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of Alcester
French, in 'Shakespearena Genealogica', mentions the Will of Thomas Shakespeare (1539) in Worcester Record Office, who 'desired to be buried at St Nicholas, Alcester'. The details allow the following genealogy to be constructed:
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Further information comes from Chambers (Appendix E) who informs us that this is the earliest Shakespeare will preserved at Worcester, although it was proved at Stratford. The will mentions only one child, William, and the name of Thomas's wife, Margaret. Of greater interest is the fact that Thomas's parent's, Richard and Margaret, were both alive at this time, and are included in the will.
Who Were Thomas's Parents?
A quick calculation, knowing Thomas to be an adult (married, with a child) indicates that his parents were born prior to 1500, and probably much earlier. There are a limited number of possibilities. The date would seem to be too early for Richard of Snitterfield, and anyway he almost certainly had a son Thomas who survived into the 1580's. This leaves only two possibilities from currently available knowledge - and we are here into the period when the number of known adult male Shakespeares alive in Warwickshire can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
There definitely was a Richard who fits the timeframe, with a wife of the same name: Richard Shakespeare of Wroxall, whose wife is recorded as Margery, was a great grandson of Adam 'of Oldediche.' His brother Ralph died about 1496, leaving two daughters: Elizabeth, the wife of Robert Huddespit, and Isolda, wife of Robert Rakley. They held property which had been Adam's in 1389. Ralph's executors were William Shakespeare, of Wroxall, and John Shakespeare, of Rowington: they were probably the sons of Richard and Margery Shakespeare. It is known that they were adults in 1505/6, which is when Robert Huddespit died and a transfer of the property took place. Both of them survived to the mid 1500's - it is easily possible that their brother was Thomas 'of Alcester.'
The only other possibility is Richard 'Bailiff of Wroxall.' His wife when he joined the Knowle Guild was named Alice, but this is the only mention of her name: he could possibly have remarried afterwards. This Richard is known to have been alive as late as 1559. He first appears on a Subsidy Roll in Wroxall in 1523 - this could possibly make him too young to have an adult son, with a child, who died in 1539, which leaves the earlier Richard (with wife Margaret/ Margery) as the most likely father. The relationship either way is very close, as Richard 'the Bailiff' is probably the grandson of Richard and Margery!
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