Fitzwilliam, William (1490 - 1542)

Born / Died

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

Notes

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

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

Titles

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

General Offices Note

JP in all but four counties from 1530

Details of Offices

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

Details of Properties

Residence

  • Hampton Place, London (city-county)
    Granted; reverted to Crown. Later known as Arundel House.
    Acquired: 1539
    Divested: 1542-10-15
  • Byfleet, Surrey
  • Guildford, Surrey
    Acquired: before 1525
  • Cowdray, Sussex
    Purchased; did not occupy the house until 1535
    Acquired: 1528

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

Events Naming Patron

Event Date Location Troupe
Performance 1540-1541 Common Hall, York , York (city-county) in Yorkshire Lord Privy Seal's Players
Performance 1522-1522 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 Venue Type
Cowdray House Sussex Private Residence

Bibliographic Sources

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. 01/05/2005 (http://www.oxforddnb.com)