John Shakespeare

John Shakespeare (b. c. 1530 at Snitterfield near Stratford-upon-Avon; buried 8 September 1601 at Stratford-upon-Avon) was the father of William Shakespeare.

John Shakespeare - contemporarily usually spelled Shakspere - was born around 1530 to Richard Shakespeare, a simple farmer from the village of Snitterfield, a few miles northeast of Stratford-upon-Avon. Despite his humble origins, he achieved a respected social position later in life. By trade he was a glove-maker (glover) and 'whittawer' (i.e. he produced things made of soft white leather). John Shakespeare first appeared on record in 1552 when he paid a shilling fine for a pile of rubbish in front of his house. In the following years he took on a number of municipal duties: in 1556 he became "Borough Ale Taster", responsible not only for the quality of ale but also for the observance of measures and prices in the borough. Two years later he rose to the position of "constable", i.e. a kind of policeman. From 1559 he took on the offices of "affeeror" (arbitrator), "burgess" (citizen's representative), in 1562 "chamberlain" (city treasurer) and became one of 14 aldermen. In 1568 John Shakespeare finally became "high bailiff" (mayor) of Stratford, although he did not receive the most votes, he was the only one to appear for the investiture.

He improved his social position chiefly by marrying (probably in 1557) Mary Arden, a daughter of Robert Arden, a landowner and his tenant lord.

John and Mary Shakespeare had eight children, three of whom died at an early age: Joan (born 1558 - died the same year), Margaret (1562-1563), William (1564-1616), Gilbert (1566-1611), Joan (1569-1646), Anne (1571-1579), Richard (1574-1612) and Edmund (1580-1607).

In the 1570s, John Shakespeare applied for a coat of arms for his family, but his request was denied. Then in 1596 his son William Shakespeare, by then already a famous actor, playwright and London businessman, applied for a coat of arms for his father. This was granted in 1599. It shows, among other things, the colours of the Arden family and the motto "non sans droict" ("not unjustly").

From 1576 onwards, the Shakespeares experienced a severe economic crisis: distress sales and indebtedness were the result, John Shakespeare stopped going to the council meeting, from which he was finally expelled in 1586. It is possible that William had to stop attending school during this time.

Some references in the sources are often interpreted in the sense that John Shakespeare adhered to Catholicism, although it was forbidden in the England of his time. His economic decline is associated with the intense persecution of Catholics in the 1570s and 1580s. Catholics refused to attend Anglican services, so the authorities had churchgoers recorded by agents and increasingly imposed heavy fines. It seems that by the 1570s the Shakespeares had also stopped going to church. The thesis of the crypto-Catholicism of the Shakespeare family is, however, highly controversial, despite intensive discussion.

In the 18th century, Shakespeare scholar Edmond Malone described a document he had received that had been signed by John Shakespeare declaring his allegiance to the Catholic Church. The wording of the declaration goes back to a writing by Cardinal Carlo Borromeo. The authenticity of the document is disputed, meanwhile it is considered likely that it is a forgery.