(This plaque, rescued from a shop in Burford and restored by my uncle John Shakespeare, hung outside his house in Birmingham and, nowadays, outside my late aunt's home in Ringwood.)

What follows is entirely the work of my maternal cousin, Roy William Shakespeare, who is the genealogical head of the family and who has been a family historian far, far longer than I. My direct ancestors are shown in red.

I am descended from Joseph Shakepeare's first wife:

Places of birth or baptism were: Ipsley, Worcestershire (1651 - 1665); Studley, Warwickshire (1696 - 1733); Preston Bagot, Warwickshire (1757 - 1761); Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire (1777 - 1829); Birmingham (1840 onwards).

My maternal grandmother's family - Spargo of Gwennap, Cornwall - is worth a look.