Mary Shakespeare Palmer, and the house was accordingly renamed Palmer's Farm. The house that had belonged to the Arden family – which was near to Palmer's Farm – had been acquired by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1968 for preservation as part of a farmyard, without knowing its true provenance. The house and farm are open as an historic museum displaying 16th century life. Mary Shakespeare Mary Shakespeare, née Arden, (c. 1537–1608) was the mother of William Shakespeare. She was the daughter of Wilmcote gentleman farmer Robert Arden, a cadet of the Arden family prominent in Warwickshire since before the Norman Conquest.
Leslie Arden Toronto Star has commented that her work is "beautifully crafted" and USA Today states she is a "major talent". She also wrote the Chalmers Award-winning "The Happy Prince". She collaborated with esteemed Canadian playwright Norm Foster for the musical "Ned Durango". It had its world premiere at Theatre Orangeville in May 2011. She was born Leslie Arden Jenkins in Beverly Hills, California to Canadian singer Cleone Duncan and her American performer husband, Paul Howard Jenkins. Her parents moved to Toronto and divorced when she was 6 years old. Arden says: "I was an only child and all my parents worked,