William Gerard (''aft.'' 1520–1584) was an English Member of Parliament for the constituencies of Preston and Wigan during the reigns of
Mary I and
Elizabeth I of England.
Biography
Gerard was born after 1520. He was the son of James Gerard of Astley and Ince, Lancashire and Margaret, daughter of John Holcroft; and brother of Sir
Gilbert Gerard of Ince
Sir Gilbert Gerard (died 4 February 1593) was a prominent lawyer, politician, and landowner of the Tudor period. He was returned six times as a member of the English parliament for four different constituencies. He was Attorney-General for more t ...
.
By 1552 Gerard had been appointed Receiver of the Middlesex lands of the
Edward, Lord North by 1552. He was return as a member of four parliaments:
Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
October 1553 (1st Parliament of
Mary I);
Wigan 1559 (1st Elizabeth); Wigan 1563 (2nd Elizabeth); and Wigan, 1571 (3rd Elizabeth). He was
Feodary for Middlesex in 1565. He was appointed a governor of
Harrow School
(The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God)
, established = (Royal Charter)
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school
, religion = Church of E ...
in 1572. From March until December 1578 he was
escheator in Kent and Middlesex, and from around 1583 he was a
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
in Middlesex. He died on 19 September 1584.
Family
Gerard married Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Page of Sudbury Court, Middlesex. They had eight sons including
William Gerard (c. 1551–1609) and four daughters.
Notes
References
*
1520 births
1584 deaths
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