William Stumpe (by 1498 – 22 July 1552) of

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, was a clothier and an English politician.

Career

Stumpe was a leading Wiltshire clothier. At the dissolution of

Malmesbury Abbey Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a religious house dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It was one of the few English houses with a continuous history from the 7th century through to the dissolution of the monasteri ...

, he was able to acquire the monastery site. He gave the nave of the abbey church to be the town's parish church. He filled the other monastic buildings with weaving looms, and built his own house in the precinct. He was also a Member (MP) of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...

for

in 1529 and 1547. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Go ...

for 1551 until his death in 1552.

Family

Stumpe married, by 1519, Joyce Berkeley, daughter of James Berkeley of

Bradley, Gloucestershire Bradley is a small village in the Stroud District, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Also part of the village is the hamlet of Bradley Green, with its eponymous area of common land, still used for agriculture today. Buildings of not ...

. They had two sons Sir James and John Stumpe. His second wife was Tibbalda, the widow of William Billing of

Deddington Deddington is a civil parish and small town in Oxfordshire about south of Banbury. The parish includes two hamlets: Clifton and Hempton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,146. Deddington is a small settlement but has a c ...

, Oxfordshire, who had died 28 August 1533. In 1551, he married for a third time, to Catherine, the widow of Richard Mody of

Garsdon Lea is a village in Wiltshire, England, lying approximately east of Malmesbury. It is part of the civil parish of Lea and Cleverton which includes the village of Garsdon and the hamlet of Cleverton. Garsdon was a separate parish until 1934. ...

, Wiltshire, who had died 8 November 1550. His eldest son James (d. 1563) was also appointed High Sheriff and was a Member of Parliament.

References

15th-century births 1552 deaths High Sheriffs of Wiltshire English MPs 1529–1536 English MPs 1547–1552 {{1529-England-MP-stub