John Brown, in whose favour a writ of distraint
was issued against Shakespeare in 1586. But the answer was returned that
"he had nothing whereon to distrain."

There are several reasons for believing that this John was not the
poet's father. The prefix Mr. is not used in the entries; it is certain
that he retained his freeholds in Henley Street all his life, and if he
had "no goods whereon to distrain," he could hardly have been received
as sufficient bail at Coventry, on July 19 of that year, for Michael
Price, tinker, of Stratford-on-Avon, or as security for his brother
Henry's debts. In 1586 he was removed from his office of alderman.[130]

Just in the year of the death of Edmund Lambert, when the possession of
money would have given him power to have renewed his efforts to regain
Asbies, Henry Shakespeare became a defaulter, and Nicholas Lane, by
Thomas Trussell, his attorney, sued John Shakespeare in his place, 1587.
William Court was his attorney in a weary case, which must have led both
sides into heavy costs, over the recovery of L22.[131]

On September 1, 1588, he paid a visit to John Lambert at
Barton-on-the-Heath, in the vain hope of inducing him to surrender
Asbies; instituted proceedings against those who owed him money in
Stratford, and, in 1589, against Lambert in the Queen's Bench at London,
probably acting in the latter case through William. From the inquisition
post-mortem of the Earl of Warwick, in 1590, we know Mr. John
Shakespeare still owned the two houses in Henley Street.

In 1592 Mr. John Shakespeare appraised the goods of two important
neighbours--of Ralph Shawe, wool-driver, July 23, and Henry Field,
tanner, August 21. Thomas Trussell, the attorney, drew up the inventory,
and denominated his associate as Mr. John Shaksper, _Senior_, for no
clear reason, but possibly to distinguish him from the shoemaker John.
The attestation is witnessed only by a cross. During this year Sir
Thomas Lucy and others were drawing up the lists of Warwickshire
recusants[132] that had been "heretofore presented." Among these they
included several members of the sorely-oppressed family of the Ardens of
Park Hall, and in Stratford-on-Avon "Mr. John Shackspere" and eight
others. Probably some friendly clerk, wishing to spare them fines,
added: "it is sayd that these last nine coom not to Churche for feare of
process for debte." But it is quite possible it might refer to John
Shakespeare the shoemaker, who, having b