Contents
(as
of the last revision, but not much will change during the final revision)
1 John Shakespeare's coat of arms and ancestry
1.1
Introduction and synopsis of the search
1.2
Eight manuscripts, three inscriptions and one seal
1.3
A dozen Kings of Arms and a few heralds
1.4
Previous debates about John's ancestry
1.5
Bosworth, Stanleys, Derbys and Tudors
1.6
Bosworth, Stanleys and Shakespeare
1.7
Awards after Bosworth
1.8
The 1599 ancestry claim
1.9
Where were 'those partes of Warwikeshire'?
1.10
Evidence from Shake-names in records
1.11
Evidence from personal experience
1.12
The footnote of 1596
1.13
Other clues in the manuscripts
1.14
Conclusions: John's ancestry
2
Mary's coat of arms and the Ardernes of Wilmcote
2.1 A quest in
the realm of chivalry: introduction and synopsis of the search
2.2 Which coat
of arms was confirmed in 1599?
2.3 Robert
Glover, Sir William Dugdale and the Arderns
2.4 Mary's marriage
to John Shakespeare
2.5 Mary's first
husband
2.6 The Ardernes
of Wilmcote
2.7 Where did
they live?
2.8 Previous
debates about status and lands
2.9 Conclusions
from Wilmcote
3 The early Cheshire Ardernes
3.1 Previous
histories of the Cheshire Ardernes
3.2 An outline
history of the Cheshire Ardernes
3.3 The early
Ardernes of Alvanley and Arderne/ Harden
3.4 Five
pedigrees and eight puzzles
3.5 Sorting out
some of the early puzzles
3.6 John, son of
Ralph Arderne and Katherine Stanley
3.7 Thomas Arderne,
Esq. Sr, founder of the Leicestershire branch
3.8 Thomas Sr's
siblings
3.9 Cheshire
Arderne wives and wills c. 1500
3.10 Thomas Sr's
sons John and Thomas
3.11
Arderne-Stanley-Hoghton links
3.12
Arderne-Assheton-Hoghton links
3.13
Arderne-Gerard-Hoghton links
3.14 Conclusions
re Shakespeare and the Cheshire Ardernes
4 Disentangling the Midlands Ardernes from the Ardens
4.1 Introduction
to the problems
4.2 French's
facts and contribution
4.3 French's
candidate for Mary's great-grandfather
4.4 Separating
two Simons
4.5 Identifying
Roberts, Johns, Joyces and Cecilys
4.6 And all the
Thomases
4.7 Thomas
Arderne, Mary's cousin?
4.8 Conclusions
re Shakespeare and Ardernes/Ardens
5 Postscript from Cheshire
5.1 The main
16th century muddles sorted out
5.2 Cheshire
Ardernes the Shakespeares would have known
5.3 The last
Cheshire Ardernes
5.4 The (almost)
complete history of Arderne Hall
5.5 Origin of
the name (H)Arde(r)n(e)
6 John & William in records and early reports
6.1 Introduction
and synopsis
6.2 Other John
Shakespeares
6.3 Established
facts and recent doubts
6.4 Anecdotes
and early reports about John and William
6.5 The
cautionary tale of Thomas Siche
6.6 Conclusions
7 John Shakespeare in Stratford
7.1 Introduction
and synopsis
7.2 Puzzling
Christian names in Stratford
7.3 Puzzling
Shakes- in Snitterfield
7.4 John's
strange family life
7.5 John's
puzzling children
7.6 Interim
conclusions
7.7 John's three
wives finally proved
7.8 Conclusions
about John in Stratford
8
John Shakeshafte in Preston
8.1 Introduction
and synopsis
8.2 Preston, its
Guild and its Rolls
8.3 The original
'smoking gun'
8.4 Shakeshaftes
in Preston
8.5 Shakeshaftes
of Preston cf. Shakespeares of Stratford
8.6 Glovers and
others
8.7 Foreign
burgesses
8.8 Conclusions
from Preston
9
Links (Shakespeare, Lancashire and Catholicism)
9.1 Introduction
and synopsis
9.2 Literary and
theatrical links
9.3 Political,
religious and educational links
9.4 Other
miscellaneous links
9.5 Brief
biographies
9.6 Interim conclusions
10 William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby
10.1
Introduction and synopsis
10.2 Histories
of the early Earls of Derby
10.3 Previous
biographies of Sir William
10.4 Sir
William's time-line until 1617
10.5 Sir
William's travels in prose - 'A brief account' (B)
10.6 Sir
William's travels in ballads 'The Garland' (G)
10.7 Who wrote
B?
10.8 The
historical odds on the authenticity of B and G
10.9 Evidence
from William's time-line
10.10 More
historical facts, inaccuracies and tentative explanations
10.11 A
distillation of the kernels of B and G
10.12 Dangling
ends
10.13 William,
Catholic plots and the Crown
10.14 Stanleys
as patrons, poets, playwrights, plotters and imposters
10.15 Heywood's
literary references
10.16 William
Stanley to centre stage
10.17 Conclusions
re the two William Ss
APPENDICES
Shakespeare and
Arderne coat of arms documents
Naming
conventions by Dr Milton Ormerod
Basic rules in
genealogy
Family trees
(Arderne, Stanley, etc.)
John
Shakespeare's time-line
Shakespeares in Stratford
Parish Registers
Stanleys in
Ormskirk Parish Registers
Shakeshaftes in
Preston Guild Rolls
Return to Helen Moorwood’s Shakespeare Index
