William Hatton (MP)
William Hatton | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Corfe Castle | |
| In office 1586–1589 Serving with Francis Hawley | |
| Preceded by | John Clavell |
| Succeeded by | William Tate |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1565 |
| Died | 12 March 1597 |
| Resting place | All Saints Church, Holdenby |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Cecil Hatton |
| Alma mater | Oxford University |
Sir William Hatton (née Newport; c. 1565 - 12 March 1597) was an English politician in the 16th century.
Sir William Newport
[edit]William Newport was born circa 1565, son of John Newport of Hunningham, Warwickshire and Dorothy Hatton, sister of Christopher Hatton, Elizabeth I's celebrated Lord Chancellor. Newport attended Magdalen College, Oxford circa 1577 before travelling to Europe,[a] spending some time in Paris with Anthony Ashley, transferring to The Netherlands in 1586, where he fought at Zutphen with Sir Philip Sydney, returning to England in the same year to attend Sydney's funeral. Thereafter, Newport appears to have remained in England, when he was twice returned in his uncle's borough of Corfe Castle although his parliamentary career is poorly documented in the journals of the House of Commons.[1] His time in Europe had instilled the adventurer in him, apparently collaborating with his neighbours to hire ships and to harry the Spanish Armada in 1588.[2][b]
Sir William Newport married Elizabeth Gawdy in 1589, the daughter and heiress of Sir Francis Gawdy. Elizabeth Newport died shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Frances, in 1590, who was raised by her grandfather Francis Gawdy.[3] The following year Newport's maternal uncle Christopher Hatton died, leaving his considerable estates, as well as his mounting debts, to Newport.[c]
Sir William Hatton
[edit]Newport assumed the name and arms of Hatton circa 1590/91, in lieu of his inheritance from his uncle, Sir Christopher Hatton.[5] Properties included two palatial estates in Northampton,[d] Ely Place in Holborn,[e] and the Isle of Purbeck, which included Corfe Castle, all of which carried debts, creating financial hardship for Hatton, who lacked the revenues of high office enjoyed by his uncle. Hatton was able to sell lands that had not been developed to help pay off some of the debt and was able to play an active role in Northamptonshire county business.[1] Not long after, Newport married "the spirited" Lady Elizabeth Cecil, daughter of the Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, in what was thought to have been a happy, if short, marriage.[7] They had one child together, who died in infancy.[8]
Hatton died at his home in Holborn in 1597, when his wife was still in her teens, and was buried at All Saints Church, Holdenby. Hatton had no male heir and appears to have split his estate between his wife, Lady Elizabeth Hatton, and another Sir Christopher Hatton.
Notes and references
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ there is little evidence that he ever completed his studies at Oxford
- ^ the act of joining the Armada may have earned him the Knighthood, which was conferred on him around this time
- ^ Norsworthy reports debts of £42,000 on the Isle of Purbeck alone,[2] but Holdenby Hall is attributed as the main burden of inheritance for William.[4]
- ^ Sir Christopher Hatton built the vast palace of Holdenby Hall, which was completed in 1583 and was possibly the largest house in England at the time. He built it to accomodate Elizabeth I, who never actually stayed there. The house became a Royal Palace of King James I and was demolished in 1651.[4] He also bought Kirby Hall in 1575.[6]
- ^ which later became Hatton Garden in commemoration of Sir Christopher Hatton who died there.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "HATTON (formerly NEWPORT), Sir William (c.1565-97), of Holdenby, Northants. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ a b Norsworthy, Laura (1935). The Lady of Bleeding Heart Lane. London: John Murray. p. 4.
- ^ J. Chambers (ed.), A General History of the County of Norfolk, Intended to Convey All the Information of a Norfolk Tour, with the More Extended Details of Antiquarian, Statistical, Pictorial, Architectural, and Miscellaneous Information; Including Biographical Notices, Original and Selected (1829), p. 72 (Google). Retrieved 24 September 2008
- ^ a b Beckett, Matthew. "Holdenby Hall". The Country Seat. The Country Seat. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Harris, Nicholas (1847). Memoirs of the life and times of Sir Christopher Hatton, K.G., vice-chamberlain and lord chancellor to Queen Elizabeth. London: R. Bentley. p. 136. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ Ross, David. "Kirby Hall". Britain Express. Britain Express. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Norsworthy, Laura (1935). The Lady of Bleeding Heart Lane. London: John Murray. pp. 3–4.
- ^ Harris, Nicholas (1847). Memoirs of the life and times of Sir Christopher Hatton, K.G., vice-chamberlain and lord chancellor to Queen Elizabeth. London: R. Bentley. p. 502. Retrieved 3 December 2024.