Skip to main content

Fitzwilliam, William (1490 - 1542)

Tag this record

Born / Died

Birth Date: 1490
Death Date: 1542-10-15

Notes

Resident at court from ca. 1500 as Prince Henry's companion

Parents

Marriages/Other Unions

  1. Type: marriage
    Union began: 1513-11
    Union ended: n.d.
  2. Type: other
    Union began: n.d.
    Union ended: n.d.
    Note: unmarried

Siblings

Male

  • Fitzwilliam, Richard ( - )
  • Fitzwilliam, Edward ( - )
  • Fitzwilliam, Anthony ( - )

Female

  • Fitzwilliam, Margaret ( - )
  • Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth ( - )

Titles

  • 1st Earl of Southampton
    Assumed: 1537-10-18
    Vacated: 1542-10-15
  • Knight
    Assumed: 1513-09-25
    Vacated: 1542-10-15
  • Knight of the Garter
    Assumed: 1526-04-24
    Vacated: 1542-10-15

Details of Offices

Began Ended Notes
Keeper, Surrey 1511
Steward, Surrey 1511
Steward, Surrey 1511
Bailiff, Surrey 1513
Keeper, Surrey 1513 -4 -30
JP, Surrey 1515 1542
Keeper, Surrey 1516
Keeper, Surrey 1516 (probably began office around this year)
JP, Kent 1518 1542
JP, Middlesex 1518 1537
JP, Lincolnshire 1519 1542
JP, Essex 1520 1542
Vice Admiral, England 1520 -5 -31
Privy Councillor, England 1522 -4 1542
Treasurer of the Household, England 1525 -10 1539
Captain, France 1526 1530
Keeper, Surrey 1527
Keeper, Durham 1527
Master of the King's Harriers, England 1527
Keeper, Berkshire 1528/9 -1 -29 Held jointly
Chancellor, Duchy of Lancaster 1529 -11 -3 1542 -10 -15
MP, Surrey 1529
Warden and Chief Justice in Eyre of Forests, North of Trent 1529
Commissioner of Gaol Delivery, Surrey 1530
JP, Cambridgeshire 1530 1539
JP, Yorkshire 1530 1542
JP, Devon 1530 1542
JP, Derbyshire 1530 1542
JP, Westmorland 1530/1
JP, Sussex 1530/1 1532
JP, Suffolk 1530/1
JP, Staffordshire 1530/1 1532
JP, Somerset 1530/1
JP, Shropshire 1530/1
JP, Rutland 1530/1
JP, Oxfordshire 1530/1
JP, Gloucestershire 1530/1
JP, Hampshire 1530/1
JP, Huntingdonshire 1530/1
JP, Northumberland 1530/1 1532
JP, Northamptonshire 1530/1
JP, Nottinghamshire 1530/1
JP, Leicestershire 1530/1
JP, Norfolk 1530/1
Commissioner of Gaol Delivery, England 1531 Location unknown
JP, Worcestershire 1531 1532
JP, Wiltshire 1531 1532
JP, Warwickshire 1531 1532
JP, Yorkshire: East Riding 1531/2
JP, Cornwall 1531/2
High Steward, Oxfordshire 1532 1542 -10 -15
Steward, Sussex 1535 -12 -10
Constable, Yorkshire: West Riding 1536
JP, Staffordshire 1536
JP, Northumberland 1536
JP, Yorkshire: North Riding 1536
JP, Dorset 1536 1540
JP, Yorkshire: East Riding 1536
JP, Cornwall 1536 1538
JP, Oxfordshire 1536 1537
JP, Rutland 1536
JP, Shropshire 1536
JP, Huntingdonshire 1536
Lord High Admiral, England 1536 -8 -16 1540 -07 -28
MP, Surrey 1536 Possibly held this office
JP, Wiltshire 1536/7 1539
JP, Westmorland 1536/7
JP, Worcestershire 1536/7 1540
JP, Warwickshire 1536/7 1539
JP, Nottinghamshire 1537 1538
JP, Gloucestershire 1537
JP, Yorkshire: West Riding 1537 1538
JP, Suffolk 1537 1539
JP, Cumberland 1537/8 1540
JP, Leicestershire 1537/8 1539
JP, Huntingdonshire 1537/8
JP, Somerset 1537/8 1541
JP, Northumberland 1537/8
JP, Sussex 1537/8
JP, Yorkshire: East Riding 1538
JP, Berkshire 1538
JP, Norfolk 1538
JP, Yorkshire: North Riding 1538 1540
JP, Staffordshire 1538
JP, Shropshire 1538 1539
JP, Northamptonshire 1538 1539
Warden, Hampshire 1538
JP, Middlesex 1539 1541
JP, Gloucestershire 1539 1540
Commissioner of Gaol Delivery, Northamptonshire 1539/40
JP, Hertfordshire 1539/40
JP, Yorkshire: West Riding 1539/40 1541
JP, Cornwall 1539/40
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Cornwall 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Yorkshire: North Riding 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Worcestershire 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Staffordshire 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Somerset 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Middlesex 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Lincolnshire 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Herefordshire 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Hampshire 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Gloucestershire 1540
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Devon 1540
JP, Herefordshire 1540 1541
JP, Cheshire 1540
JP, Hampshire 1540
JP, Northumberland 1540
JP, Nottinghamshire 1540
JP, Staffordshire 1540
JP, Westmorland 1540
JP, Lancashire 1540
Keeper of the Privy Seal, England 1540 -10 -27 1542 -10 -15
JP, Berkshire 1540/1
JP, Yorkshire: East Riding 1540/1
JP, Oxfordshire 1540/1
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Cumberland 1541/2
JP, Cumberland 1541/2
Capt-gen, England 1542
Lieut, England 1542

Details of Properties

Residence

  • Byfleet, Surrey
  • Guildford, Surrey
    Acquired: 1525
  • Cowdray, Sussex
    (Performance Venue)
    Acquired: 1528
    Purchased; did not occupy the house until 1535
  • Hampton Place, London (city-county)
    Acquired: 1539
    Divested: 1542-10
    Granted; reverted to Crown. Later known as Arundel House.

Lands

  • Berkshire
  • Devon
  • Dorset
  • Gloucestershire
  • Hampshire
  • Huntingdonshire
  • Northamptonshire
  • Oxfordshire
  • Somerset
  • Staffordshire
  • Surrey: Abingworth
    Acquired: 1511
  • Surrey: Claygate Manor
    Acquired: 1513
  • Surrey: Wonersh
    Acquired: 1511
  • Surrey: Worplesdon Manor
    Acquired: 1513
  • Sussex
  • Wiltshire
  • Yorkshire

Event Naming Patron

Event Type Date Location Troupe
Performance - Common Hall, York, York (city-county) in Yorkshire Lord Privy Seal's Players
Performance - Dover (Unknown), Dover, Kent Vice-admiral's Trumpeters

Patronized Troupes

Troupe Name Patron Troupe Type # of events
Lord Privy Seal's Players Fitzwilliam, William (1490 - 1542) Players 1
Vice-admiral's Trumpeters Fitzwilliam, William (1490 - 1542) Musicians 1

Owned Venues

Venue Name County Type
Cowdray House Sussex Private Residence

Bibliographic Sources

View a list of abbreviations.

  • Bindoff, S.T. The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1509–1558. 3 vols. London: Secker & Warburg, 1982
  • The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. 1887–98 (8 vols); 1910–59 (13 vols). 6 vols. Gloucester: Alan Sutton, 1982
  • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.