Sir William Killigrew was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

  at various times between 1571 and 1614. He was chamberlain of the exchequer between 1605 and 1608.

Killigrew was the fifth son of John Killigrew of Arwennack and his wife Elizabeth Trewinnard

Elizabeth Trewinnard

Elizabeth Trewinnard, Lady Killigrew , was an aristocratic Cornish woman and an accused pirate during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was the wife of Sir John Killigrew of Arwenack, Cornwall. She and her husband received and stored stolen goods at their home, Arwenack House...

, daughter of James Trewinnard of Trewenard. In 1571, he was elected Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Grantham

Grantham (UK Parliament constituency)

Grantham was a Parliamentary constituency in Lincolnshire, England.The constituency was created in 1468 as a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until the union with Scotland, and then to the Parliament of Great Britain...

 and in 1572 he was elected MP for Helston

Helston (UK Parliament constituency)

Helston, sometimes known as Helleston, was a parliamentary borough centred on the small town of Helston in Cornwall.Using the bloc vote system of election, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and...

. He became feodary and escheator for the Duchy of Cornwall and constable of Launceston Castle in 1576 by which year he was groom of the Privy Chamber. In 1578 he was farmer of the profits from seals in Queen’s Bench and the Court of Common Pleas. He was commissioner for musters for Cornwall by 1582 and was a J.P.

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 for Cornwall from 1583 to 1587. In 1584 he was elected MP for Penryn

Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)

Penryn was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1553 until 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to until 1832...

. He was receiver for Devon and Cornwall by 1588 and was commissioner for goods from Madre de Dios

Madre de Dios

Madre de Dios is a fairly common Spanish designation for the Virgin Mary, literally meaning "mother of God". It can refer to:-Places:* Madre de Dios Island, Chile* Madre de Dios Mine, Chile* Madre de Dios Province, Bolivia* Madre de Dios Region, Peru...

 in 1592. In 1593 he was elected MP for Fowey

Fowey (UK Parliament constituency)

Fowey was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1571 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...

. He was commissioner acting treasurer of the chamber in 1595 and commissioner for goods from Cadiz

Cádiz

Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....

 in 1596. In 1597 he was elected MP for Cornwall

Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)

Cornwall is a former county constituency covering the county of Cornwall, in the South West of England. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...

. He was knighted in 1603. In 1604 he became MP for Liskeard

Liskeard (UK Parliament constituency)

Liskeard was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.- History :...

. From 1605 to 1608 he was Chamberlain of the Exchequer. In 1614 he was elected MP for Penryn again.

Killigrew died in 1622 and was buried in St. Margaret’s, Lothbury near his brother Henry

Henry Killigrew (diplomat)

Sir Henry Killigrew was an English diplomat and ambassador in the sixteenth century. He was several times employed by Elizabeth I in Scottish affairs and served as a member of the Council of States in the United Provinces in 1586 and 1587-1589....

.

Killigrew married after 1611, Margaret or Margery who was widow of Robert Woolman and of John Leigh, and was daughter of Thomas Saunders of Uxbridge, Middlesex. He had at least one son, Robert.