The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-13 00:00:00

The Last of the Shaksperes.

The following letters have been addressed to the
editor of the Times:—

Sir,—The starling Shaksperian communication in the
Times of yesterday is indeed well noted by you as " wonder •
ful if true," and if you had written "miraculous" for " won-
derful" you would hardly have been far wrong. Extraor-
dinary things, however, do turn up in this world, and it is
certainly within the limits of possibility that a descendant
of Gilbert Shakspere is still among us. The verification
of such a pedigree would beat any peerage case yet recorded,
and surely your correspondent cannot, at all events, object
to publish the preliminary evidence—that which is sup-
posed to link Shakspere's brother with an ancestor of the
present George Shakspere of 'Wolverhampton. The pro-
duction of that testimony would at once enable any one ac-
quainted with the subject to decide whether the case were
worthy of further investigation.
getting up a pedi-
gree
yaathing is so difficult
easy
yrnies of descents which
a s th Fewe
in
production
a things
oo s
e o
sf o theirrotfo one
i anoydf areal
hardlyo snog s
e a
can bear the test of a critical investigation. If you are bent
on reaching accuracy in this pursuit—and I cannot conceive,
in a literary point of view, that any name but that of
Shakspere is worth the enormous and insipid trouble—you
must doubt at every step, and aim at the attainment of more
than legal evidence. Tombstone and register testimonies are
at best only presumptive, and identity of name is too often
admitted as proof of identity of person. Suppose one of
many similar instances, the rather as the uncertainty of the
particular kind of evidence has been overlooked in the
numerous discussions which have lately taken place on
the truth of alleged cases of great longevity—Thomas
Hotham, son of Richard Hotham, of Shelley, dies in 1820
at the reputed age of 100. there being tie following
entry in the registry :—" Thomas, son of Richard Hotham,
baptised 20 June, 1720," We will suppose that the evi-
dence is complete, that the Thomas who was born in 1720
is the son of the same Richard whose son Thomas died in
1820. Would Mr Baggage himself require better evidence F
Hardly, if it did not occur to him that it frequently hap-
pened that a child was named after a deceased brother or
sister ; so that the Thomas who died in 1820 may not have
been born until 1740, the Thomas who was born in 1720
having died before the birth of that Thomas who was born
in 1710 and died in 1826. I merely name this to show the
risk of drawing inferences in such matters even when the
even when the evidence appears to be complete. To prove
the case confided in by Mr Coleman would require a con-
currence of discoveries that would be literally preternatural.
If I recollect rightly, there is a case something like this in
the pedigree of the Shakspere family, which, in itself, sup-
pliis another example, in respect to the member of it alluded
to by your correspondent, of the extreme uncertainty atten-
dant on genealogical investigations. Gilbert Shakspere, the
poet's brother, was born at Stratford in 1566. One Gilbert
Sbakspere was buried there in 1612, and it is by the merest
accident, that of the term i` adolescens" being appended to
his name in the burial register, tle et the two persons have not
been taken for the first and the san2e. It is surmised that
the Gilbert Shakspere, who died in 02) was the poet's
nephew, and Malone, who had access to ma,:eriale now lost,
asserts (" Malone's Shakapere," ed. 1821, ii. 6:5) that the
elder Gilbert, Shakspere's brother, certainly dieei before
his son, Unless Mr. Coleman can bring forward oettain
evidence to the contrary, the probabilities are in favour o+
the elder Gilbert and his issue having died before the year
1616, the great dramatist not mentioning any of them in
his will; for those who have studied the subject with any
care know that the probabilities are in favour of Shako-
pere having been intensely affectionate in the three capa-
cities of son, husband, and brother. His wife may have
been provided for by dower, as Mr Knight suggests, or in
one of three or four other more,
or, at least, as probable
ways; but brothers and sisters and their children were,
comparatively and legally speaking, outsiders ; and we may
rest assured that any of them who were living in 1616
would have been mentioned in the will in one way ar other.
Joan, his sister, is the only one of sisters or brothers
alluded to in that document, and in a manner that suffices
to prove Shakspere's affection for her. Now, so far
from there being, as Mr Coleman imagines,
" no living
descendant of our great Poet's famil ' if George Steak-
spere of Wolverhampton be not one ,there are at least a
dozen, but more likely 20 or 30, persons now in existence
whose descent can be trace
4 with accuracy
from Shak-
spearo's sister. Tie early portion of the pedigt.ee from
Joan is well known and admitted, and I am in cc's-
session of a vast accumulation of materials respecting the
Hart family, into which she married, by means of which
the present descendants could be accurately determined.
The family descending from Joan Shakspere spread out in
the last century into several branches, the only one of which
not yet traced being that (if any) which sprung from the
union of Catherine /Hart, daughter of William Sbakspere
Hart, who was born in 17
• 48, and who married mane Brad-
ford, of Birmingham. Perhaps some one may there be
found to tell us whether any arose from that union.
I have never put these materials into order, nor, indeed,
taken much trouble beyond noting everything relating to
the subject which has occurred during the progress of many
years' researches into kindred matters, their being no lite-
rary value attached to the investigation of the descent from
Shakspere's family, and not having been inclined to under-
take the responsibility of collecting and distributing sub-
scriptions among the present numerous descendants of Joan
Shakspcare.
Having, however, long felt an inclination to be of service
to the ascertained descendants of the poet's beloved rela-
tives, it you will most kindly give gee the opportunity—
this letter is written in the bope that you may do so—l ven-
ture to make this off although I must decline to be the
distributor of funds ; yet if any of the numerous wealthy
readers of the Times will signify their intention of lending
a helping hand to those descendants of Joan Shakspere
who may need• one, and whose title to the distinction can
be fairly proved, I will spare no pains t
theo complete the re-
searches that may justify direction of their generosity—
a generosity which will no doubt also amply suffice for the
requirements of the case gr. Coleman has so kindly taken
f George
up, if the claims 0 e Sbakspere can really be sub
stantiated.-1 am, -
sir, with sincere respect, your obedient
servant, 0• HALLS WELL.
St, Mary's-place, West Brompton, 'eune
10.

Sir,—Following the Tercentenary Ric
of the poet ap-
pears a discussion as to whether there are in existence any
male descendants from his father. This may
be a very in-
teresting subject to some, and I daresay that registers will
be rummaged over and tomtutones examined by the curious
with a hope of making a satisfactory discovery,
For myself I have always understood that I was de-
scended from Gilbert Shakespear ; but I can only prove
that my great grandfather was John Shakespear, an alder-
man of the city of London somewhere about a century
since. He may have been the grandson of Gilbert Shakes-
pear.
I shall be much obliged to any one who will have the
kindness to drop me a line should they in their researches
come across the fathf r of the alderman,
Hoping you will kindlyexcase my troubling you with a
personal matter,--I am, Sir, your obedient servent,
J. D. SkulasrEAß, Lieutenaut•Coloriel.
Richmond, Surrey, S.W., June 11.

COLLEGE OF PRECEETOR9.—At a meeting of the
council of this corporation on Saturday, the 11th
guaranteed to Mr W. F.
inst.,
c. ,kteh, eodf icplhoutnr
caho. fhloi :sue tsi acthe was
Ealing,
and the following
gentlemen were elected members of the College :--Mr
Bull, Westhouse School, Seaford; Mr W. B. Hardy,Stockwell, Grammar School ; Mr W. D. Harvey, Argyll
College, Netting-hill-square; Mr J. R. Nelson, M.A.,
Stepney-causeway; Mr J. Patterson, Gainford, near Dar-
lington; and Mr T. Wilson, Southgate-road School, De
Beauvoir-town,