William Helyar (8 January 1559 – 21 November 1645) of

Coker Court Coker Court is a substantial manor house in East Coker, Somerset, England. It was built in the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries and has been designated as a Grade I listed building. It was erected by the Courtney family who were lords of the ma ...

East Coker East Coker is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. Its nearest town is Yeovil, to the north. The village has a population of 1,667. The parish includes the hamlets and areas of North Coker, Burton, ...

, in Somerset, was

Archdeacon of Barnstaple The Archdeaconry of Barnstaple or Barum is one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. History The Diocese of Exeter was divided into four archdeaconries in No ...

and a chaplain to

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

Biography

He was the son of William Helyar by his wife Alice Veale and was baptised on 8 January 1559 at St. Budeaux, Devon. He graduated

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

in 1587. His later clerical appointments included: * Vicar in 1577 of Bickleigh, Devon * Rector in 1582 of Dunchideock, Devon * Rector in 1588 of Charlton, Devon * Canon of

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...

in 1596 * Vicar in 1602 of Heavitree, Devon *

from 1605 * Rector of North Tawton, Devon, between 1610 and 1645 In 1616 he purchased

, the

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

, Somerset, from Sir

Edward Phelips Edward Phelips may refer to: * Sir Edward Phelips (speaker) (c. 1555/60–1614), English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the English House of Common and subsequently Master of the Rolls * Sir Edward Phelips Jr. (1638–1699), English landowner a ...

. He started the construction of the Helyar Almshouses in

in 1640, but died before their completion. They were finished by his grandson William Helyar. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, on 19 January 1642, he was dragged at midnight from his bed in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

Roundheads Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

and carried on board a ship, where he was detained until he consented to pay the sum of £800 (). He received a copy of the protection thus purchased: :"Whereas Archdeacon Helyar has submitted and sent eight hundred pounds to the parliament upon the propositions. These are therefore, to require all the forces of the parliament to take notice thereof and to protect him in his person, family, and goods, strictly charging and commanding that no man henceforth, molest or trouble him. January 19, 1642, signed, Jo. Northcote, Sam. Rolle” etc etc

Marriage and children

He married Mary Cary (died 1607), daughter of William Cary of

Cockington Cockington is a village near Torquay in the English county of Devon. It has old cottages within its boundaries, and is about a half a mile away from Torquay. Bus service 62 (Torquay circular) calls at the village five times per day (Mon-Fri) an ...

, Devon, by whom he had children including: *Henry Helyar (died 1634) who in 1621 married Christiana Cary (died 1634) daughter of William Cary (1576–1652), lord of the

manor of Clovelly The Manor of Clovelly is a historic manor in North Devon, England. Within the manor are situated the manor house known as Clovelly Court, the parish church of All Saints, and the famous picturesque fishing village of Clovelly. The parish church ...

, Devon, JP for Devon, MP for

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

, Cornwall, in 1604.

History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

biography of ''Cary, William (c. 1578 – 1652), of Clovelly Court and Exeter, Devon

/ref> He predeceased his father. His son William Helyar (died 1697) thus succeeded his grandfather to the manor

in 1645. *Elizabeth Helyar (christened 12 May 1591), who on 29 April 1606 married John Bridgeman (bishop), John Bridgeman, son of Thomas Bridgeman and later

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the C ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helyar, William 1559 births 1645 deaths Archdeacons of Barnstaple Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford 16th-century English Anglican priests 17th-century English Anglican priests