William Martyn (1562–1617) was an English lawyer and historian.

Life

Baptised at

St Petrock's Church, Exeter St Petrock's Church is a small church in the centre of Exeter with an interior described by Nicholas Pevsner as "among the most confusing of any church... in England". The church may have been founded as early as the 6th century, but other sourc ...

, 19 September 1562, he was the eldest son of Nicholas Martyn of Exeter, by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Lennard Yeo of

Hatherleigh Hatherleigh is a small market town in west Devon, England. It hosts an arts festival in July, and a carnival in November featuring two flaming tar barrel runs. The Walruses meet on New Year's Day to jump into the River Lew to raise money for ...

. Having been sent to

Exeter grammar school Exeter School is an independent co-educational day school for pupils between the ages of 7 and 18 in Exeter, Devon, England. In 2019, there were around 200 pupils in the Junior School and 700 in the Senior School. History The School traces its ...

, he matriculated at Broadgates Hall, Oxford, in the autumn of 1581. Martyn was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

in 1589, and from 1605 to 1617 held the office of recorder of Exeter. On 7 April 1617 he died at Exeter, and was buried in St. Petrock's Church on 12 April, with an inscription placed to his memory.

Works

Martyn was the author of ''The Historie and Lives of the Kings of England from William the Conqveror vnto the end of the Raigne of Henrie the Eight'', 1615, containing preliminary verses from his three sons and his son-in-law, and an appendix of "succession of dukes and earles" and other particulars. A second edition appeared in 1628, which was illustrated with portraits of the kings by

Renold Elstrack Renold Elstracke, also Reginold Elstrack (1570 – after 1625), was one of the earliest native engravers in England. Biography Renold (or Reginold) was born in 1570.Reginold was ten months old in 1571, when his father settled in England He was ...

. To the third edition in 1638 was added ''The Historie of King Ed. VI, Queene Mary, and Q. Elizabeth, by B. R., Mr of Arts'', longer than all the rest of the lives put together.

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

believed that James I took exception to some passages of this book. Martyn also wrote ''Youth's Instruction'', 1612 (2nd edit. 1613), for his son Nicholas, then a student at Oxford. Each impression contained verses by his son-in-law, and to the second was prefixed a set by his son William.

Family

Martyn married at St. Petrock's, on 28 November 1585, Susan, daughter of Thomas Prestwood of Exeter, by whom he had three sons, Nicholas, William, and Edward, and one daughter, Susan, who married Peter Bevis of Exeter. She was buried at All Hallows, Goldsmith Street, Exeter, on 30 January 1605-6. Martyn married for his second wife Jane, daughter of Henry Huishe of Sands in

Sidbury Sidbury is a large village north of Sidmouth on the A375 road in Devon, England. In 2011 the built-up area had a population of 457. In 1951 the civil parish had a population of 2,507. It is situated on the River Sid, which rises at Crowpits C ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. The eldest son

Nicholas Martyn Sir Nicholas Martyn (12 April 1593 – 25 March 1653) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1646 to 1648. Martyn was the son of Sir William Martyn and his wife Susan Prestwood, of Exeter. He was educated at Broadga ...

succeeded to his father's estate of Oxton in

Kenton Kenton may refer to: Places Canada *Kenton, Manitoba South Africa *Kenton-on-Sea United Kingdom *Kenton, Devon *Kenton, London **Kenton station, Kenton Road, Kenton, London *Kenton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear *Kenton, Suffolk **Kenton ra ...

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Martyn, William 1562 births 1617 deaths English barristers 17th-century English historians Writers from Exeter Alumni of Broadgates Hall, Oxford