Sir William Vernon of

Haddon Haddon may refer to: Places *Haddon, Victoria, Australia, a township *Haddon, Cambridgeshire, England, a village and civil parish * Haddon Hill, Somerset, England, a ridge * Haddon, Gauteng, South Africa, a suburb of Johannesburg *Haddon Townshi ...

(c. 1418/1419 – 30 June 1467) 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 ...

landowner, politician, and soldier who held the posts of

Treasurer of Calais The town of Calais, France, was in English hands from 1347 to 1558. During this historical period the task of the treasurer, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais, was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the garrison. ...

and Knight-Constable of England.

Family

William Vernon was born into a wealthy gentry

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, very prominent in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

and

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. His father, Sir

Richard Vernon Richard Evelyn Vernon (7 March 1925 – 4 December 1997) was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled into playi ...

, was

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

and

. His mother, Benedicta, was the daughter of Sir John Ludlow of

Hodnet, Shropshire Hodnet is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The town of Market Drayton lies 5.7 miles (9.2 km) north-east of the village. History Evidence of a Bronze Age burial site was discovered during construction of the bypass in ...

."The Owners of Haddon Hall"
haddonhall.co.uk. Accessed 30 January 2023. As the second son, he was not the original heir, but his elder brother predeceased their father.

Career

Vernon represented Derbyshire in Parliament in 1442, 1449–50, and 1450-51."Journal of the Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol. 22"
pp. 12-13 He assumed the position of Treasurer of Calais in 1450, his father having resigned the position in his favour. That same year, he was engaged in suppressing

Jack Cade's Rebellion Jack Cade's Rebellion was a popular revolt in 1450 against the government of England, which took place in the south-east of the country between the months of April and July. It stemmed from local grievances regarding the corruption, maladmini ...

.Bramley, Peter
"Companion to Wars of the Roses"
/ref> Vernon's highest position was Knight-Constable of England. This position, not to be confused with the

Lord High Constable of England The Lord High Constable of England is the seventh of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Great Chamberlain and above the Earl Marshal. This office is now called out of abeyance only for coronations. The Lord High Constable wa ...

, would have allowed Vernon to command the nation's army in the king's absence and to hold the Constable Court. This position was described as having "cognizance of contracts touching deeds of arms and of war out of the realm, and also of things which touch war within the realm, which cannot be determined or discussed by common law."Griffiths, George
"A History of Tong, Shropshire"
pp. 43-45 Vernon, who was granted the office for life, was the last individual to hold the office, as it was considered too powerful for a subject to hold. Burke, John
"The Peerage and Baronetage of Great Britain and Ireland"
pg. 1061 He returned to Parliament representing Staffordshire in 1455-56, and possibly 1459, then Derbyshire in 1467.

Marriage and children

Vernon married Margaret, daughter of Sir William Swynfen of Pipe. Her identity has been often confused, with various sources noting her as "daughter and heiress of Sir Robert Pype"; while she was an heiress of Pype, she was not his daughter, as her relation to the Pypes was through her paternal grandmother. They had seven sons and five daughters. The eldest son,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, became a powerful figure in his own right, as Controller of the household to

Arthur, Prince of Wales Arthur, Prince of Wales (19/20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502), was the eldest son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. He was Duke of Cornwall from birth, and he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1489. As ...

Death

Vernon wrote his will in June 1467, and died on the 30th of that month. He was buried in

St Bartholomew's Church, Tong The Collegiate Church of St Bartholomew, Tong (also known as St Bartholomew's Church) is a 15th-century church in the village of Tong, Shropshire, England, notable for its architecture and fittings, including its fan vaulting in a side chapel, ...

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 ...

, near many others of his family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, William 1410s births Year of birth uncertain Date of birth unknown 1467 deaths English MPs 1442

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 November 1449 English MPs 1450 Members of the Parliament of England for Derbyshire English MPs 1455 English MPs 1459 English MPs 1467