Sir William Cornwallis of Brome (c. 1549– 13 November 1611) was an English courtier and politician.

Life

He was the eldest son of

Sir Thomas Cornwallis Sir Thomas Cornwallis (1518/1519 – 1604) was an English politician. Family Thomas Cornwallis was the eldest son of Sir John Cornwallis (c. 1491–1544), steward of the household of the future King Edward VI during the years 1538–1544, b ...

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of t ...

to Queen Mary, and his wife Anne Jerningham. He became a courtier at around age 21, spent heavily to secure position there, and married by 1578, Lucy Neville. Despite a family connection to Thomas Cecil, Cornwallis made little enough progress at court, and twice withdrew without regard for the loss of royal favour. In 1597 he was elected Member of Parliament for , with the support of Cecil. When James I came to the throne he fared no better, and retired from public life in 1605. Cornwallis spent freely, and entertained the Queen at his house in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

. He was knighted, by 1594. At the

Union of the Crowns The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...

, in June 1603 he rode to Northamptonshire to meet

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

and her children. He laid on a performance by his friend

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

at Highgate in 1604, for James I. He employed the composer Thomas Watson and other musical and literary men. Cornwallis died on 13 November 1611.

Family

Cornwallis married, first, Lucy Neville, daughter of

John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer (1520 – 22 April 1577) was an English peer, and the stepson of Catherine Parr, later the sixth wife of King Henry VIII. Early life John Neville, born about 1520, was the only son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Lati ...

and

Lucy Somerset Lady Lucy Somerset, Baroness Latimer (c. 1524 – 23 February 1583) was an English noblewoman and the daughter of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester and his second wife, Elizabeth Browne. Lucy served as a Maid of Honour to Queen consort Cather ...

. After her death, he married Jane Mewtas. She was a lady in waiting to

and as a wedding gift the queen gave her a jewel studded with diamonds made by

George Heriot George Heriot (15 June 1563 – 12 February 1624) was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist. He is chiefly remembered today as the founder of George Heriot's School, a large independent school in Edinburgh; his name has also been given to H ...

. The Cornwallis family lived at Brome Hall near Diss in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. *

Frederick Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis Frederick Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis (14 March 1610/1 – January 1662) was an English peer, MP and Privy Counsellor. He was Treasurer of the Household 1660–1662. He was the eldest surviving son of Sir William Cornwallis of Brome, Suf ...

was the third son, and eldest surviving son, of Sir William, a son of his second marriage. His own second marriage was to Elizabeth Crofts, daughter of

Sir Henry Crofts Sir Henry Crofts (June 1590 – March 1667) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1660. Crofts was the eldest son of Sir John Crofts of Little Saxham and West Stow and his wife Mary Shirle ...

, Member of Parliament for . Of the daughters: *Frances married Sir Edmund Withypole. *Elizabeth married in 1596 Sir William Sandys, Member of Parliament for , who died in 1628. In 1630 she married

Richard Lumley, 1st Viscount Lumley of Waterford Richard Lumley, 1st Viscount Lumley (7 April 1589 – 12 March 1663) was an English Cavalier, royalist and military commander. He was the grandfather of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough. Richard Lumley was baptized at Chester-le-Street, ...

. *Cornelia married Sir Richard Fermor of Somerton. *

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

in 1609 married

Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll (c. 1575–1638), also called ("Archibald the Grim"), was a Scottish peer, politician, and military leader. Life Campbell was the son of Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll and Agnes Keith. His nickn ...

. There are sources that give Thomas Cornwallis, Member of Parliament for in 1625, as a son of Sir William by his first wife. The ''History of Parliament'', on the other hand, gives his father as John Cornwallis of

Earl Soham Earl Soham is a small settlement in Suffolk, England. It is on the A1120 road and is west of the town of Framlingham. Earl Soham once belonged to the Earls of Norfolk, the Bigod family (sometimes spelt "Bigot" in old texts), who also owned near ...

. Sir William Cornwallis, the essayist, was a nephew who is sometimes described as "the younger" to differentiate him from this William Cornwallis, who is often described as "the elder".Hebel, J. William (ed.)
"Notes" on Cornwallis
''Prose of the English Renaissance'', Ardent Media, 1952

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwallis, William Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall 1611 deaths People from Brome, Suffolk