How Many Siblings Did Shakespeare Have?

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) had a total of seven siblings. Shakespeare’s siblings were named Margaret, Gilbert, Joan, Anne, Joan (the second Joan), Richard, and Edmund. However, Shakespeare actually had five siblings at the time he was born. His older sisters, Margaret and Joan (the first Joan) had died before Shakespeare’s birth in 1564.

Shakespeare’s Siblings

Shakespeare had a total of four sisters and three brothers. His oldest sister, Joan, and his other older sister, Margaret, had died before Shakespeare was born. While he was alive, William Shakespeare had two sisters (Joan and Anne) and three brothers (Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund).

Before His Birth:

In a family of eight, Shakespeare was the third child. Joan, his eldest sister, was born in 1558 but only survived for 2 months. Margaret, the second oldest sister, was born four years later, in 1562, but she survived for around five months.

After His Birth:

William was born in 1564, and Gilbert, William’s first younger sibling, arrived two years later, in 1566. In 1569, the second Joan was born, the third sister in the family. In 1569, Richard was born, then in 1571, Anne, and then in 1580, Edmund.

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The List of Shakespeare’s Siblings

1. Joan Shakespeare (1558–1558) lived for 2 months.
2. Margaret Shakespeare (1562–1563) lived for 5 months.
3. Gilbert Shakespeare (1566–1612) lived for 46 years.
4. Joan Shakespeare (1569–1646) lived for 77 years.
5. Anne Shakespeare (1571–1579) lived for eight years.
6. Richard Shakespeare (1574–1613) lived for 39 years.
7. Edmund Shakespeare (1580–1607) lived for 27 years.

Only Shakespeare’s younger sister, Joan, who was five years his junior, made it to old age. Joan continued to thrive for another 30 years after William’s death in 1616. She died at the age of 77, which was a whole century in those days.

Joan Shakespeare (Sister)

Joan (1558–1558), the first child of the parents John and Marry, was christened in the month of September 1558. Two months later, though, she passed away. As the oldest sibling of William Shakespeare, she died six years before William’s birth.

She likely died during a typhus and influenza epidemic in 1559 and 1560. Another possible reason for her death is the bubonic plague.

This very contagious bubonic plague had at least a 30% mortality rate within two weeks of infection at the time. The disease led to lymph node enlargement (buboes) in the body.

Margaret Shakespeare (Sister)

Margaret (1562–1563), the second child of the Shakespeare family, was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. She was baptized on December 2, 1562, at Holy Trinity Church. She was Shakespeare’s second older sibling.

Margaret died five months after her birth, on April 30, 1563. Similar to his sister Joan, Margaret probably suffered from the bubonic plague, which scourged England at the time in 1563.

During the London Plague in 1563, more than 20,000 deaths were documented in the city and the surrounding parishes. About a quarter of London’s inhabitants lost their lives.

During the London Plague in 1563 more than 20,000 deaths were documented in the city and the surrounding parishes. About a quarter of London’s inhabitants lost their lives.

The baptismal record for Margaret is in Latin. From March 1558 to early 1561, the register was actually written in English.

Gilbert Shakespeare (Brother)

Little is known about Gilbert Shakespeare (1566–1612), William’s third (or first younger) sibling. It is believed that he worked as a haberdasher (a small dealer) in London during the 1590s and returned to Stratford around the year 1600.

At this time, Shakespeare’s 107-acre land purchase from John Combe in May 1602 was “seisin” (a formal procedure for taking possession) to him. He apparently never left Stratford and died there in February 1612, around the age of 46.

Gilbert Shakespeare was christened on October 13, according to documents in both London and Stratford. While working as a haberdasher in the London parish of St. Bride’s in 1597, he held surety for William Sampson, a clockmaker from Stratford.

On May 1, 1602, Gilbert accepted the land transfer on William’s behalf. The property was located in Old Stratford. A bill of complaint was initiated on November 21, 1609, against him and many others by Joan Bromley, a widow from Stratford.

Gilbert put his name to a Stratford lease as a witness on March 5th, 1610. On February 3, 1612, the burial of Gilbert Shakespeare was recorded in the Stratford register. He was never married.

Joan Shakespeare (Sister)

Shakespeare had two sisters of this name. As the second Joan of the Shakespeares (the parents might have referred to the Second Coming of Joan of Arc), she was the only sibling of William who lived longer than him, to the old age of 77.

Joan (1569–1646) tied the knot with William Hart, a hatter, in the years leading up to 1600. William (1600–46; not the poet), Mary (1603–07), Thomas (1605–61), and Michael (1608–18) were the fruits of their marriage.

