William Selby (died 1612), was an English member of parliament and soldier at
Berwick upon Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census reco ...
.
Biography
William Selby was a son of Sir
John Selby of
Branxton and
Twizell and his wife Margaret. He was knighted on 10 June 1603. The
Selby family
The Selby family is a prominent and prolific family in the English gentry that originated in Selby, Yorkshire, but largely settled in Northumberland and County Durham. At various points through history, the family owned Biddlestone Hall and Twizel ...
had several branches in Northumberland.
According to the inscription on his tomb at St Peter's
Ightham
Ightham ( ) is a village in Kent, England, located approximately four miles east of Sevenoaks and six miles north of Tonbridge. The parish includes the hamlet of Ivy Hatch.
Ightham is famous for the nearby medieval manor of Ightham Mote (Nation ...
, William Selby was a soldier at the
Siege of Leith
The siege of Leith ended a twelve-year encampment of French troops at Leith, the port near Edinburgh, Scotland. The French troops arrived by invitation in 1548 and left in 1560 after an English force arrived to attempt to assist in removing the ...
in 1560, at Newhaven in France, at the capture of
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
in 1573, and at
Hume Castle
'
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, location = Hume, Berwickshire, Scotland
, image = Hume Castle - geograph.org.uk - 812984.jpg
, image_size =
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, map_type = Scotland Scottish Borders
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, map_caption = Shown within Scotland Scot ...
in 1569. He served in Ireland for three years and was governor of
Amersfoort
Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...
in the Netherlands.
Because of his skill in the
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
, the English diplomat
Robert Bowes employed him to escort the French favourite
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny, (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry, France, was a Roman Catholic French nobleman of Scottish ancestry ...
south from
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
in December 1582.
Selby served with the
Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837.
Early creations ...
in the Netherlands in 1586. The
Selby family
The Selby family is a prominent and prolific family in the English gentry that originated in Selby, Yorkshire, but largely settled in Northumberland and County Durham. At various points through history, the family owned Biddlestone Hall and Twizel ...
had a feud with
Sir Cuthbert Collingwood. On 6 November 1586 Collingwood was returning from Newcastle to his home, with his wife and daughter, when he encountered William Selby and his armed followers. Collingwood was shot but survived, and one of his companions William Clavering was killed.
Selby was made a Captain at Berwick in 1587, and a gentleman porter at Berwick in 1595 jointly with his nephew, also "William Selby". He was member of Parliament for Berwick in 1589, 1593, 1597, 1601 and 1604.
In December 1590 Selby, already described as gentleman porter, was instructed to take an inventory of arms and gunpowder at Berwick and Carlisle. In 1591 he came to London to apply unsuccessfully for the position of Comptroller of Berwick. At this time he purchased
Ightham Mote
Ightham Mote (), Ightham, Kent is a medieval moated manor house. The architectural writer John Newman describes it as "the most complete small medieval manor house in the county". Ightham Mote and its gardens are owned by the National Trust and ...
from Charles Allen. In 1593
John Carey noted that he held three fee paying positions at Berwick but had not been seen in the town for two years. On account of his track record as an "absentee pensioner" and poor management skills, in December 1593 Carey wrote to
William Cecil advising that Selby should not be appointed Comptroller of the Works in the place of
Nicolas Errington
Nicolas Errington (died 1593) was an English soldier, military engineer, and administrator.
The surname was sometimes written Arrington or Aryngton, or Heryngton.
Career
Errington was a Captain based in the garrison at Berwick-upon-Tweed. He was ...
, who had recently died, because as comptroller Selby would make all at Berwick "weary of their places".
In May 1594 William's brother-in-law, Captain
George Selby
Sir George Selby (1557–1625) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1611.
Selby was the son of William Selby and his wife Elizabeth Fenwick, daughter of Gerard Fenwick of Newcastle.
He was a sheriff (1594), ...
captured two fugitives from the Scottish court,
Jacob Kroger
Jacob Kroger (d. 1594), was a German goldsmith who worked for Anne of Denmark in Scotland and stole her jewels.
Kroger was a citizen of the Principality of Lüneburg, ruled by Anne of Denmark's brother-in-law, Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lün ...
a goldsmith serving
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...
and Guillaume Martyn, a French attendant in the stables of
James VI of Scotland
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 hi ...
. They had taken some jewelry belonging to the queen. A letter of
John Carey gives some details. According to Carey the two men absconded because they had not been paid. They crossed the Tweed near Kelso and came to
Tweedmouth
Tweedmouth is part of the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, England. It is located on the south bank of the River Tweed and is connected to Berwick town centre, on the north bank, by two road bridges and a railway bridge. Tweedmouth ...
. The
Earl of Bothwell
Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...
, who was a fugitive in the north of England, met them at
North Shields
North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth.
Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...
and took all their possessions. Then George Selby and Thomas Power of
Tynemouth
Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...
arrested them, and they were handed over to the Scottish depute warden of the East March by William's father, Sir John Selby of Twizell. The two men were taken to Edinburgh and executed.
In 1595 Selby was involved in claiming back pay for himself and his soldiers. In August 1596 he achieved his ambition to be Comptroller of Ordinance in the North and reported on the state of the iron gates of Berwick which were consumed with rust. He claimed his authority was less than that granted to Errington and complained that
Lord Scrope at
Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle is a medieval stone keep castle that stands within the English city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1093 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over ...
had refused to allow his officer to carry out an inspection. Selby's father, John Selby died on 20 November 1595, and soon after a Scottish raiding party led by
William Kerr of
Cessford robbed his mother's barns at Twizell and
Weetwood
Weetwood is an area between Headingley and Meanwood in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded on the north by the A6120 road, A6120 (Outer Ring Road), on the west by the A660 road, A660 (Otley Road), on the east by Meanwood ...
near
Wooler
Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...
.
On 6 April 1603 William Selby, as Gentlemen Porter of Berwick, handed the keys of Berwick to
James VI of Scotland
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 hi ...
, who entered the town, handed the keys back and knighted him.
[John Nichols, ''The Progesses, Processions, and Magnificent Festivities, of King James the First'', vol. 1 (London, 1828), p. 63.]
Selby died at
Ightham Mote
Ightham Mote (), Ightham, Kent is a medieval moated manor house. The architectural writer John Newman describes it as "the most complete small medieval manor house in the county". Ightham Mote and its gardens are owned by the National Trust and ...
in Kent on New Year's day 1612. His estates passed to his nephew,
William Selby (died 1638)
Sir William Selby (died 1638) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1597 to 1601.
Biography
Selby was the son of Sir John Selby of Twizell. He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1573. In 1597, he was elected Membe ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, William
16th-century English people
1612 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 ...
People from Ightham