. They also did not realize it could cause terrible health and genetic issues. It is noted that my Webb side of the family had been living in Stratford since at least 1488. They continued living there until 1629 when my 9th great grandfather Richard Webb Sr. Came to America. They ended up living in Fairfield, Ct. They stayed there untl my 5th great grandfather moved to Cumberland Nova Scotia in 1783 as Loyalist during evacuation of the Corps of West Chester Refugees & militia. My grandmother still remained in Nova Scotia until sometime in the 1900s and returned to America but always kept her Canadian citizenship. While my uncle and mother are still alive I would like to know what further testing could be done. I just found this out 2 days ago and am very intrigued.
Hi, just a correction:
Sir John Alexander Webb (my 13th great grandfather) had a daughter Abigail Webb who married Richard Shakespeare. Their son, Robert Shakespeare married Mary Arden who in turn had William Shakespeare . My 12th great grandfather, Sir Henry Alexander Webb, son of Sir John and brother to Abigail, married Grace Arden. His other sister Besides Abigail, Mary also married Robert Arden. Mary and Robert Arden’s daughter was named Mary, as well. So, she married her first cousin, Richard Shakespeare. 😜 My 11th great grandfather, Sir Alexander Webb Sr. married Margaret Arden. I do believe I am related to come of the other people whom have left comments on here. Especially, if your last name is Webb. I am also able to go back 5 generations farther back on the Webb side ( William Shakespeare’s 5th great grandfather was Sir Henry Webb from Dorset England in 1350.)
Hi Sarah
Have you thought of DNA testing?
Ros
Hi, still hoping for a DNA connection, has anyone on here been tested and willing to compare results?
William Shakespeare’s Great Grandfather, Sir Alexander Webb, Jr. is my Great to the 11th Grandfather. My Great Grandmother was Mary C. Webb. Born in GIlmer County, West Virginia.
William Shakespeare’s great grandfather was Sir Alexander Webb, Jr. Sir Alexander was my great to the 11th grandfather as well.
I cannot guarantee that i’m related but i’m definitely sure that if this is true that William is biological. I know for a fact that the direct lines are all biological up to my own knowledge from my grandmother. Her grandmother began the Webb line. I wasn’t looking for any famous people when i came upon this. I was simply seeing how far back the research went. I can say with a clean and clear heart that I am being fully honest in these claims. I’m hoping that the research done on the Webb lineage also holds true. I was astonished to just find this out this past weekend.
The webbe family side is alive and well! William shakesphere is our cousin
1. Robert De Arden (b.1506;d.1556)
sp: Mary Webb (b.1512;d.1550)
2. Margaret De Arden (b.1538;d.1608)
sp: Alexander Webb (b.1534;m.1555;d.1573)
3. Alexander Webb (b.1559;d.1629)
sp: Mary Wilson (b.1561;m.1597;d.1629)
4. Richard Webb (b.1580;d.1676)
sp: Grace Wilson (b.1594;m.1610;d.1680)
5. Richard Webb (b.1611;d.1675)
sp: Margery Moyer (b.1610;m.1629;d.1675)
6. Jonathan Webb (b.1665;d.1744)
sp: Judith Chamberlain (b.1690;m.1701;d.1734)
7. Judith (Judee) Webb (b.1714)
sp: Daniel Stevens (b.1711;m.1733;d.1751)
8. Amos Henry Stevens (b.1743;d.1809)
sp: Mercy Weed (b.1745;m.1766;d.1798)
9. Jonathan Stevens (b.1775;d.1843)
sp: Olive Hyatt (b.1775;m.1793;d.1843)
10. Julia Ann Stevens (b.1803;d.1875)
sp: Benjamin Hill (b.1789;m.1828;d.1876)
11. Alvin Hill (b.1831;d.1912)
sp: Salina Robbins (b.1838;m.1855;d.1860)
12. Nina (Salina) Hill (b.1856;d.1939)
sp: George Jacob Clemens (b.1853;m.1875;d.1936)
13. Rosa (Rose) C. Clemens (b.1876;d.1942)
sp: Earl Leland Gunn (b.1876;m.1898;d.1957)
14. Nina Clemens Gunn (b.1901;d.1950)
sp: Eugene John Weigel (b.1894;m.1929;d.1973)
15. Eugene John Weigel Jr. (b.1933)
sp: Wietske Pietrik Bakker (b.1937;m.1957)
16. Michael Edwin Weigel (b.1960)
sp: Julie Ann Ferrigno (b.1967;m.1995)
1. Robert De Arden (b.1506;d.1556)
sp: Mary Webb (b.1512;d.1550)
2. Mary Arden (b.1537;d.1608)
sp: John Shakespeare (b.1537;m.1557;d.1573)
3. William Shakespeare (b.1565;d.1616)
sp: Anne Hathaway (b.1556;d.1623)
I have been researching the name Quiney for over 30 years as part of my one name study. Whilst I have not made any convincing links back to Shakespeare’s son in law, I have established Warwickshire lines back to the 1700s. If anyone is interested, please feel free to contact me.
I have anscestors from the mayflower. Billington, Warren, Chilton. Very likely Cooke and Fuller. Possibly White. I wonder if any of these have any link to Shakespeare family.
I have mayflower anscestry and i wonder if any of them have family connections to any Shakespeare. My proven ancestors are John Billington, James Chilton, Samuel Fuller and other probable links to Warren and Cooke. Need one proof of link to William and or Suzanne White.
I have a Warwick Shakespeare family member, always told we were related to William on the female side, any help would be appreciated, as I am in the states. Winnifrid Shakespair b. 1790 Warwick, M. 1813 to Andrew Weeks, all the children have the Shakespair as middle name. my contact is: suefuller@live.com
Hi, my name is Jane Shakespeare. I was born in Warwickshire in 1966. I have a sister, Alison Shakespeare and a brother, Adrian Shakespeare. My father is Trevor Shakespeare and he has a brother, Michael Shakespeare who has two daughters, Theresa and Rachel Shakespeare. Trevor and Michael’s father (my grandfather) was Perciville William Shakespeare. I’d love to understand how we fit into the Shakespeare Family tree.
Hi Jane – what a great name to have!
As there are no direct descendants of Shakespeare, then it is possible that you could be descended from further back in the Shakespeare genealogy. Unfortunately, very little is know beyond Shakespeare’s grandfather, so it is unlikely that you will be able to definitely find the exact link. However, if you carry out research starting with your family, and trace back as far as possible, you might find a strong possibility of belonging to that tree. I am not currently accepting new clients for at least a few months, but I will be publishing a beginner’s guide to tracing ancestors soon, so please follow my FB page at https://www.facebook.com/Tracing-UK-Ancestors-263439430342617/ where there will be information as soon as this is available.
Cheers
Ros
William Shakespeare is my 13th great grandfather
Unfortunately, that is not possible, as there are no direct descendants 🙂