Thomas Quiney

Thomas Quiney (baptised 26 February 1589 – c. 1662 or 1663) was the husband of William Shakespeare's daughter Judith Shakespeare, and a vintner and tobacconist in Stratford-upon-Avon. Quiney held several municipal offices in the corporation of Stratford-upon-Avon, the highest being chamberlain in 1621 and 1622, but was also fined for various minor offences.

In 1616, Quiney married Judith Shakespeare. The marriage took place during a season when a special licence was required by the church, and the couple had failed to obtain one, leading to Quiney's brief excommunication. Quiney was also summoned before the Bawdy Court less than two months after the wedding to answer charges of "carnal copulation" with a Margaret Wheeler, who died in childbirth. Scholars believe that as a result of these events William Shakespeare altered his will to favour his other daughter, Susanna Hall, and excluded Quiney from his inheritance.

Judith and Thomas had three children: Shakespeare, Richard, and Thomas. Shakespeare Quiney died at six months of age, and neither Richard nor Thomas lived past 21. The death of Judith's last child led to legal wrangling over William Shakespeare's will that lasted until 1652. Scholars speculate that Thomas Quiney may have died in 1662 or 1663 when the burial records are incomplete.

Birth and early life Quiney family coat of arms. "Or, on a bend sable, three trefoils slipped argent." Thomas Quiney was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised on 26 February 1589 in Holy Trinity Church. He was the son of Richard and Elizabeth Quiney. He had 10 siblings, among them a Richard Quiney who was a grocer in London, Mary Quiney who later married Richard Watts, the vicar of Harbury, and Elizabeth Quiney who married William Chandler. There is no record of Thomas Quiney's attendance at the local school, but he had sufficient education to write short passages in French, run a business, and hold several municipal offices in his life.

Business and municipal offices Quiney 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 of Stratford-upon-Avon as late as 1650.

Facsimile of Quiney's couplet in French for the accounts of 1622–23. He was a man of some education, with knowledge of French and calligraphy. In signing his accounts for 1621 and 1622 as chamberlain, he decorated them with a couplet in French from a romance by Mellin de Saint-Gelais.

Marriage Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, where Quiney was married. Viewed from the opposite bank of the River Avon. On 10 February 1616, Thomas Quiney married Judith Shakespeare, William Shakespeare's daughter, in Holy Trinity Church. The assistant vicar, Richard Watts, who later married Quiney's sister Mary, probably officiated. The wedding took place during the Lenten season, during which marriage was prohibited. In 1616 Lent started on 23 January, Septuagesima Sunday, and ended on 7 April, the Sunday after Easter. The marriage therefore required a special licence, issued by the Bishop of Worcester, which the couple had failed to obtain. (This same Walter Nixon was later involved in a Star Chamber case and was found guilty of forging signatures and taking bribes). who was to die in childbirth along with the child and was buried on 15 March 1616. On 26 March 1616, Quiney appeared before the Bawdy Court, which dealt, among other things, with "whoredom and uncleanliness". In the 20th century The Cage was for a time a Wimpy restaurant before being turned into the Stratford Information Office. In 1633, to protect the interests of Judith and the children, the lease was signed over to the trust of three relatives: John Hall, Susanna's husband; Thomas Nash, the husband of Judith's niece; and Richard Watts, vicar of nearby Harbury, who was Quiney's brother-in-law and who had officiated at Thomas and Judith's wedding. He first summoned his lawyer, Francis Collins, in January 1616. On 25 March he made further alterations, probably because he was dying and because of his concerns about Quiney. To this daughter he bequeathed £100 "in discharge of her marriage porcion"; another £50 if she were to relinquish the Chapel Lane cottage; and, if she or any of her children were still alive at the end of three years following the date of the will, a further £150, of which she was to receive the interest but not the principal. Shakespeare was named for his mother's father. Richard's name was common among the Quineys: his other grandfather and an uncle were both named Richard. Legal wrangling continued for another thirteen years, until 1652. He certainly had a nephew in London, who by this time held the lease to The Cage.