William Stourton, 2nd Baron Stourton (died 1478) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

nobleman, politician and administrator.

Origins

Born before 1426, he was the son and heir of

John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton (19 May 1400 – 25 November 1462) of Stourton, Wiltshire, was an English soldier and politician, elevated to the peerage in 1448. Origins He was born on 19 May 1400 at Witham Friary, Somerset, the son of Si ...

, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir

John Wadham Sir John Wadham (c.1344–1412) was a Justice of the Common Pleas from 1389 to 1398, during the reign of King Richard II (1377–1399), selected by the King as an assertion of his right to rule by the advice of men appointed of his own choice, ...

Edge, Branscombe Edge, (originally, ''Egge''), is an ancient and historic house in the parish of Branscombe, Devon, England and is today known as Edge Barton Manor. The surviving house is Listed building, grade II* listed and sits on the steep, south-facing side ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

Justice of the Common Pleas Justice of the Common Pleas was a puisne judicial position within the Court of Common Pleas (England), Court of Common Pleas of England and Wales, under the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Chief Justice. The Common Pleas was the primary court o ...

, and his second wife Joan Wrottesley.

Career

In 1447 he was elected Member of Parliament for

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, gaining the seat again in 1460, and by 1450 had been

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

. In that year he was on a

commission of oyer and terminer In English law, oyer and terminer (; a partial translation of the Anglo-French , which literally means 'to hear and to determine') was one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat. Apart from its Law French name, the commission was also ...

for treasons in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, followed in 1451 by appointment to the commission of the peace for

, sitting later for

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

and for Wiltshire as well. In 1455 he was the commissioner responsible for collecting Dorset's contribution to the defence of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

and was ordered by the Privy Council to assist the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

in quelling disturbances in

. Between 1457 and 1466 he was on the

commission of array A commission of array was a commission given by English sovereigns to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants and to see them in a condition for war, or to put soldiers of a country in a condition for military ...

and on the commission of oyer and terminer for Dorset,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, Somerset and Wiltshire. In 1462 he inherited his father's lands and title, being summoned to Parliament as a baron between 1469 and 1472. In 1469 he was one of the commission for treasons which condemned Henry Courtenay, of

West Coker West Coker is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south west of Yeovil. History The name Coker comes from Coker Water ("crooked stream" from the Celtic ''Kukro''). Artifacts from early settlement in the parish inclu ...

, and Sir Thomas Hungerford, of Rowden to execution for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, and in 1471 acted as arbitrator in a dispute there between the bishop, Richard Beauchamp, and the city authorities. He died on 18 February 1478 and was buried in the church of St Michael at

Mere Mere may refer to: Places * Mere, Belgium, a village in East Flanders * Mere, Cheshire, England * Mere, Wiltshire, England People * Mere Broughton (1938–2016), New Zealand Māori language activist and unionist * Mere Smith, American television ...

Parish Church of St Michael The Archangel - Mere - geograph

Family

Before 18 May 1450, he married Margaret, eldest daughter and coheiress of Sir John Chideock, of

Chideock Chideock ( ) is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated close to the English Channel between Bridport and Lyme Regis. In 2021, the population was 618. Chideock's economy mostly comprises a ...

, and his wife Catherine, daughter of

Ralph Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley Ralph Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley ( 1360 – January 1400) was an English nobleman, soldier and administrator under King Richard II, who was stripped of his lands, goods and title and executed for rebelling against King Henry IV of England, Hen ...

. Their children included: :

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, who was 3rd Baron until he died in 1485. :

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

, who was 5th Baron until he died in 1524. :

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

, who was 6th Baron until he died in 1535. :

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, who married first Sir William Berkeley, secondly Henry Grey, Baron Grey of Codnor, and thirdly Sir William de la Pole, nephew of Kings

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

. :Margaret, who in 1476 married as his first wife Sir James Chudleigh, of Ashton. His widow remarried John Cheney, Baron Cheyne, who died on 30 May 1499, and herself died on 12 March 1503.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stourton, William Stourton, 2nd Baron 1420s births 1478 deaths *02 English MPs 1447 English MPs 1460