William Fitzwilliam (merchant)

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Sir William Fitzwilliam (* around 1460; † between May 28 and September 5, 1534 ) was an English merchant who served several times as a royal official and rose to become a member of the gentry .

Origin and advancement as a businessman

William Fitzwilliam was possibly a younger son of John and Ellen Fitzwilliam of Milton and Greens Norton in Northamptonshire . He began his career in London in the service of the merchant Sir John Percyvale , husband of Dame Thomasine Percyvale . Eventually he was able to set up his own business as a cloth merchant and in May 1490 received approval for the Livery of the Merchant Taylors' Company . In 1494 and 1498 he was elected Warden of the Livery Company , and in 1499 he was elected Master . Later he also worked as a merchant in Calais . From 1503 he was Alderman on Broad Street in London. On behalf of his Livery Company, he is said to have received a new charter from King Henry VII in January 1503 . However, this new charter was extremely controversial as it encroached on the rights and responsibilities of other London Livery Companies. When Fitzwilliam wanted to run for sheriff of London in 1505 , his application was rejected by the City of London . The king then intervened and appointed him Sheriff of London for one year instead of the elected sheriff in 1506. Fitzwilliam was now so unpopular in London that the Lord Mayor and the Aldermen demanded from him in 1510 to take over the office of sheriff again for a year. When he refused, he lost his citizenship. For this he should pay a fine of 1000 marks . Although he regained his citizenship a little later and the sentence was waived by order of the Star Chamber in July 1511, Fitzwilliam left London.

Rise to country nobleman

After Fitzwilliam left London, he joined Archbishop Wolsey as treasurer and chamberlain , who had previously had him in dispute with the City of London. However, Fitzwilliam did not break contact with the City of London and also kept his houses and properties in the city. He became a member of the royal council thanks to Wolsey, who became Henry VIII's chief minister . Before 1506, Fitzwilliam had already acquired the Milton Estate in Northamptonshire and owned Gaynes Park in Chigwell , Essex . From 1513 to 1515 he served as Essex Sheriff. In 1515 he was knighted and moved to Milton. In 1523 and 1528 he served as sheriff of Northamptonshire. After Wolsey had lost the king's favor, he visited Fitzwilliam on his estate in Milton in April 1530. At his death, Fitzwilliam owned estates in London, Essex and Northamptonshire as well as estates in Lincolnshire and Hertfordshire , from which he had a combined annual income of over £ 330.

Marriages and offspring

Fitzwilliam's first marriage was Anne Hawes , a daughter of Sir John Hawes . He had several children with her, including:

  • Sir William Fitzwilliam († 1552)
  • Richard
  • Elizabeth
  • Anne († 1553) ∞ Sir Anthony Cooke

His second marriage was Mildred, daughter of Sir Richard Sackville of Buckhurst . With her he had at least three other sons:

  • Christopher
  • Francis
  • Thomas

In their third marriage, Fitzwilliam married Jane, a daughter of John Ormond.

He died between May 28 and September 5, 1534. He was buried in a marble tomb in the church of Marholm near Milton, which had been renovated at his expense. He had left two wills. In his first will of May 26, 1533, he bequeathed four poorhouses in Northamptonshire and the London merchant Taylors' Company 1,200 marks with the stipulation that masses should be read for the salvation of his soul . In his second will, which he had drawn up on May 28, 1534 in London, he divided his land holdings among his children. His widow was also provided with land and a house in London.

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personal data
SURNAME Fitzwilliam, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fitzwilliam, Sir Fitzwilliam
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English merchant and civil servant
DATE OF BIRTH around 1460
DATE OF DEATH between May 28, 1534 and September 5, 1534