William Cecil, 16th Baron de Ros

William Cecil, 16th Baron de Ros (born May 1590 in Newark Castle , Nottinghamshire , † June 27, 1618 in Italy ) was an English peer . His marriage to Anne Lake resulted in a major scandal.

He was the only son of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter , from his first marriage to Elizabet Manners, 15th Baroness de Ros . He was baptized on June 4, 1590 . When his mother died a year later, he inherited her title as Baron de Ros , of Helmsley .

On February 13, 1616 he married Anne Lake, daughter of Sir Thomas Lake (1561-1630) and Mary Ryther. The marriage was shortly thereafter divorced , which led to a bitter feud between the families. It was about land the Cecil family owed the Lake family under the prenuptial agreement. Cecil challenged his brother-in-law Sir Arthur Lake, who was seen as the driving force behind the matter, to a duel , which the latter refused.

The allegations, which included adultery with his grandfather's second wife, Frances Brydges, were so grave that he felt it wiser to leave the country for some time. He was sent by King James I on a special mission to the Holy Roman Emperor . Thorough investigation concluded that all of the Lake family's charges against Cecil were fabricated. The Star Chamber therefore issued severe penalties. The matter was closed in 1621, three years after Cecil's death.

During a stay in Italy, Cecil died childless in 1618 at the age of 28 and before his father and grandfather. Hence the Earldom of Exeter went to his cousin , David Cecil . The Barony de Ros, which he had inherited from his mother, passed to his second uncle, Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland . Cecil's divorced wife, Anne, married George Rodney, landlord of Stoke Rodney, Somerset , and died in 1630.

literature

• Charles Mosley (Ed.): Burke's Peerage . Volume 1, Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, Wilmington 2003, p. 1363.

predecessor	Office	successor
Elisabeth Cecil	Baron de Ros 1591-1618	Francis Manners