Sir William Knyvett ( – 2 December 1515) was an English knight in the late Middle Ages. He was the son of John Knyvett and Alice Lynne, the grandson of

Sir John Knyvett Sir John Knyvet (or Knivett) (died 16 February 1381) was an English lawyer and administrator. He was Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1365 to 1372, and Lord Chancellor of England from 1372 to 1377. Life Knyvett was eldest son of Richard ...

, and assumed the titles of Sheriff of Norfolk & Suffolk, Burgess of Melcombe, Bletchingley, & Grantham, Constable of Rising Castle.

Life

Sir William married three times. The first was to Alice Grey (d. 1474), daughter of John Grey, Esq., of Kempston, eldest son of

Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn Reynold Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Ruthyn (c. 1362 – 30 September 1440), a powerful Welsh marcher lord, succeeded to the title on his father's death in July 1388. Lineage Reginald Grey was the eldest son of Reynold Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Ruth ...

by his second wife, Joan Astley; by whom he had issue. His second marriage was to Lady Joan Stafford, daughter of

Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 6th Earl of Stafford, 7th Baron Stafford, (December 1402 – 10 July 1460) of Stafford Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and the ...

and Lady Anne Neville, by whom he had issue. His final marriage was to Lady Joan Courtenay, widow of Sir Roger Clifford, and daughter of

Thomas de Courtenay, 5th Earl of Devon Thomas de Courtenay, 5th/13th Earl of Devon (3 May 1414 – 3 February 1458) was a nobleman from South West England. His seat was at Colcombe Castle near Colyton, and later at the principal historic family seat of Tiverton Castle, after his mot ...

, a friend of York, and his wife,

Lady Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant of ...

; they had no issue. Sir William Knyvett died 2 December 1515. In his will dated 18 September 1514 and proved 19 June 1516 he requested to be buried in the church of Wymondham,

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 ...

. At New Buckenham, in 1888, the following inscription was found on a brass, loose in the Church Chest:

''To the memory of Alice, wife of William Knyvet, Esq., dau. of John Grey, son of Reginald Grey, Lord of Rythin, who died 4 April, 1474.''

Issue

His children by his first wife, Alice Grey (d. 4 April 1474) , were: * Sir Edmund Knyvett (d.1504Sir Edmund Knyvett married Eleanor Tyrrell (died 1514), the daughter of Sir William Tyrrell of Gipping, Suffolk, and sister of Sir James Tyrrell. They had six sons and three daughters, including Edmund Knyvett (died 1 May 1539), esquire, who married Joan Bourchier, the only surviving child of

John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (1467 – 19 March 1533) was an English soldier, statesman and translator. Family John Bourchier, born about 1467, was the only son of Sir Humphrey Bourchier (d.1471 at the Battle of Barnet) and Elizabeth Ti ...

. Sir Edmund Knyvett was drowned at sea in 1504; .) of Buckenham, who married Eleanor Tyrrell, the daughter of Sir William Tyrrell of Gipping, Suffolk by Margaret, daughter of Robert Darcy, knight. Eleanor was sister of Sir James Tyrrell.Richardson, Douglas (2011). ''Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham''. II (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. p. 322. Sir Edmund Knyvett, his eldest son by his first marriage, was partly disinherited by his father, who left

Buckenham Castle Old Buckenham Castle and Buckenham Castle are two castles adjacent respectively to the villages of Old Buckenham and New Buckenham, Norfolk, England. Old Buckenham Castle All that remains today of what was a Norman castle are the remnants of t ...

and other properties to Sir Edward Knyvett, the eldest son of his second marriage to Joan Stafford.Sir Edward Knyvett married Anne Calthorpe, widow of John Cressner, and daughter of Sir John Calthorpe by Elizabeth, daughter of Roger Wentworth, esquire. Sir Edward Knyvett died without issue in 1528. His heir was his nephew, Robert Knyvet, son of his brother, Charles Knyvett (died before 22 October 1528). Robert Knyvett was slain during the suppression of Kett's Rebellion in 1549. Children of Sir Edmund Knyvett and Eleanor Tyrrell: *# Sir Thomas Knyvett of

Buckenham Buckenham is a small village in the English county of Norfolk situated on the northern bank of the River Yare around south-east of Norwich. History Buckenham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Bucca's homestea ...

(c. 1485 – 10 August 1512) who married Muriel Howard (d.1512), the widow of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle, by whom she was the mother of

Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle Elizabeth Grey, 5th Baroness Lisle, 3rd Viscountess Lisle (25 March 1505 – 1519) was an English noblewoman. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle and Lady Muriel Howard. After the death of her stepfather, Sir Thomas K ...

