William Norreys
Encyclopedia
Sir William Norreys was a famous Lancastrian soldier
, and later an Esquire
of the Body to King Edward IV
.
Probably born at Yattendon Castle
, William was the eldest son of Sir John Norreys of Ockwells
and Yattendon
and Lady Alice Merbrook
, Lady of the Garter
. Upon the death of his father, he inherited all of the family's properties, including Yattendon Castle
, but excluding Ockwells
, which he inherited in 1494 upon the death of his stepmother.
soldier in the Royal Army
during the Wars of the Roses
. He was knight
ed by King Henry VI
at the Battle of Northampton
, on 10 July 1460, when he was 20 years old. He was present at the Battle of Towton
, on 29 March 1461, the largest and bloodiest battle of the wars. Though he survived the battle, when so few Lancastrians
did, he was forced to make peace with the recently proclaimed King Edward IV
.
of both the Royal manors of Cookham
and Bray
, adjoining his family estate of Ockwells
. He was later appointed steward
of nearby Foliejon Manor in Winkfield
, in 1474.
He was appointed Sheriff
of Oxfordshire
and Berkshire
in 1468, positions he also held in 1482 and 1486. In 1467, he became Justice of the Peace
for Berkshire
. In 1469, Sir William was made Esquire
of the Body to King Edward IV
.
During the rebellion of 1470, begun by Warwick
, the 'Kingmaker', which briefly re-instated Henry VI
as king, William may have fought on King Edward's
side for he retained his position at court.
He participated in the Battle of Barnet
on 14 April 1471.
, William reverted to his anti-Yorkist
sympathies. In October 1483, he joined his younger brother, John, in the Duke of Buckingham's
rebellion.
The Duke assembled his forces at Brecon
, while Sir William, accompanied by Sir William Berkeley of Beaverstone and Sir Richard Woodville
, gathered rebels at Newbury
. Buckingham was, however, captured and executed. William fled West
when a reward was offered for his capture. He was eventually rounded up in Devon
and arrested, but escaped to Brittany
. There he joined the forces of the Lancastrian Earl of Richmond
.
, and commanded a troop at the Battle of Bosworth
, on 22 August 1485, when King Richard III
was killed and Richmond claimed the Throne as King Henry VII
. William was richly rewarded for his loyalty.
On 16 June 1487, he commanded the Royal Forces, including his son, Sir Edward Norreys, at the Battle of Stoke Field
against Lambert Simnel
. His son died shortly afterwards.
He was Bailiff
for Queen Elizabeth
in 1488. He was reinstated as Justice of the Peace
for Berkshire
in 1494. He gave legal advice to the King
in 1502, which brought him the appointment as custodian of the manor of Langley
, and Steward of the manors of Burford
, Shipton
, Spelsbury
and the Hundred of Chadlington
(all in Oxfordshire
). In 1504, he added the stewardships of Newbury
and Stratfield Mortimer
to his offices. He became Steward to the Chancellor of Oxford University
in 1505.
. According to the Heralds' Visitations, they had six children, four sons and two daughters, possibly born at Yattendon Castle
:
On 25 April 1472, he married Isabel, Marchioness of Montagu (1441 Cambridgeshire
- 25 May 1476 buried: Bisham
), daughter and co-heiress of Sir Edmund Ingoldesthorpe (1421–1456) and Joanna Tiptopf (1425–1494), and the widow of the 1st Marquess of Montagu
. She had 7 children from that marriage; two sons and five daughters.
The couple had a single child, and Isabel died after only four years of marriage:
William married for a third time, around 1478, to Joan Horne, daughter of Alderman
Robert Horne of London
and Joan Fabian. They had one son and four daughters:
William's eldest son, Edward, had died in 1487. This left Edward's eldest son, John, as William's heir. On William's death, in 1507, John inherited the Norreys
family estates.
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
, and later an Esquire
Esquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
of the Body to King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
.
Probably born at Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle was a fortified manor house located in the civil parish of Yattendon, in the hundred of Faircross, in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
, William was the eldest son of Sir John Norreys of Ockwells
Ockwells
Ockwells Manor is a timber-framed 15th century manor house in the civil parish of Cox Green, adjoining Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire. It was previously in the parish of Bray....
and Yattendon
Yattendon
Yattendon is a village and civil parish northeast of Newbury, Berkshire. The M4 motorway passes about south of the village.-Geography:Yattendon stretches from Everington in the west to the hamlet of Burnt Hill in the east and the woodland just east of Yattendon Court, including Mumgrove Copse,...
and Lady Alice Merbrook
Alice Norreys
Alice, Lady Norreys was an English Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter....
