Hi Terry,

I think the important thing to remember is that until early in the last century, spelling was an adventure and not a science. So for a start Mc and Mac (and in some cases Mack) were the same thing. There are only 7 existing examples of William Shakespear's signature and in each case he spells his name differently. In one case it is 'Shakeshaft' rather than Shakespear.

Genealogical records being what they are, we can never be 100% sure who was who. If the time-line is more or less accurate and the area seems right then it probably is right.

Regards

Chas