Thomas Quiney

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Thomas Quiney (baptised February 26, 1589)^[1] was the husband of Judith Shakespeare, the daughter of William Shakespeare. By occupation he was a vintner and dealt in tobacco.

Thomas was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised on February 26, 1589 in Holy Trinity Church. He was the son of Richard Quiney and the grandson of Adrian Quiney.^[2] He had 10 siblings; among them a Richard Quiney who was a grocer in London, Mary Quiney who later married the vicar of Harbury, Richard Watts, and Elizabeth Quiney who married William Chandler.^[2] He was a man of some education, holding several municipal offices in his life.^[3]

Contents 1 Business and Municipal Offices 2 Marriage to Judith Shakespeare 3 William Shakespeare's last will and testament 4 Chapel Lane, Atwood's and The Cage 5 Children 6 Death 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Business and Municipal Offices

Thomas was a vintner and dealt in tobacco. He held the lease to a house known as “Atwood's” for the purpose of running a tavern, and later traded houses with his brother-in-law, William Chandler, for the larger house known as “The Cage” where he set up his vintner's shop in the upper half. He is recorded as selling wine to the corporation as late as 1650.

He was a man of some education. In signing his accounts for 1662 and 1663 as chamberlain he decorated it with a couplet in French from a romance by Mellin de Saint-Gelais, but made a hash of the quotation.

He held several municipal offices: in 1617 he was a burgess and constable in Stratford-upon-Avon, and in 1661 and 1662 he was a chamberlain. His accounts for 1662 and 1663 were first voted “imperfect” by the council in his absence, but were later passed.

His reputation was slightly spotted; he was fined for swearing and for “suffering townsmen to tipple in his house”, and was at one point in danger of prosecution for “dispensing unwholesome and adulterated wine.”^[4]

[edit] Marriage to Judith Shakespeare

On February 10, 1616 Thomas married Judith, William Shakespeare's youngest daughter, in Holy Trinity Church; the assistant vicar Richard Watts, who later married Thomas's sister Mary, probably officiated.^[5] The wedding took place during the Lenten prohibited season, which in 1616 started on January 23rd (Septuagesima Sunday) and ended on April 7th (Sunday after Easter), and hence required a special license from the Bishop of Worcester that the couple failed to obtain.^[5] They presumably posted the required banns in church since a Walter Wright of Stratford-upon-Avon was cited for marrying without banns or license, but this was not sufficient.^[5] The infraction was a minor one, and apparently caused by the minister as three other couples were also wed that February, but Thomas Quiney was still summoned by Walter Nixon to appear before the Consistory court in Worcester.^[6] The same Walter Nixon later appears in a Star Chamber case where he is found guilty of signature forgery and taking bribes.^[6] Thomas failed to appear on the requisite date and the register records the judgement as excommunication on or about March 12, 1616.^[6] It's not known whether Judith was also excommunicated, but in any case it did not last long; in November of the same year they were back in church for the baptism of their first-born child.^[6]

The marriage did not start on the best of terms; before marrying Judith, Thomas had got a Margaret Wheeler pregnant.^[7] Both mother and child died in childbirth and were buried on March 15, 1616, and on March 26, 1616 Thomas appeared before the Bawdy Court that, among other things, dealt with “whoredom and uncleanliness”.^[7] Thomas confessed in open court to “carnal copulation” with Margaret Wheeler and submitted himself for correction.^[7] He was sentenced to open penance “in a white sheet (according to custom)” three sundays before the Congregation, and to admit to his crime — this time in ordinary clothes — before the Minister of Bishopton.^[7] The first part of the sentence was remitted, essentially letting him off with a 5s fine given to use for the parish's poor, and since Bishopton had no church, only a chapel, he was spared public humiliation.^[7]

[edit] William Shakespeare's last will and testament

The inauspicious beginnings of Thomas and Judith's marriage, in spite of Thomas and the Quiney family being otherwise unexceptionable,^[5] has led to speculation that this was the cause for William Shakespeare's hastily altered last will and testament.^[8] He first summoned his lawyer Francis Collins in January, and then on March 25, 1616 hastily made further alterations; probably because he was dying and his son in law's actions were not inspiring much confidence.^[8]

