Richard Cecil († 1553)

Detail of his tomb.

Richard Cecil (* around 1495; † March 19, 1553 in Westminster (London) ) was an English nobleman and courtier .

He was the eldest son and heir to David Cecil , lord of Burghley in Northamptonshire . His father was of Welsh descent, became a courtier under King Henry VIII and was High Sheriff of Northamptonshire from 1532 to 1533 . Richard also made a career as a courtier under Henry VIII. In 1517 he was a royal page. In 1520 he was present at the Camp du Drap d'Or . He received the court office of the Groom of the Robes and was Constable of Warwick Castle . In 1539 he became High Sheriff of Rutland . He received a share of the looting of monasteries as part of the Reformation in England.

family

He married Jane Heckington, the daughter and heiress of William Heckington, lord of Bourne in Lincolnshire . With her he had a son and heir, as well as three daughters:

• William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (1520–1598), ⚭ (1) Mary Cheke, ⚭ (2) Mildred Cooke;
• Margaret Cecil, ⚭ (1) Roger Cave, ⚭ (1) Ambrose Smythe, lord of Husbands Bosworth in Leicestershire ;
• Elizabeth Cecil, ⚭ (1) Robert Wingfield, ⚭ (2) Hugh Alington;
• Anne Cecil ⚭ Thomas White († 1580), landlord of Tuxford in Nottinghamshire .

Grave of Sir Richard Cecil in St Martin's Church, Stamford

When Richard died, he left his son extensive estates, particularly in Rutland and Northamptonshire. He died in his home on Canon Row in the City of Westminster and was buried in St Margaret's Church there. His wife Jane was widowed for 35 years and died on March 10, 1587. A tomb was built for Richard and Jane in St Martin's Church in Stamford near his family home in Burghley .

Literature and web links

• George Ravenscroft Dennis: The Cecil Family . Houghton Mifflin Company., 1914 ( google.com [accessed May 26, 2020]).
• Cecil, William, first Baron Burghley (1520 / 21–1598), royal minister. Retrieved May 26, 2020 (English). 
• Richard Cecil on thepeerage.com