Sir William Burcester (died 1407) was an English politician.

Life

Burcester, whose name may have come from the town of

Bicester Bicester ( ) is a historical market towngarden town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cherwell (district), Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in Southern England that also comprises an Eco-towns, eco town at North Wes ...

, was originally from

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. At some point before July 1378, Burcester married the twice-widowed Margaret Gisors of London. She died 1 July 1393. On 6 January 1396, he married another widow named Margaret, the widow of the MP

Thomas Brewes Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

Career

He was a tax-collector and justice of the peace for Kent. He was knighted while fighting in France under the Earl of Stafford in 1378 or 1379 and appointed

Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...

for 1390. He was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

in 1393. He was apparently loyal to

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...

Death

Burcester died at his manor house in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

. He was buried in the

Minories Minories ( ) is the name of a small former administrative unit, and also of a street in central London. Both the street and the former administrative area take their name from the Abbey of the Minoresses of St. Clare without Aldgate. Both are ...

. His heirs were his two children from his second marriage, John Burcester and Willelma, the wife of Walter Urry, MP. His widow remarried, to the MP John Berkeley I.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burcester, William Year of birth missing 1407 deaths People from Southwark People from Oxfordshire 14th-century births English MPs 1393 14th-century English politicians English knights High Sheriffs of Kent