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Stanley, William (1561 - 1642)

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Born / Died

Birth Date: 1561-07-20 (baptism date)
Death Date: 1642-09-29

Parents

Marriages/Other Unions

  1. Vere, Elizabeth de (1575 - 1626/7)
    Type: marriage
    Union began: 1595-1-26
    Union ended: n.d.
    Note: Possibly married 24 or 26 June 1594

Siblings

Offspring

Primary Title

  • 15th Earl of Derby

Titles

  • 15th Earl of Derby
    Assumed: 1594-04-16
    Vacated: 1642-09-29
  • Lord of the Isle of Man
    Assumed: 1609-07-07 (date confirmed)
    Vacated: 1642-09-29
  • Knight of the Garter
    Assumed: 1601-05-26
    Vacated: 1642-09-29

General Lands Note

Ownership of Stanley lands disputed between William and his brother Ferdinando's wife and daughters; settlement reached 1600--2; confirmed by Act of Parliament 1607

Details of Offices

Began Ended Notes
Chamberlain, County Palatine of Chester 1603 -10 -30 1610
Mayor, Lancashire 1603
Privy Councillor, England 1603 -3 1603 -05
Lord Lieut, Lancashire 1607 -12 -22 (for life) 1642 -09 -29 Held solely, then jointly with son James from 12 Dec. 1626
Lord Lieut, Cheshire 1607 -12 -22 (for life) 1642 -09 -29 Held solely, then jointly with son James from 12 Dec. 1626
Council Member, Marches of Wales 1617
Vice Admiral, Cheshire 1619 1638
Vice Admiral, Lancashire 1619 1638
Chamberlain, County Palatine of Chester 1626 -10 -23 (for life) 1642 -09 -29 Held jointly with son James
Steward, Lancashire 1627 -11 -30 Held jointly
High Forester, Cheshire 1640 -11 -2

Details of Properties

Residence

  • Greenhalgh Castle, Lancashire
    Acquired: 1594-04
    Divested: 1642-09
    Patrimony (via brother)
  • Bidston Hall, Cheshire
    (Performance Venue)
    Acquired: 1594-04
    Patrimony (via brother)
  • Lathom House, Lancashire
    (Performance Venue)
    Acquired: 1594-04
    Divested: 1642-09
    Patrimony (via brother)
  • New Park (Halton Castle), Lancashire
    (Performance Venue)
    Acquired: 1594-04
    Divested: 1642-09
    Patrimony (via brother)
  • Knowsley Hall, Lancashire
    (Performance Venue)
    Acquired: 1594-04
    Divested: 1642-09
    Patrimony (via brother)

Lands

  • Bedfordshire
    Minor holdings
  • Berkshire
    Divested: 1604
    Minor holdings: Most sold 1596--1604
  • Buckinghamshire
    Minor holdings
  • Cheshire
    Patrimony: Major holdings; sold substantial portion 1597--9
  • Cumberland
    Minor holdings
  • Devon
    Divested: 1604
    Minor holdings: Sold ca. 1596--1604
  • Dorset
    Divested: 1597
    Minor holdings: Sold
  • Flintshire
    Minor holdings: Most sold 1596--1599
  • Hertfordshire
    Minor holdings
  • Huntingdonshire
    Minor holdings
  • Lancashire
    Patrimony: Major holdings; sold substantial portions 1596--1604
  • Isle of Man
  • Middlesex
    Divested: 1604
    Minor holdings: Sold
  • Northamptonshire
    Minor holdings
  • Oxfordshire
    Divested: 1604
    Minor holdings: Sold 1596--1604
  • Rutland
    Minor holdings
  • Shropshire
    Patrimony: Major holdings. Lordship reverted to th
  • Shropshire
    Patrimony: Major holdings
  • Somerset
    Divested: 1601
    Minor holdings: Sold 1598--1601
  • Surrey
    Divested: 1602
    Minor holdings: Sold 1598 and 1602
  • Warwickshire
    Minor holdings
  • Westmorland
    Minor holdings
  • Wiltshire
    Minor holdings
  • Yorkshire: North Riding
    Minor holdings
  • Yorkshire: West Riding
    Minor holdings

