Gilbert Shakespeare
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Shakespeare was a younger brother of William Shakespeare
. His name is found in local records of Stratford-upon-Avon
and London
.
His father, John Shakespeare
, was a glove
r living in Henley Street, Stratford, and an alderman
of the town from 1564. Gilbert may have been named after Gilbert Bradley, also a glover, who lived on the same street and who in 1565 was one of the capital burgess
es of Stratford.
In London, Gilbert Shakespeare was a haberdasher
, a seller of needlework supplies such as thread, needles, and ribbons, living in the parish of St Bride's
. In 1597 he and a shoemaker stood surety for £19 bail for William Sampson, a Stratford clockmaker, in the Court of Queen's Bench.
Gilbert Shakespeare seems to have moved back to Stratford by 1602. On 1 May of that year he acted as his brother William's agent in taking delivery of the deed to 107 acres of farm land in Old Stratford, which William Shakespeare had bought from John and William Combe for £320. Along with several unsavoury Warwickshire
characters, Gilbert was named in a bill of complaint on 21 November 1609 instigated by Joan Bromley, a Stratford widow, but the details of the suit are unknown. He signed his name in a neat Italian hand
, "Gilbert Shakesper", as witness on 5 March 1610 to a lease of property in Bridge Street in Stratford.
The register
of the Holy Trinity church records the burial of "Gilbert Shakspeare, adolescens" on 3 February 1611/12, which today is generally taken to be the Gilbert Shakespeare baptised in 1566. Charlotte Stopes
tracked every useage of the terms adolescens, adolocentulus and adolocentula and their variants in the Stratford parish register and came to the conclusion that adolescens meant only that Gilbert Shakespeare died unmarried, especially in the absence of any records of his marriage, the baptism of his child, any other record of his death, and the fact that he is not mentioned in his brother's will. Mark Eccles and Schoenbaum have followed her judgement.
Earlier biographers, however, speculated that this might be his son instead. Of the burial entry, Sidney Lee
wrote: "'Gilbert Shakespeare adolescens,' who was buried at Stratford on February 3, 1611-12, was doubtless son of the poet's next brother, Gilbert; the latter, having nearly completed his forty-sixth year, could scarcely be described as adolescens; his death is not recorded, but according to Oldys
he survived to a patriarchal age." Oldys wrote in the mid-18th century, without certainty as to identity: "One of Shakespeare's younger brothers, who lived to a good old age, even some years, as I compute, after the restoration of King Charles the Second... The curiosity at this time of the most noted actors to learn something from him of his brother, etc., they justly held him in the highest veneration..."
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"...
. His name is found in local records of Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
and London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
His father, John Shakespeare
John Shakespeare
John Shakespeare was the father of William Shakespeare. He was the son of Richard Shakespeare of Snitterfield, a farmer. He moved to Stratford-upon-Avon and married Mary Arden, with whom he had eight children, five of whom survived into adulthood...
, was a glove
Glove
A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
r living in Henley Street, Stratford, and an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the town from 1564. Gilbert may have been named after Gilbert Bradley, also a glover, who lived on the same street and who in 1565 was one of the capital burgess
Burgess
Burgess is a word in English that originally meant a freeman of a borough or burgh . It later came to mean an elected or unelected official of a municipality, or the representative of a borough in the English House of Commons....
es of Stratford.
In London, Gilbert Shakespeare was a haberdasher
Haberdasher
A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons, zips, and other notions. In American English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery.-Origin and use:The word appears in...
, a seller of needlework supplies such as thread, needles, and ribbons, living in the parish of St Bride's
St Bride's Church
St Bride's Church is a church in the City of London, England. The building's most recent incarnation was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1672 on Fleet Street in the City of London, though Wren's original building was largely gutted by fire during the London Blitz in 1940. Due to its location on...
. In 1597 he and a shoemaker stood surety for £19 bail for William Sampson, a Stratford clockmaker, in the Court of Queen's Bench.
Gilbert Shakespeare seems to have moved back to Stratford by 1602. On 1 May of that year he acted as his brother William's agent in taking delivery of the deed to 107 acres of farm land in Old Stratford, which William Shakespeare had bought from John and William Combe for £320. Along with several unsavoury 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...
characters, Gilbert was named in a bill of complaint on 21 November 1609 instigated by Joan Bromley, a Stratford widow, but the details of the suit are unknown. He signed his name in a neat Italian hand
Italic script
Italic script, also known as chancery cursive, is a semi-cursive, slightly sloped style of handwriting and calligraphy that was developed during the Renaissance in Italy...
, "Gilbert Shakesper", as witness on 5 March 1610 to a lease of property in Bridge Street in Stratford.
The register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
of the Holy Trinity church records the burial of "Gilbert Shakspeare, adolescens" on 3 February 1611/12, which today is generally taken to be the Gilbert Shakespeare baptised in 1566. Charlotte Stopes
Charlotte Carmichael Stopes
Charlotte Carmichael Stopes was a British scholar, author, and campaigner for women's rights. She published several books relating to the life and work of William Shakespeare. Her most successful publication was British Freewomen: Their Historical Privilege , a book which influenced and inspired...
tracked every useage of the terms adolescens, adolocentulus and adolocentula and their variants in the Stratford parish register and came to the conclusion that adolescens meant only that Gilbert Shakespeare died unmarried, especially in the absence of any records of his marriage, the baptism of his child, any other record of his death, and the fact that he is not mentioned in his brother's will. Mark Eccles and Schoenbaum have followed her judgement.
Earlier biographers, however, speculated that this might be his son instead. Of the burial entry, Sidney Lee
Sidney Lee
Sir Sidney Lee was an English biographer and critic.He was born Solomon Lazarus Lee at 12 Keppel Street, Bloomsbury, London and educated at the City of London School and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated in modern history in 1882. In the next year he became assistant-editor of the...
wrote: "'Gilbert Shakespeare adolescens,' who was buried at Stratford on February 3, 1611-12, was doubtless son of the poet's next brother, Gilbert; the latter, having nearly completed his forty-sixth year, could scarcely be described as adolescens; his death is not recorded, but according to Oldys
William Oldys
William Oldys was an English antiquarian and bibliographer.The illegitimate son of Dr William Oldys, chancellor of Lincoln, London was probably his place of birth. His father had held the office of advocate of the admiralty, but lost it in 1693 because he would not prosecute as traitors and...
he survived to a patriarchal age." Oldys wrote in the mid-18th century, without certainty as to identity: "One of Shakespeare's younger brothers, who lived to a good old age, even some years, as I compute, after the restoration of King Charles the Second... The curiosity at this time of the most noted actors to learn something from him of his brother, etc., they justly held him in the highest veneration..."