, who was at one time betrothed to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and was the wife of Henry Courtenay. Muriel Howard was the daughter of

Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (144321 May 1524), styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1485 and again from 1489 to 1514, was an English nobleman, soldier and statesman who served four monarchs. He was the eldest son of John Howard, 1st Duk ...

, and

Elizabeth Tilney Elizabeth Tilney, Countess of Surrey (before 1445 – 4 April 1497) was an English heiress who became the first wife of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (when still Earl of Surrey). She served successively as a lady-in-waiting to two Queen ...

. Children of Sir Thomas Knyvett and Muriel Howard, who through their mother were all first cousins to Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Katherine Howard: *#* Sir Edmund (1508–1551), who by 1527 had married Anne Shelton, the daughter of

Sir John Shelton Sir John Shelton (1476/7 – 1539) of Shelton in Norfolk, England, was a courtier to King Henry VIII. Through his marriage to Anne Boleyn, a sister and co-heiress of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire of Blickling Hall in Norfolk, he became ...

of Carrow, Norfolk, and his wife,

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

. Knyvet's wife was a sister of Madge and

Mary Shelton Mary Shelton (1510-1515 – 1570/71) was one of the contributors to the Devonshire manuscript. Either she or her sister Madge Shelton may have been a mistress of King Henry VIII. Family Both Margaret and Mary were daughters of Sir John Shel ...

, and also a first cousin of Anne Boleyn. Sir Edmund Knyvett and Anne Shelton had two sons. After Sir Edmund's death, his widow remarried to Christopher Coote, Esq. *#* Katherine Knyvett, married firstly Sir William Fermor (d.1558), Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1540 and son of Sir Henry Fermor of

East Barsham Manor East Barsham Manor is an important work of Tudor architecture, a leading and early example of a prodigy house, originally built in the 1520s. It is located in the village of East Barsham, about north of the town of Fakenham and south west of the ...

in Norfolk and Margaret, through whom he was the half-brother of Elizabeth Wood, Lady Boleyn and uncle of John Astley, and secondly Nicholas Mynne of Walsingham Parva, Esquire *#* Ferdinand *#* Anne Knyvett, lady in waiting to Queen Katherine of Aragon, ''m''. 1)

Thomas Thursby Thomas Thursby (died 9 August 1510), was a merchant, three times Mayor of King's Lynn and the founder and benefactor of Thoresby College. He was the son of Henry Thursby, four times Mayor of Lynn and Burgess for Lynn, in turn son of John Thursby ...

(d.1543) of Ashwicken, the son of

(d.1510), Merchant, thrice Mayor of King's Lynn and founder of

Thoresby College Thoresby College (also Trinity College) was a 16th-century collegiate-style residence for thirteen chantry priests in King's Lynn, Norfolk, East of England. Located on Queen Street opposite the King's Lynn Guildhall, Guildhall, it has been conve ...

, in 1527; and 2) Henry Spelman (d. 1581), the son of Sir John Spelman (d.1546), and the father of

Sir Henry Spelman Sir Henry Spelman (c. 1562 – October 1641) was an English antiquary, noted for his detailed collections of medieval records, in particular of church councils. Life Spelman was born in Congham, Norfolk, the eldest son of Henry Spelman (d. 1581 ...

and of Erasmus Spelman, whose son Henry went to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, by license dated 26 January 1543/4. *#* Sir Henry Knyvett (died c.1546), who married Anne Pickering, the widow of

Francis Weston Sir Francis Weston KB (1511 – 17 May 1536) was a gentleman of the Privy Chamber at the court of King Henry VIII of England. He became a friend of the king but was later accused of high treason and adultery with Anne Boleyn, the king's second ...

. Anne would thirdly marry John Vaughan, the nephew of

Blanche Parry Blanche Parry (1507/8–12 February 1590) of Newcourt in the parish of Bacton, Herefordshire, in the Welsh Marches, was a personal attendant of Queen Elizabeth I, who held the offices of Chief Gentlewoman of the Queen's Most Honourable Privy C ...

*#** Sir Henry Knyvet (1537–1598) of

Charlton Park, Wiltshire Charlton Park is a English country house, country house and estate in Wiltshire, England, northeast of the town of Malmesbury. Charlton Park House is a Grade I listed building and a leading example of the prodigy house. Malmesbury Abbey held Ch ...

