William Peryam

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Portrait of William Peryam from the beginning of the 17th century

Sir William Peryam (also Periam ) (* 1534 in Exeter ; † October 9, 1604 in Crediton ) was an English judge, nobleman and politician.

Origin and education

William Peryam was the eldest son of John Peryam († 1572) and his wife Elizabeth Hone . His father was a wealthy Exeter merchant who served twice as Mayor of Exeter but went into exile during the reign of Mary the Catholic . Among his siblings was the later politician John Peryam , Thomas Bodley was a cousin of his. William Peryam studied at Exeter College , Oxford in 1551 , then at Clifford's Inn and in 1553 at the Middle Temple in London. In 1565 he was admitted as a barrister .

Activity as a politician and lawyer

During the reign of Elizabeth I , Peryam was a staunch Puritan among the supporters of the 2nd Earl of Bedford . He was elected MP for Plymouth in the 1563 general election. There is little evidence of his work in the House of Commons , except that the City of Plymouth paid him a reward after he passed a law on a poor house in Plymouth. In 1568 he supported Sir Peter Carew's claims to the estates of his ancestors in Ireland . This brought him in contact with Sir John Pollard , President of Munster , who appointed Peryam as judge in Ireland. However, Peryam turned to William Cecil and the Privy Council to be dismissed from this office because of his health and family, and eventually returned to England in the late 1560s. From around 1569 he served as Justice of the Peace of Devon , which he later took over in other counties. In the general election of 1571, he did not run again, but concentrated on his work as a lawyer. On February 13, 1581 he was appointed judge on the Court of Common Pleas . He often served as a judge in political processes. In 1586 he was a judge of Mary Queen of Scots, in 1589 as a judge of the Earl of Arundel , in 1592 as a judge of John Perrot and in 1601 as a judge of the Earl of Essex . After the death of the Earl of Bedford in 1585, Peryam took over the patronage rights in Bossiney and Camelford . In 1592 he was knighted. In January 1593 he became Chief Baron , presiding judge of the Court of Exchequer . Due to his age, he was dismissed as a judge in 1603.

Peryam's residence was Little Fulford, near Crediton, where he had also acquired substantial property. He was buried in the Holy Cross Church in Crediton.

Depiction of Peryam on his funerary monument in Crediton Church

Marriages and offspring

Peryam had been married three times. In his first marriage he had married Margery , a daughter of John Holcot from Berkshire . In his second marriage around 1574 he married Anne (also Agnes ) Parker , a daughter of John Parker from North Molton in Devon. With her he had four daughters, including:

  • Mary ∞ William Pole
  • Elizabeth ∞ Robert Bassett
  • Jane ∞ Thomas Poyntz
  • Ann ∞ William Williams

In his third marriage around 1593 he married Elizabeth, a daughter of Sir Nicholas Bacon . She was the widow of Robert Doyley and Sir Henry Neville . After his death, his daughters inherited his property.

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personal data
SURNAME Peryam, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Peryam, Sir William; Periam, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English judge, nobleman and politician
DATE OF BIRTH 1534
PLACE OF BIRTH Exeter
DATE OF DEATH October 9, 1604
Place of death Crediton