Which of Shakespeare's children was his eldest daughter?

Susanna Hall was Shakespeare’s eldest daughter. Born Susanna Shakespeare in 1583, she was the first child of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, older than the twins Hamnet and Judith, who were born in 1585.

Susanna was baptised at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on 26 May 1583. She later married John Hall, a respected Stratford physician, in 1607. Their only child, Elizabeth Hall, became Shakespeare’s only grandchild known to have lived into adulthood.

Shakespeare’s will left most of his property to Susanna and her male heirs, including New Place, his main Stratford home. That inheritance reflects her position as his elder surviving child, although the wording also created complicated legal provisions for the family.

A common mix-up is Elizabeth Hall: Elizabeth was Susanna’s daughter and Shakespeare’s granddaughter, not his daughter. Judith Quiney was Shakespeare’s younger daughter and Hamnet’s twin. Susanna died in 1649 and was buried at Holy Trinity beside her parents.