The Arden family is, according to an article by James Lees-Milne

James Lees-Milne

James Lees-Milne was an English writer and expert on country houses. He was an architectural historian, novelist, and a biographer. He is also remembered as a diarist.-Biography:...

 in the 18th edition of Burke's Peerage

Burke's Peerage

Burke's Peerage publishes authoritative, in-depth historical guides to the royal and titled families of the United Kingdom, such as Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, and of many other countries. Founded in 1826 by British genealogist John Burke Esq., and continued by his son, Sir John...

/Burke's Landed Gentry

Burke's Landed Gentry

Burke's Landed Gentry is the result of nearly two centuries of intense work by the Burke family, and others since, in building a collection of books of genealogical and heraldic interest,...

, volume 1, one of only three families in England that can trace its lineage in the male line back to Anglo-Saxon times (the other two being the Berkeley family

Berkeley family

The Berkeley family has an unbroken male line of descent from a Saxon ancestor before the Norman conquest of England in 1066 to the present day.-History:...

 and the Swinton family). The Arden family takes its name from the Forest of Arden

Arden, Warwickshire

Arden is an area, mainly located in Warwickshire, England, traditionally regarded as stretching from the River Avon to the River Tame.-History:...

 in Warwickshire

Warwickshire

Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...

.

History

Alwin (Æthelwine), nephew of Leofric, Earl of Mercia

Leofric, Earl of Mercia

Leofric was the Earl of Mercia and founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. Leofric is remembered as the husband of Lady Godiva.-Life and political influence:...

, was Sheriff of Warwickshire at the time of the Norman Conquest

Norman conquest of England

The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...

. He was succeeded by his son, Thorkell of Arden (variously spelt Thorkill, Turchil etc.), whose own son and principal heir, Siward de Arden, subsequently married Cecilia, granddaughter of Aldgyth

Edith of Mercia

Ealdgyth , also Aldgyth or anglicized, Edith, was a daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia, the wife of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Ealdgyth (fl. c. 1057–1066), also Aldgyth or anglicized, Edith, was a daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia, the wife of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Ealdgyth (fl. c. 1057–1066), also...

, daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia

Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia

Ælfgar was son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia,by his well-known wife Godgifu . He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on the latter's death in 1057....

, and from this union the Ardens descend (Siward was Thorkell's son by his first wife, whose name is not recorded; his second wife, Leofrun, was another daughter of Ælfgar). Subsequent generations of the family remained prominent in Warwickshire affairs and on many occasions held the shrievalty

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

. From the time of Sir Henry de Arden in the 14th century the Ardens had their primary estate at Park Hall, Castle Bromwich

Castle Bromwich

Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...

. The descent from Alwin is as follows:

• Alwin (d. c.1083)
• Thorkell of Arden (d. c.1100)
• Siward de Arden, m. Cecilia
• Henry de Arden (d. aft. 1166)
• William de Arden, m. Galiena
• William de Arden, m. Avice
• Sir Thomas de Arden, m. Riese
• Ralph de Arden (d. aft. 1290)
• Ralph de Arden, m. Isabel de Bromwich
• Sir Henry de Arden (d. c.1400), m. Ellen
• Sir Ralph Arden (d. 1420), m. Sybil
• Robert Arden (executed 12 Aug 1452), m. Elizabeth Clodshall
• Walter Arden (d. 5 Aug 1502), m. Eleanor Hampden
• Sir John Arden (d. 1526), m. Alice Bracebridge
• Thomas Arden (d. 1563), m. Mary Andrewes
• William Arden (d. 1546), m. Elizabeth Conway
• Edward Arden
  Edward Arden
  Edward Arden was an English nobleman and head of the Arden family, who became a Catholic martyr.Arden lived in Park Hall, Castle Bromwich, an estate near modern-day Birmingham. He was a recusant Catholic and kept a priest, Hugh Hall, at his house disguised as a gardener...
  
   (executed 20 Dec 1583), m. Mary Throckmorton
• Robert Arden (d. 27 Feb 1635), m. Elizabeth Corbet
• Sir Henry Arden (d. 1616), m. Dorothy Feilding
• Robert Arden (d. 1643)

Robert Arden was executed in 1452 for supporting the uprising of Richard, Duke of York

Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York

Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...

. The same fate befell Edward Arden

Edward Arden

Edward Arden was an English nobleman and head of the Arden family, who became a Catholic martyr.Arden lived in Park Hall, Castle Bromwich, an estate near modern-day Birmingham. He was a recusant Catholic and kept a priest, Hugh Hall, at his house disguised as a gardener...

 in 1583, who came under suspicion for being head of a family that had remained loyal to the Catholic Church, and was sentenced for allegedly plotting against Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

. His father William was second cousin to Mary Arden, mother of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

 (Mary Arden was the daughter of Robert, son of Thomas, younger son of Walter in the above list). Edward's great-grandson Robert died unmarried and without issue in 1643, bringing the Park Hall male line to an end (his sister Goditha married (Sir) Herbert Price

Herbert Price

Herbert Price was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1678. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War...

, who took up residence). The Arden family survives to this day in many branches descended from younger sons in earlier generations.