Event Naming Patron

Event Type Date Location Troupe
Performance - Coventry (Unknown), Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Bearward
Performance - Coventry (Unknown), Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Bearward
Performance - Coventry (Unknown), Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Bearward
Performance - Coventry (Unknown), Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Bearward
Performance - Coventry (Unknown), Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Bearward
Performance - Common Hall, York, York (city-county) in Yorkshire Earl of Derby's Player/s
Performance - Lyme Park, Lyme Park, Cheshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Common Hall, Norwich, Norwich (city-county) in Norfolk Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Canterbury (Unknown), Canterbury, Kent Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Boothall, Gloucester, Gloucestershire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Guildhall, Oxford, Oxfordshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Guildhall, Bath, Somerset Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Guildhall, Bristol, Bristol (city-county) in Gloucestershire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Guildhall, Bath, Somerset Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Guildhall, Bristol, Bristol (city-county) in Gloucestershire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Town Hall, Kendal, Westmorland Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Leominster (Unknown), Leominster, Herefordshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance Regulations - Norwich (Unknown), Norwich, Norwich (city-county) in Norfolk Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Guildhall, Faversham, Kent Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Congleton (Unknown), Congleton, Cheshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Guildhall (2), Barnstaple, Devon Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Town Hall, Kendal, Westmorland Earl of Derby's Players
Dismissal - Louth (Unknown), Louth, Lincolnshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Congleton (Unknown), Congleton, Cheshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Shire Hall, Stafford, Staffordshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Gawthorpe Hall, near Padiham, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Gawthorpe Hall, near Padiham, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Gawthorpe Hall, near Padiham, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Dunkenhalgh Hall, near Blackburn, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Gawthorpe Hall, near Padiham, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Congleton (Unknown), Congleton, Cheshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Dunkenhalgh Hall, near Blackburn, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Congleton (Unknown), Congleton, Cheshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Gawthorpe Hall, near Padiham, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Dunkenhalgh Hall, near Blackburn, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, Coventry (city-county) in Warwickshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Leominster (Unknown), Leominster, Herefordshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Congleton (Unknown), Congleton, Cheshire Earl of Derby's Players
Performance - Dunkenhalgh Hall, near Blackburn, Lancashire Earl of Derby's Players

Patronized Troupes

Troupe Name Patron Troupe Type # of events
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Players Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Bearward Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Performing Animals 1
Earl of Derby's Bearward Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Performing Animals 1
Earl of Derby's Bearward Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Performing Animals 1
Earl of Derby's Bearward Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Performing Animals 1
Earl of Derby's Bearward Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Performing Animals 1
Earl of Derby's Player/s Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Players 1
Earl of Derby's Servant Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Acrobats/Physical Feats 1
Earl of Derby's Trumpeter Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Musicians 1
Earl of Derby's Trumpeters Stanley, William (1561 - 1642) Musicians 1

Owned Venues

Venue Name County Type
Bidston Hall Cheshire Private Residence
Knowsley Hall Lancashire Private Residence
Lathom House Lancashire Private Residence
New Park Lancashire Private Residence

Bibliographic Sources

View a list of abbreviations.

  • 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
  • Coward, Barry. Stanleys, Lords Stanley, and Earls of Derby, 1385--1672. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1983
  • The Dictionary of National Biography. 1882–1901 (66 vols); 1908–9 (28 vols). 2 vols. London: Oxford UP, 1975
  • Doyle, James E. The Official Baronage of England Showing the Succession, Dignities, and Offices of Every Peer from 1066 to 1885. 3 vols. London: Longmans, 1886
  • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  • Sainty, J.C. Lieutenants of Counties, 1585–1642. London: Athlone P, 1970
  • The Victoria History of the County of Lancaster. 8 vols. London: Archibald Constable, 1906--14