, Lady of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. Upon the death of his father, he inherited all of the family's properties, including Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle was a fortified manor house located in the civil parish of Yattendon, in the hundred of Faircross, in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
, but excluding Ockwells
Ockwells
Ockwells Manor is a timber-framed 15th century manor house in the civil parish of Cox Green, adjoining Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire. It was previously in the parish of Bray....
, which he inherited in 1494 upon the death of his stepmother.
Wars of the Roses
William was a LancastrianHouse of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
soldier in the Royal Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed by King Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
at the Battle of Northampton
Battle of Northampton (1460)
The Battle of Northampton was a battle in the Wars of the Roses, which took place on 10 July 1460.-Background:The Yorkist cause seemed finished after the previous disaster at Ludford Bridge...
, on 10 July 1460, when he was 20 years old. He was present at the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
, on 29 March 1461, the largest and bloodiest battle of the wars. Though he survived the battle, when so few Lancastrians
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
did, he was forced to make peace with the recently proclaimed King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
.
New monarchy
Like his father, William adjusted to the new monarchy. By August 1461, he was appointed StewardSteward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
of both the Royal manors of Cookham
Cookham
Cookham is a village and civil parish in the north-easternmost corner of Berkshire in England, on the River Thames, notable as the home of the artist Stanley Spencer. It lies north of Maidenhead close to the border with Buckinghamshire...
and Bray
Bray, Berkshire
Bray, sometimes known as Bray on Thames, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It stands on the banks of the River Thames, just south-east of Maidenhead. It is famous as the village mentioned in the song The Vicar of Bray...
, adjoining his family estate of Ockwells
Ockwells
Ockwells Manor is a timber-framed 15th century manor house in the civil parish of Cox Green, adjoining Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire. It was previously in the parish of Bray....
. He was later appointed steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
of nearby Foliejon Manor in Winkfield
Winkfield
Winkfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest unitary authority of Berkshire, England.-Geography:According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 15,271...
, in 1474.
He was appointed Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and Berkshire
High Sheriff of Berkshire
The High Sheriff of Berkshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'....
in 1468, positions he also held in 1482 and 1486. In 1467, he became Justice of the Peace
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 Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. In 1469, Sir William was made Esquire
Esquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
of the Body to King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
.
During the rebellion of 1470, begun by Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
, the 'Kingmaker', which briefly re-instated Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
as king, William may have fought on King Edward's
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
side for he retained his position at court.
He participated in the Battle of Barnet
Battle of Barnet
The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV...
on 14 April 1471.
Rebellion and exile
In 1483, shortly after the July crowning of King Richard IIIRichard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, William reverted to his anti-Yorkist
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
sympathies. In October 1483, he joined his younger brother, John, in the Duke of Buckingham's
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG played a major role in Richard III of England's rise and fall. He is also one of the primary suspects in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower...
rebellion.
The Duke assembled his forces at Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
, while Sir William, accompanied by Sir William Berkeley of Beaverstone and Sir Richard Woodville
Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Richard Woodville , 1st Earl Rivers, KG was an English nobleman, best remembered as the father of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV....
, gathered rebels at Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
. Buckingham was, however, captured and executed. William fled West
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
when a reward was offered for his capture. He was eventually rounded up in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and arrested, but escaped to Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. There he joined the forces of the Lancastrian Earl of Richmond
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
.
Return
He returned to England, with the Earl of RichmondHenry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, and commanded a troop at the Battle of Bosworth
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
, on 22 August 1485, when King Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
was killed and Richmond claimed the Throne as King Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
. William was richly rewarded for his loyalty.
On 16 June 1487, he commanded the Royal Forces, including his son, Sir Edward Norreys, at the Battle of Stoke Field
Battle of Stoke Field
The Battle of Stoke Field may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was to be the last engagement in which a Lancastrian king faced an army of Yorkist supporters, under the pretender Lambert Simnel...
against Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel was a pretender to the throne of England. His claim to be the Earl of Warwick in 1487 threatened the newly established reign of King Henry VII .-Early life:...
. His son died shortly afterwards.
He was Bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
for Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
in 1488. He was reinstated as Justice of the Peace
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 Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
in 1494. He gave legal advice to the King
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
in 1502, which brought him the appointment as custodian of the manor of Langley
Langley, Slough
Langley is a large village in the unitary authority of Slough, Berkshire in South East England. It is situated 2 miles east of central Slough, and 20 miles west of London...
, and Steward of the manors of Burford
Burford
Burford is a small town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in west Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford, southeast of Cheltenham and only from the Gloucestershire boundary...
