Bill Shakespeare, a name hard to ignore
What’s in a name, William Shakespeare once asked, and the answer for William Gordon Shakespeare, from Greytown, was usually a bit of a laugh.
The 85-year-old died recently, and his wife, Judy, says his name was always a source of interest and a cause of friendly banter, wherever they went.
William, who was also known as Bill, was not a one-off in the Shakespeare clan that can trace its family history back to the 1700s in Warwickshire, also the home county of The Bard.
The first William appears in 1789, and the name has been a constant ever since. Bill has a son and a grandson named William Shakespeare, who are known as Willie and Wills, respectively.
Ironically, for a man who shared his name with one of the greatest wordsmiths, an Evening Post article noting his debut as a Wellington club rugby referee, described him as ‘‘a man of very few words’’.
The article, headlined ‘‘Club Rugby As You Like It’’, noted that William Shakespeare was refereeing a senior game between St Pat’s Old Boys and Poneke. Readers were reassured that: ‘‘No, the eminent Bard has not been reincarnated.’’
Born in Napier, his family came to New Zealand just before World War I and he grew up in Upper Hutt, attending Trentham Primary School and Petone Technical College.
His first job was at Hercock Brothers Crockery and Grocery store on Main St, Upper Hutt.
He would later go on to have a successful career at the Dunlop tyre factory in Upper Hutt, where he was sent to work in Birmingham, to gain experience, before going on to become general manager.
Throughout his life, he had a keen interest in horse breeding, despite being kicked by a horse when he was 16, and losing a kidney.
After Dunlops he became heavily involved in the annual yearling sales at Trentham, and later the Magic Millions.
Married twice, he had been with current wife Judy (nee Hercock) for 32 years.
A member of the waterside workers’ brass band in his youth, other interests included tennis, refereeing, rugby and golf.
Judy, however, says, it was always his name that caught people’s attention.
‘‘You might think it was unusual, but we just lived with it, and it was always quite a good conversation starter.’’
Travelling overseas, the name inevitably caused comment at passport control.
‘‘My favourite story was probably in Los Angeles, when I was asked if I was related to William Shakespeare and I said, ‘Yes, I am married to him,’ and then I was asked if he had written me any good poems lately, and I said ‘No, he is too busy in the garden’.’’
Despite his name, he was not keen on Shakespeare or his plays, she says.
‘‘He was much more interested in sport and music,’’ Judy says.
His brother, Noel, says the tradition of naming a son William has been long-established and it just seems natural to use it.
Although the family came from the same area as the Bard, he doubts they are directly related.
Born in 1564, the playwright and poet had only one son, Hamnet, and he died aged 11.
Like Judy, Noel says that wherever he went he got asked if he was related to William Shakespeare.
‘‘I would say, ‘Yes, of course I am’ – it really was a great conversation starter.’’
Ironically, their mother Edith (nee McBride) was a Shakespearean actor before meeting their father, William Elijah Shakespeare.
‘‘My mother had a great memory for lines and she could recall Shakespeare well into her 80s.’’