The Biography of William Shakespeare
The marriage John Shakespeare and Elizabeth Arden
Did their families approve?
The Wedding?
Their home in Stratford-upon-Avon?
Interesting information about the family, life and times of William Shakespeare
The Parents of William Shakespeare
THE BACKGROUNDS OF HIS PARENTS
John Shakespeare, a Yeoman, and Mary Arden, an heiress, were the parents of William Shakespeare
Mary Arden lived between 1540 – 1608
John Shakespeare lived between 1531 – 1601
John’s father, Richard Shakespeare, was a tenant farmer of Robert Arden of Wilmecote
Mary Arden was the youngest and favourite of the eight daughters of Robert Arden who was a member of the noble Catholic family of the Ardens of Park Hall whose family forebears had been given land by William the Conqueror
John’s father, Richard was a tenant farmer of Mary’s father Robert Arden of Wilmecote
Mary Arden married beneath her class at the age of 17 and brought with her a dowry
Mary and John married in 1557 a year after the death of Mary Arden’s father and it is likely that he would not have approved of the marriage
Both Mary and John were Catholics and were married when the staunch Catholic Queen Mary ( Bloody Mary) was the ruling monarch of England – At least both of the families would have approved of their religion
THE WEDDING OF SHAKESPEARE’S PARENTS
There are no specific details about the marriage of Shakespeare’ parents but there are details available about traditional weddings of the era. The following information provides the ‘flavour’ of a typical wedding
Many people married in June because they took their yearly bath in May as the weather became warmer!
Wedding invitations were not issued
The bride did not wear white, this was a later tradition, but she would have had a new gown
The groom would have worn his best clothes
Fresh flowers were central to the celebrations, Flowers would adorn the bride’s gown and she would carry a bouquet
The wedding would have been a festive event and guests would meet at the house and the procession would be accompanied by musicians
The Catholic church ceremony was a solemn one. Everyone would stand – there were no seats or pews in churches at this time
After the wedding ceremony the families of the couple would sometimes enjoy a wedding feast
THE HOME OF THE SHAKESPEARE FAMILY IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
William’s father moved to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1551 to set up business trading in animals, wool, malt and corn
He bought a house in Henley Street, Stratford , which was conveniently near the market
The house in Henley Street is pictured above
Houses had thatched roofs consisting of thick straw, piled high, with no wood rafters
Tudor houses were generally timber-framed – the oak timbers were occasionally tarred black to render them weatherproof
Passages were not part of the design and one room opened directly into the next ( hence the drapes on the four-poster beds)
This meant that privacy was practically unknown in a Tudor house
Straw mattresses were being replaced with feather mattresses
There were few chairs instead stools or chests were used
Most houses had a garden growing vegetables, herbs and flowers
Mealtimes were at breakfast around 7 o’clock, 12 noon and 6 o’clock
Food was generally cooked over open fires and often consisted of vegetable stews in a copper pot
Baking, especially bread, was done in brick ovens set into the side of the fireplace
Food was eaten off wooden plates called trenchers ( wealthy households had pewter )
Hygiene was extremely poor and drinking water unclean. It was therefore customary for people to drink ale ( wealthy households would also drink wine )
The floors were dirt covered with rushes ( wealthy households had slate floors )