, Shipton
Shipton-under-Wychwood
Shipton under Wychwood is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode valley about north of Burford, Oxfordshire. The village is one of several named after the ancient forest of Wychwood. The others are Milton-under-Wychwood immediately to the west of the village and Ascott-under-Wychwood about to...
, Spelsbury
Spelsbury
Spelsbury is a village and civil parish about north of Charlbury and about southeast of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Spelsbury stands on a narrow hill between the Coldron and Taston brooks overlooking the River Evenlode and the ancient Wychwood Forest to the north.-History:The toponym is...
and the Hundred of Chadlington
Chadlington
Chadlington is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode Valley about south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. The village comprises five "ends" - almost individual hamlets in their own right - called Greenend, Brookend, Westend, Millend, and Eastend....
(all in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
). In 1504, he added the stewardships of Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
and Stratfield Mortimer
Stratfield Mortimer
Stratfield Mortimer is a village and civil parish, just south of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire.Strictly speaking, the village of Stratfield Mortimer sits at the foot of Mortimer Hill which rises westward from the Foudry Brook. The much larger, and better known, village of Mortimer...
to his offices. He became Steward to the Chancellor of Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1505.
Marriages and issue
In 1461, William married Lady Jane de Vere (d. before 1471), sister of the 13th Earl of OxfordJohn de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford , the second son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth Howard, was one of the principal Lancastrian commanders during the English Wars of the Roses...
. According to the Heralds' Visitations, they had six children, four sons and two daughters, possibly born at Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle was a fortified manor house located in the civil parish of Yattendon, in the hundred of Faircross, in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
:
- Sir Edward Norreys (c. 1464 - 1487)
- Elizabeth Norreys, married Gilbert Bullock of ArborfieldArborfieldArborfield is a village in Berkshire about south-east of Reading, about west of Wokingham, and about west of the sister village of Arborfield Cross The village is on the A327 road linking Reading...
Hall in Berkshire - Richard Norreys (c. 1465 - c. 1522) of West Shefford in Berkshire
- Margaret Norreys (d. 22 January 1518), married Thomas Rogers and Sir Thomas FettiplaceFettiplaceFettiplace is an English family name of Norman descent, with at least 800 years of history. They were landed gentry, chiefly in the counties of Berkshire and Oxfordshire.-Origin:...
of Compton BeauchampCompton BeauchampCompton Beauchamp is a hamlet and civil parish southeast of Shrivenham in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Location:...
in Berkshire (c. 1461-1523). - William Norreys
- George Norreys
On 25 April 1472, he married Isabel, Marchioness of Montagu (1441 Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
- 25 May 1476 buried: Bisham
Bisham
Bisham is a village and civil parish in the Windsor and Maidenhead district of Berkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,149. The village is on the River Thames, north of which is Marlow in Buckinghamshire...
), daughter and co-heiress of Sir Edmund Ingoldesthorpe (1421–1456) and Joanna Tiptopf (1425–1494), and the widow of the 1st Marquess of Montagu
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu KG was a Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses, best-known for eliminating Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV of England....
. She had 7 children from that marriage; two sons and five daughters.
The couple had a single child, and Isabel died after only four years of marriage:
- [A son] Norreys (born c. 1474); died in infancy
William married for a third time, around 1478, to Joan Horne, daughter of Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
Robert Horne of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Joan Fabian. They had one son and four daughters:
- Lionel Norreys (c. 1480 - 1537)
- Catherine Norreys (born c. 1481), married Sir John Langford of AldworthAldworthAldworth is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, close to the modern northern county boundary with Oxfordshire. It is in the rural area between Reading, Newbury and Streatley. The parish includes the neighbouring hamlet of Westridge Green.Aldworth is on the high...
in Berkshire - Anne Norreys (born c. 1482), married Thomas Wroughton
- Jane Norreys (born c. 1483), married John Cheney of West WoodhayWest WoodhayWest Woodhay is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire.It is located in the West Berkshire district, on the Berkshire-Hampshire border, south-west of Newbury, between Inkpen and Ball Hill. The eastern slopes of Walbury Hill, the highest point in South East England, are located...
in Berkshire - They were parents of John Cheney MP - Elizabeth Norreys (born c. 1484), married William Farmer of SomertonSomerton, OxfordshireSomerton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, in the Cherwell valley about northwest of Bicester.-Early history:More than a dozen Saxon or early Mediaeval graves have been discovered in the yard of Somerton's former Free School....
in Oxfordshire
William's eldest son, Edward, had died in 1487. This left Edward's eldest son, John, as William's heir. On William's death, in 1507, John inherited the Norreys
Norreys
Norreys may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork....
family estates.