Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

William Norreys (1552 – 25 December 1579) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...

of the

Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in History of England, England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in Englan ...

Family and life

Norreys died before his 30th birthday. His parents, Henry Norreys, 1st Baron Norreys (died 1601) and Lady Margery ( Williams; died 1599), daughter and co-heiress of John Williams, 1st Baron Williams, both outlived him. He was elected in 1572 as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

to represent

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

during the reign of

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

and also served as Marshal of Berwick. Norreys campaigned in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

from 1573 till 1576 as a

Captain of Horse Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and again in 1579, where he died of fever. His older brother, Sir John Norreys (died 1597), was one of the most acclaimed English soldiers of his day. In 1576, Norreys married Elizabeth Morrison (died 1611), elder daughter of

Sir Richard Morrison Sir Richard Morrison (1767 – 31 October 1849 / 1844Philip Smith (writer), ''An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Wicklow'' (Dublin: Wordwell Press / Government of Ireland, Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Gov ...

. They had a son, Francis Norris who became the 1st

Earl of Berkshire Earl of Berkshire is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. It was created for the first time in 1621 for Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire. For more information on this creation (which became extinct on his death in ...

. Dame Elizabeth Morrison, his widow, married secondly in 1586

Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln, KB (1539 – 29 September 1616) was an English peer, styled Baron Clinton from 1572 to 1585. Known for repeated accusations of extortion, abduction and arson, among other things, Henry was likely among the ...

, and had a son, who became known as Sir Henry Fynes (died 1641).

References

1548 births 1579 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 ...

English MPs 1572–1583 People from Thame People from Yattendon People of Elizabethan Ireland 16th-century English soldiers Knights Bachelor Younger sons of barons {{16thC-England-MP-stub

Family and life

See also

References