, Member of Parliament *#*** Katherine Knyvett (1564–1638) who married her third cousin Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and is the ancestor of the Earls of Suffolk and Berkshire *#*** Elizabeth Knyvett (c.1570–1638) who married Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln *#***

Frances Knyvet Frances Knyvet or Knyvett (1583–1605) was an English courtier who performed in masques. Career She was a daughter of Henry Knyvet (1537–1598) of Charlton Park, Wiltshire, and Elizabeth Stumpe (died 1585), the daughter of a wealthy clothier, Ja ...

(1583–1605), first married Sir William Bevill, and secondly Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland *#*** Anthony Knyvet, illegitimate son, pirate, slave and slave trader. *#*** Anne Knyvet, illegitimate daughter, believed to by the same mother as Anthony *#** Elizabeth Knyvett *#** Alice Knyvett *#** Katherine Knyvett, Lady Paget, (1543 – 20 December 1622), married

Henry Paget, 2nd Baron Paget Henry Paget, 2nd Baron Paget (c. 1539 – 28 December 1568) was an English MP and peer. Henry Paget was the eldest son of William Paget, 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert, Staffordshire and his wife Anne Preston (d.1587), the daughter and heir of ...

and secondly Sir Edward Cary of Berkhamstead and

Aldenham, Hertfordshire Aldenham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, north-east of Watford and southwest of Radlett. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is one of Hertsmere's 14 conservation areas. The village has eight pre-19th-century listed build ...

, Master and Treasurer of His Majesty's Jewels *#** Thomas Knyvett (1545–1622), English courtier and member of parliament who played a part in foiling the Gunpowder Plot *#** Margaret Knyvett, who married Henry Vavasour of Tadcaster, Copmanthorpe,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and was the mother of Anne Vavasour and Thomas Vavasour *# Edmund Knyvett (d. 1 May 1539), esquire, sergeant porter to

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

, who married Joan Bourchier, the only surviving child of

, and had: *#* John Knyvett (1510–1561), who ''m''. Agnes, daughter of Sir John Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt,

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 ...

, by settlement dated 14 February 1537, and had: *#*# Thomas Knyvett (1539–1616) of Ashwellthorpe, ''de jure'' 4th Baron Berners, High Sheriff of Norfolk from 1579, ''m''. Muriel Parry, daughter of Sir Thomas Parry,

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 ...

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 ...

, and had: *#*## Sir Thomas Knyvet (d. 1605), of Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk and

Stradbroke Stradbroke ( ) is an English village in the Mid Suffolk district of the county of Suffolk. The ''Census'' of 2011 gave the parish a population of 1,408, with an estimate of 1,513 in 2018. Heritage The village was listed in the Domesday Book ...

*#*## Katherine Knyvett, Lady Paston, one of the writers of the

Paston Letters The ''Paston Letters'' is a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family of Norfolk gentry and others connected with them in England between the years 1422 and 1509. The collection also includes state papers and other impor ...

*#*## Muriel Knyvett, who married Sir Edmond Bell, as his second wife *#*## Mary Knyvett, who married Sir Thomas Holland of Quidenham, Norfolk, and had

Sir John Holland, 1st Baronet Sir John Holland, 1st Baronet (October 1603 – 19 January 1701) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1679. Holland was the son of Sir Thomas Holland of Quiddenham, Norfolk and his wif ...

*#*##Abigail Knyvett, m. Sir Edmund Moundeford of

Mundford Mundford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated at the intersection of two major routes, the A134 Colchester to King's Lynn road and the A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham road, about north west of Thetford. ...

and Hockwold, Norfolk the grandson of

Francis Mountford Francis Mountford, (1474/76–1536), of the Inner Temple, London and Feltwell, Norfolk, was an English Member of Parliament. Francis owed much of his political career through his connections through his marriage to a member of the Thursby family. ...

, as his second wife. From his first marriage he had Sir Edmund Moundeford (1596 – May 1643), who left much of his inheritance to his half-sister, Abigail's daughter Elizabeth *#*#Abigail Knyvett (d. 1623), who married Martin Sedley of Morley, Norfolk (1531–1609/10), as his second wife, by settlement dated 1577 *#*Edmund Knyvett *#*Rose Knyvett (d. 1587/8), married as his second wife Oliver Reims of Burnham Debden in Norfolk and of Hempton by Fakenham *#*Katherine Knyvett (d. 1595/6), married firstly Serjeant

John Walpole Colonel John Walpole (17 November 1787 – 10 December 1859) was a soldier and diplomat, a younger son of Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford. He served with the Guards during the Peninsular War, and was wounded at the Siege of Burgos. He was M ...

