ccept him as the missing brother
of Sir John, and believe that it was through a careless mistake of the
heralds that the fesse chequy was struck out, and that the Shakespeares
resented the substitution of another in place of the arms to which they
had a right, and never accepted the grant. During the discussion John
Shakespeare died.

Page 27.--The pedigrees of those associated with the Ardens are worth
noting, and their wills might suggest connections.

Page 32.--It would be interesting to find and group the Warwickshire
Ardens who bore the three cross-crosslets and the chief or, for it has
never been done.

Page 35.--Thomas Arden was presented for owing suit of Court in 1526,
1529, 1531. (See Portfolio 207, Court Rolls, No. 88.)

Page 36.--Thomas and Robert Arden's purchase at Snitterfield had been
witnessed by John Wagstaff,[581] Richard Rushby, of Snitterfield,
Richard Atkins, of Wilmecote, John Alcokkes, of Newenham. The overseers
of Robert Arden's will were Adam Palmer,[582] of Wilmecote, Hugh
Porter,[583] of Snitterfield, and John Skerlett, of Wilmecote; the
witnesses, Sir William Bouton Curett, Adam Palmer, John Scarlet, Thomas
Jenkes, William Pitt. Adam Palmer was overseer of Mrs. Agnes Arden's
will, in conjunction with George Gibbes, who had, later, the lease of
Asbies from the Shakespeares at the time of its mortgage to Lambert.

Page 45.--A Thomas Mayo had a seat in the Church of St. Nicholas,
Warwick, 1595; an Elizabeth Mayo was buried there in 1596; and Henry
Maio in 1601. (See Churchwarden's Accounts of St. Nicholas, Warwick,
edited by Mr. Richard Savage.) The Webbes of Snitterfield appear among
the gentry of the country in 1580 (State Papers, Domestic Series, Eliz.,
c. xxxvii. 68).

Page 51.--It is difficult to imagine John Shakespeare making up the
bills for the other Chamberlains, or conducting so many financial
responsibilities, if he was unable to read and write, as well as reckon
well--as Halliwell-Phillipps says he was.

Page 52.--The goods of Richard Shakespeare were prised at L35 17s., and
the bond for their just administration entered into by John Shakespeare
and Thomas Nicols, of L100, seems disproportionably large, unless there
were some unusually heavy responsibilities attached. John Shakespeare
may very well have been termed a farmer if he had been brought up as
one, and if he had been superintending his father's farm at the time of
his death. In the description of a neighbouring far