Sir William Twysden, 1st Baronet (1566–1628) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1593 and 1628.

Life

Twysden was the son of Roger Twysden, of Roydon Hall, East Peckham, and his wife Anne Wyatt, daughter of Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger of

Allington Castle Allington Castle is a stone castle in Allington, Kent, just north of Maidstone, in England. The first castle on the site was an unauthorised fortification, built during "The Anarchy" (1135–1153) and torn down later in the century when royal con ...

, Kent. He was admitted to Gray's Inn on 28 October 1584 and succeeded his father in the estate at East Peckham in November 1603. He was appointed a

Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber Gentleman Usher and Lady Usher are titles for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. For a list of office-holders from the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 up to the present day see List of Ushers. Gentleman Ushers as serv ...

to James I of England and knighted at Charterhouse on 11 May 1603. In 1593, he was elected Member of Parliament for Clitheroe, in 1601 MP for Helston and in 1606 MP for Thetford. He was created a baronet on 29 June 1611. In 1614, he was re-elected MP for Thetford and finally served as MP for Winchelsea from 1628 until his death. Twysden was a great collector of manuscripts and knew Hebrew, Greek, and other languages. George E. Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage, Vol. 1'' (1900)
/ref> He died in his 63rd year and was buried at East Peckham with a monumental inscription. He had married Anne Finche, daughter of

Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet JP ( – 18 December 1614) was an English politician, knight, sheriff, and MP. Early life Finch was second, but eldest surviving son, of Sir Thomas Finch of Eastwell, Kent, and the former Catherine Moyle. Among ...

and Elizabeth Heneage, by whom he had five sons and two daughters. Anne was a writer, though most of her work is lost.Marie-Louise Coolahan, ‘Twysden, Anne, Lady Twysden (1574–1638)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 14 Jan 2017
/ref> His son Roger succeeded him in the baronetcy. His second son was Sir Thomas Twisden, 1st Baronet of a new creation, and a judge of the Court of King's Bench: he changed the spelling of the family name. Sir William's daughter Elizabeth married Sir Hugh Cholmeley, 1st Baronet. Another daughter Anne married Sir Christopher Yelverton, 1st Baronet.

References

1566 births 1628 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Helston English MPs 1593 English MPs 1601 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 Baronets in the Baronetage of England People from East Peckham {{17thC-England-MP-stub