Elizabeth Barnard


Elizabeth, Lady Barnard was the granddaughter of the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. Despite two marriages, she had no children, and was his last surviving descendant.
Elizabeth was closely associated with the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. Both her husbands were dedicated supporters of Charles I.

Early life

Elizabeth Hall was born to Susanna Hall and Doctor John Hall. She was baptised in the Holy Trinity Church of Stratford-upon-Avon, England. She was the only grandchild William Shakespeare ever knew, because her three cousins were born after his death in 1616.

First marriage

Second marriage

On 5 June 1649, eighteen months after her husband's death, Elizabeth married John Barnard of Abington, near Northampton. Barnard was a widower with several children. It is not known how they met, since he did not live near Stratford, but it was most likely through Elizabeth's Royalist connections. Like Nash, he had been a strong supporter of the Royalists in the Civil War. Five weeks after the marriage, Elizabeth's mother Susanna died. As a result, Elizabeth inherited the Shakespeare family property. The couple moved to Stratford, to live in New Place.
As a staunch Royalist, Barnard's social position improved dramatically after the Restoration in 1660. He was knighted on 25 September 1661, thus giving his wife the title Lady Barnard. They left Stratford to move into the Barnard family home in Abington. The couple had no children.
In February 1662, Judith Quiney died in Stratford-upon-Avon, making Elizabeth Barnard the last descendant of William Shakespeare. She wrote her will on 29 January 1669, which did not give much to her husband, Sir John Barnard. Elizabeth died at Abington, Northamptonshire on 17 February 1670. There is a memorial plaque in the Church of Saint Peter & Paul, Abington, where she is buried.
The family home of Sir John and Lady Barnard is now a museum, Abington Park Museum, and the grounds are now a park in the town of Northampton.