Joan Shakespeare facts for kids

Joan Shakespeare (born in 1569 and died in 1646) was the younger sister of the famous writer William Shakespeare. She is special because her family line is the only one from Shakespeare's close relatives that continues to this day.

Joan's Life Story

Joan married a man named William Hart. He was a hatter, someone who made hats. They had four children together: William (born 1600), Mary (born 1603), Thomas (born 1605), and Michael (born 1608).

Not much is known about Joan's husband, William Hart. He passed away in April 1616. This was just a week before Joan's famous brother, William Shakespeare, also died. In his will, William Shakespeare left his sister Joan some money and clothes. He also gave her the right to live in part of their family home on Henley Street in Stratford. She paid a very small rent of one shilling each year. Joan lived in this house for the rest of her life. She passed away when she was 77 years old.

Her son William never got married. However, her other children, especially Thomas, had many descendants. These family members continued to live in Stratford until 1806. Thomas inherited the Henley Street house, which is now known as Shakespeare's Birthplace.

By the 1700s, Joan's descendants were proud to say they were related to William Shakespeare. For example, John Hart (who lived from 1755 to 1800) was called "the 6th descendant of the poet Shakespeare" on his gravestone. This gravestone is in Tewkesbury Abbey Churchyard in Gloucestershire.

Joan in Books

Sometimes, writers imagine what Joan Shakespeare's life might have been like.

In her essay A Room of One's Own, writer Virginia Woolf created a character named "Judith Shakespeare". This character was imagined as Shakespeare's sister. In real life, Shakespeare's daughter was named Judith. It's not known if Woolf made a mistake or did this on purpose. In Woolf's story, Judith is very talented at writing. However, she cannot get the same education as her brother because she is a girl. She tries to join a theatre group but is turned away because of her gender. The story shows the difficulties women faced in that time.

Joan also appears as a teenager in Laurie Lawlor's novel The Two Loves of Will Shakespeare (2006). In this book, Joan wants to be a poet. She feels frustrated by the rules that limit what women can do. She writes sonnets, and the story suggests her brother might have used one of her poems. In the book, she is also in love with Richard Field.