Sir William Leighton (; (c. 1565–buried 31 July 1622) was a Jacobean

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

who published ''The Teares and Lamentacions of a Sorrowfull Soule'' (1614). He was also a politician.

Family

Leighton was first son of William Leighton (died 1607) of Plaish Hall, Cardington,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

, who was Chief Justice of North Wales, and of his wife Isabella, daughter of Thomas Onslow of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

.
''William Leighton of Plaish Hall, Salop'', History of Parliament Online, Volume 1558-1603. Article by J.J.C. Leighton married Winifred, daughter of Simon Harcourt, of

Ellenhall Ellenhall is a small Staffordshire village roughly 2.5 miles south of Eccleshall originally comprising part of the extensive estates of the Earl of Lichfield. The population as taken at the 2011 census was 144. The village consists of a scattered ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, by whom he had one son and two daughters. His wife died in 1616.Article by David Hahn. Leighton seems to have been in poor standing with his own father, who in the latter's will divided his property between William's half-brother and William's then infant son. William was not allowed use of his son's portion unless he gave "good and sufficient sureties". Leighton's biographer 'J.J.C.' suggests it was probably because Leighton had been a follower of

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 ...

's disgraced favourite the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, to whom Leighton had written letters in 1600.

Career

For education, Leighton recordedly attended

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

in 1577, followed by admission as a law student to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1580. Leighton served as MP for

Much Wenlock Much Wenlock is a market town and parish in Shropshire, England, situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford. The civil parish includes the villag ...

in the last Elizabethan parliament in 1601. He was knighted by

King James I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

in 1603. He is recorded as a

Gentleman Pensioner His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of Gen ...

in the royal households of

and James I from 1602 to 1606 or 1609. In 1605, he was heavily fined for bearing witness in support of the claims of Robert Dudley the explorer and claimant to the peerage of his illegitimate father, the late

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ov ...

, who had been another favourite of Elizabeth I. In 1608, he was sued for debts by Sir William Harmon, and in 1610 was outlawed and imprisoned for debt. He may have still been in prison when ''Teares and Lamentations'' was written. Leighton died in

and was buried at

St Bride's, Fleet Street St Bride's Church is a church in the City of London, England. The building's most recent incarnation was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1672 in Fleet Street in the City of London, though Wren's original building was largely gutted by fire ...

on 31 July 1622.

Literary work

''Virtue Triumphand riumphant', produced in 1603, is believed to have led to his knighthood. It is a eulogy to King James, with allusions to Classical writers and the Bible. ''The Teares and Lamentations of a Sorrowfull Soul'' comprised 55 pieces by 21 composers (among them

John Bull John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...

William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...

John Dowland John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", "Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", ...

and

Martin Peerson Martin Peerson (or Pearson, Pierson, Peereson) (between 1571 and 1573 – December 1650 or January 1651 and buried 16 January 1651) was an English composer, organist and virginalist. Despite Roman Catholic leanings at a time when it was illegal n ...

), including eight by himself, and with prefatory notes by ''inter alia'' diplomat Sir Arthur Hopton and theologian

John Layfield John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966), better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield (abbreviated to JBL), is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on ...

. There is a modern edition published by Stainer and Bell and a modern facsimile. Several radio broadcasts have been made but no commercial recording has been carried out yet. The book is historically important because it has parts for an instrumental accompaniment of

broken consort In English early Baroque music, a broken consort is an ensemble featuring instruments from more than one family, for example a group featuring both string and wind instruments. A consort consisting entirely of instruments of the same family, on th ...

and introduces the term "

consort song A consort song was a characteristic English song form of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, for solo voice or voices accompanied by a group of instruments, most commonly viols. Although usually in five parts, some early examples of four-par ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leighton, William English Renaissance composers 1560s births 1622 deaths People of the Elizabethan era People educated at Shrewsbury School Musicians from Shropshire 16th-century English composers 17th-century English composers English male classical composers English MPs 1601 Politicians from Shropshire