William Brandon (died 1491)

Sir William Brandon (died 1491), of Wangford in Suffolk, was an English landowner, administrator, soldier, courtier and politician.^[1]

Origins

Born before 1430, he was probably the son of Robert Brandon, collector of customs at King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth,^[2] who represented Bishop's Lynn in Parliament in 1421.^[3]

Life

He became a retainer of the local magnates, the Dukes of Norfolk, rising to be a senior member of the council of the 4th Duke by 1476.^[1] In 1454-55 he acted as escheator for Norfolk and Suffolk,^[1] and in 1468 sat as Member of Parliament for New Shoreham.^[1]

In 1469 he was present at the siege of Caister Castle,^[1] and in 1471 as a member of the victorious Yorkist forces he was knighted by King Edward IV on the field of battle at Tewkesbury.^[1] That year he was one of ten knights who swore allegiance to the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward V.^[1]

In 1475 he returned to military service in the English invasion of France, that ended with the Treaty of Picquigny.^[1] As a member of the Royal Household,^[1] in 1479 he was appointed Knight Marshal of the Marshalsea Court,^[1] an office for life that passed to his son Thomas in 1491.^[4]

In July 1483 he was present at the coronation of King Richard III,^[1] but despite marks of royal favour^[5] his loyalty became suspect when two of his sons, William and Thomas, joined Buckingham's rebellion in October.^[1] Some of his lands were seized by Thomas Hopton on the King's orders, but he secured a free pardon in March 1484.^[1] By the end of that year, he was out of favour again and sought sanctuary in Gloucester, where he remained till after Richard's defeat and death at Bosworth in August 1485.^[1] Later that year he petitioned Parliament for and regained his office of Knight Marshal.^[1]

He left a will dated 9 April 1491 and proved on 17 November 1491, requesting burial at Wangford.^[1][6] His widow died on 28 April 1497, leaving a will that was proved on 8 May 1497.^[1]

Lands

He owned lands in Suffolk at Framlingham, Henham, and Wangford, in Cambridgeshire at Soham, and in Surrey at Southwark,^[1] where he had a residence on Borough High Street.^[7][8][9]

Family

Before January 1462 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Wingfield and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Goushill.^[1][10][11] They had three sons and seven daughters:^[12]

• Sir William, who married Elizabeth Bruyn, widow of Thomas Tyrrell of Heron, Essex,^[13] and daughter and co-heiress of Sir Henry Bruyn. One of their sons was Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.^{[14][15][16][17]}
• Sir Thomas,^[18] who married first Anne, widow of William Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley and daughter of Sir John Fiennes, and secondly Elizabeth,^[19] widow successively of Fulk Bourchier, 10th Baron FitzWarin and Sir John Sapcotes and daughter of Sir John Dinham.
• Sir Robert,^[18] who married Catharine, widow of John Carew (died 1528) and daughter of John Zouche, 7th Baron Zouche of Haryngworth.^[20][21]
• Mary, who married John Reading. She became a gentlewoman in the household of Prince Henry, later King Henry VIII, and her husband was treasurer to the Prince by 1498.^[18][22]
• Anne, who married Nicholas Sidney and was mother of Sir William Sidney.^[1]
• Elizabeth, who married first Augustine Cavendish and secondly John Leventhorpe.^[1]
• Margaret "The Elder", who married Sir Gregory Lovell.^[18][1]
• Margaret "The Younger", who married Hugh Manning.
• Catherine, who married John Gurney.^[18][1]
• Eleanor (died 30 June 1480), who after 5 March 1466 married as his second wife John Glemham.^[18][23]

References

Sources