The burial of Joan’s husband took place on April 17, 1616, a week before William Shakespeare died. He was sued for debt in 1600 and 1601; that’s pretty much what we know about this husband.

In his will, Shakespeare bequeathed Joan the western house on Henley Street, where she was already residing, as well as twenty pounds and all of his clothing as an actor. This same house is designated as “Shakespeare’s Birthplace” today.

She passed away in 1646 as Shakespeare’s fourth (or second younger) sibling and was buried on November 4.

Her son Thomas, who had married in 1633, held the house after her passing. By her will, Shakespeare’s granddaughter Elizabeth Hall left that and the next house to Joan’s grandson, also named Thomas. Until Thomas Court purchased the houses in 1806, they stayed in the family.

A chair manufacturer named John Shakespeare Hart (1753–1800) is buried in Tewkesbury Abbey with a headstone that incorrectly identifies him as the sixth descendant of the poet Shakespeare. His son William and grandson Thomas are buried at the city’s Baptist burial ground.

Anne Shakespeare (Sister)

Anne Shakespeare (1571–1579) was baptized on September 28, 1571, and she was buried on April 4, 1579. Her parents paid 8 pennies for the “bell and pall” to take part in her funeral. A pall was a piece of fabric draped over a coffin or used to carry one. She was the last sibling (sister) of William Shakespeare.

Most of the information about her comes from the Chamberlain’s Account, published by the London Record Society.

Richard Shakespeare (Brother)

Young Richard Shakespeare (1574–1613) was christened on March 11, 1574, as the seventh child of the glover John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. He was the sixth (or fourth younger) sibling of William.

However, we pretty much lose track of him in history. All that is known about him is that on July 1, 1608, he was ordered to appear before the Stratford ecclesiastical court for an unnamed offense and was fined a shilling. It is believed to constitute Sabbath desecration. The fine was given to Stratford’s poor people.

He was laid to rest on February 4, 1613, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, at about the age of 38, the day following his brother Gilbert’s first anniversary of death.

Shakespeare’s grandfather was likely also named Richard Shakespeare and lived as a farmer in Snitterfield. This Richard Shakespeare was first mentioned in 1529 and passed away in 1560 or 1561.

Edmund Shakespeare (Brother)

The last of William Shakespeare’s siblings was given the name Edmund (1580–1607), presumably in honor of his uncle Edmund Lambert, to whom they had just mortgaged a portion of their inheritance—a house and land in Wilmcote.

The two children of that name were possibly goddaughters of Aunt Joan, Lambert’s wife. More than anyone else in the family, Edmund seems to have been influenced by his playwright brother. He followed William to London and started acting professionally. His acting company was never recorded, probably because he wasn’t all that significant.

Edmund does not seem to have attained any particular distinction in his field, but he was just 28 or 27 years old when he passed away on December 31, 1607.

He is said to have fathered an illegitimate child in London who was buried on August 12th, 1607, on the grounds of St. Giles Church outside Cripplegate, months before Edmund’s death.

His son appears as “Edward, son of Edward Shackspeere” in the documents recorded by the parish clerk. This shows the lack of desire to distinguish between names with similar sounds at the time, like Edward and Edmund.

A forenoon wail of the large bell signaled Edmund’s funeral only a few short months later, on New Year’s Eve, at the Southwark church of St. Mary Overy. This twenty-shilling funeral was rather pricey. The cost of a burial in the church’s graveyard was just two shillings, and the lower bell could only ring for a maximum of one shilling.

Evidently, Edmund was loved by his wealthy brother William. John Fletcher and Philip Massinger, the primary playwrights for the King’s Men—the acting company that William Shakespeare spent most of his career as a member of—would also be buried in this area, also known as St. Saviour’s.

Were Shakespeare and His Siblings Close?

Shakespeare’s upbringing in a reasonably well-to-do family in Stratford-upon-Avon would have encouraged a feeling of family unity; however, particular data regarding his connections with his other siblings is limited.

Possibly, as the oldest son, he should have helped and supported his younger siblings all the time. However, personal notes and letters were not as common or comprehensive in Shakespeare’s day. As a result, we have to piece together the details of his sibling relationships.

William tried to show his love for his siblings whenever possible. He once arranged a burial for his eldest brother Edmund that was 10 to 20 times more expensive and detailed than usual burials at the time.

Shakespeare gave his sister Joan, the only sibling he had at the time, a significant amount of money and a house in his will. William’s younger brother, Gilbert Shakespeare, was also deeply involved in his brother’s theatrical activities until his untimely death in 1612.