of Harpley & Colkirk in Norfolk (d. 1557/8), Serjeant-at-law,

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. M.P. for Lynn 1553, and secondly Thomas Skarlett of Harpley, Gentleman, the executor of the will of her first husband. *# Christopher *# Sir Anthony Knyvett, knight *# James *# William *# Margaret *# Dorothy *# Anne Knyvett, lady in waiting to Katherine of Aragon, ''m''. Sir George St. Leger (c.1475–1536) of Annery, Devon, and had Sir John St. Leger, Katherine, and George * Anne Knyvett who married John Thwaites, Esq. * Bennet Knyvett, a daughter * Elizabeth Knyvett By his second wife, Lady Joan Stafford, Sir William Knyvett had three sons including along with three daughters: * Sir Edward Knyvett, (d.1528) the eldest son of his second marriage, who received a great inheritance from his father at the expense of his brother. He married Anne Calthorpe (d.1498), widow of John Cressener, and daughter of John Calthorpe, knight, by Elizabeth, daughter of Roger Wentworth. Sir Edward Knyvett (d.1528) remarried to Anne (d.1540+), daughter and coheiress of Thomas le Strange of Walton D'Eivile in Warwickshire, Esq., widow of Robert le Strange and mother

Sir Thomas le Strange Sir Thomas Le Strange (1494–1545) of Hunstanton, Norfolk, born in 1494, son of Robert le Strange (''d''. 1511), sixth in descent from Hamo le Strange, brother of John le Strange, 6th Baron of Knockyn, was Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII, and ...

and his two sisters. * Charles Knyvett, according to Carole Rawcliffe, in ''The Staffords, Earls of Stafford and Dukes of Buckingham 1394-1521'', Charles Knyvett witnessed against the Duke because he had "wrongfully withheld" the possessions of Elizabeth Knyvett after her death. He married firstly before 1512 an unidentified wife, and secondly by settlement of 26 April 1513/4 Anne Lacy (''d''.1562), the daughter and heiress of Walter Lacy of London by his wife Lucy. *# Robert Knyvett (c.1512–1549), gentleman, son and heir, slain in Kett's Rebellion, son by Charles Knyvett's first, unknown wife *# Elizabeth, daughter by Charles Knyvett's first, unknown wife. Her uncle, Sir Edward Knyvet, in his will proven 10 December 1528, gave "C marks to his niece Elizabeth Knyvet, daughter of my brother, Charles Knyvet," if she married with the consent of the

Duchess of Norfolk Duchess of Norfolk is a title held by the wife of the Duke of Norfolk in the Peerage of England. The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The first creation was in 1397. Du ...

in whose household she was placed. Elizabeth married Richard Fitzwilliam, Esquire, of Kilburn, Middlesex, Ringstead, Northamptonshire, the brother of Mildred Cooke, Lady Burghley's mother, Anne Fitzwilliam, and the son of

Sir William Fitzwilliam Sir William FitzWilliam (1526–1599) was an English Lord Justice of Ireland and afterwards Lord Deputy of Ireland. In 1587, as Governor of Fotheringhay Castle, he supervised the execution of the death sentence on Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the ...

Merchant Taylor In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ext ...

, Sheriff of London, servant of

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

, and a member of the council of Henry VII *#* By Anne Lacy: *# Richard Knyvett (d.1559) *# Sir Anthony Knyvett *# William Knyvett *# Lucy, the wife of Sir Henry Gates *# Anne, who married firstly Nicholas Robinson, secondly Leonard Irby and thirdly Robert Carr *# Alice, the wife of Edmund Verney, the grandson of

Edmund Braye, 1st Baron Braye Edmund Braye, 1st Baron Braye (or Bray; c. 1484 – 18 October 1539), of Eaton Bray in Bedfordshire, was an English peer. Origins He was the son of John Braye lord of the manor of Eaton Bray in Bedfordshire; his younger brother was Sir Edwar ...

* John Knyvett * Elizabeth, likely the Elizabeth Knyvett who is mentioned in her father's will in 1514 as being of a marriageable age. And also likely the Elizabeth Knyvett who died in 1518, when

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (3 February 1478 – 17 May 1521) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, and Katherine Woodville, and nephew of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV. Thu ...

gives 15''l'' 'To M. Geddyng, toward the burying of my said cousin', after giving at Easter last '''Eliz. knevet''' the 20''l'' due to her at Lady Day. The two were related through her mother. * Anne Knyvett who married Charles Clifford, Esq.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knyvett, William 15th-century English people Year of birth uncertain 1515 deaths

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...