In his will, in the first bequest, is written “vnto my sonne in L[aw]” but the “sonne in L[aw]” is struck out and Judith inserted in its stead.^[9] To his daughter he bequeaths £100 “in discharge of her marriage porcion”, another £50 on the condition that she relinquish all interest in the Chapel Lane cottage, and, if she or any of her children are still alive at the end of three years following the date of his will, a further £150 of which she is to receive the interest, but not the principal.^[9] He explicitly holds this money away from Thomas Quiney, unless he bestows on Judith lands of equal value. In a separate bequest he also gives Judith “my broad silver gilt bole”.^[9]

Finally, for the bulk of his estate — including his main house “New Place”, his two houses on Henley Street, and various lands in and around Stratford-upon-Avon — he sets up an entail; giving the estate to his other daughter Susanna Hall, and after her death “to the first sonne of her bodie lawfullie yssueing & to the heires Males of the bodie of the saied first Sonne lawfullie yssueing”, or for default to the second son and his male heirs, or to the third son and his male heirs, or the same for her “ffourth … ffyfth sixte & Seaventh sonnes” and their male heirs, or for default to Elizabeth Hall — Susanna and John Hall's first born — and her male heirs, and only then to Judith and her male heirs, or finally to whatever heirs the law would normally recognise.^[9] This rather elaborate entail is usually taken to indicate that Judith's husband was not to be trusted with William's inheritance, though some speculate that it may simply indicate that Susanna was the favoured daughter.^[9]

[edit] Chapel Lane, Atwood's and The Cage

Where the couple lived once married is not known, but Judith was in possession of her father's Chapel Lane cottage and Thomas Quiney had, since 1611, had the lease on a house called “Atwood's” for the purpose of running his vintner's shop.^[10] In July of 1616 he swapped houses with his brother-in-law, William Chandler, and moved his vintner shop to the upper half of a house at the corner of High Street and Bridge Street.^[11] This house was known as “The Cage” and is the house traditionally associated with Judith.^[12] In the 20th century “The Cage” was for a time a Wimpy restaurant, before being turned into the Stratford Information Office.^[12]

“The Cage” figures in a further indication of why Judith's father did not trust his son in law. Around 1630 Thomas tried to sell the lease on the house, but was prevented by his kinsmen.^[13] In 1633, to protect the interests of Judith and the children, the lease was signed over to the trust of John Hall (Judith's brother-in-law), Thomas Nash (her niece Elizabeth's husband), and the vicar of nearby Harbury, Richard Watts (Thomas' brother-in-law, and the vicar who officiated at Thomas and Judith's wedding) in order to protect the interests of Judith and the children.^[13] Eventually, in November 1652, the lease to “The Cage” ended up in the hands of Thomas' eldest brother, Richard Quiney, who was a grocer in London.^[13]

[edit] Children

Judith and Thomas had three children: Shaksper (baptised November 23, 1616 — buried May 8, 1617), Richard (baptised February 9, 1618 — buried February 6, 1639), and Thomas (baptised January 23, 1620 — buried January 28, 1639).^[14] Shaksper was named for his famous grandfather, and Richard was a common name in the Quiney family; his grandfather was named Richard, and he had an uncle named Richard who worked as a grocer in London.^[14]

Shaksper died an infant and was buried on May 8, 1617; only six months old.^[14] Richard and Thomas were both buried within a month of each other in 1639; 19 and 21 years old.^[14] The death of Judith's last child had legal consequences; the entail on her father's inheritance led her sister Susanna Hall, with her daughter and son in law, to make a settlement — in a rather elaborate legal device — of the inheritance on that part of the family.^[15] This legal wrangling continued for another 13 years, until 1652.

[edit] Death

Of Thomas Quiney's fate the records show little. It's speculated that he may have died in 1662 or 1663 when the parish burial records are incomplete, or that he may have left Stratford.^[16] He certainly had a nephew in London, who by this time held the lease to The Cage.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Shakespeare's family
• Genealogy of Thomas Quiney

v • d • e Relatives of William Shakespeare Richard Shakespeare • John Shakespeare • Mary Arden • Anne Hathaway • Hamnet Shakespeare • Susanna Hall • John Hall • Elizabeth Hall Nash Barnard • Judith Quiney • Thomas Quiney