William Parr was a military man who fought in France, where he was knighted by King Henry VIII at Tournai Cathedral, and Scotland. Parr seemed to be uncomfortable in court circles and insecure in securing relationships.[citation needed] Nonetheless, he accompanied the King at the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold' in France. Like his brother, Sir Thomas Parr, William flourished under Sir Nicholas Vaux.[3]
William was also a family man. After the death of his brother, Sir Thomas, William's sister-in-law Maud, widowed at age 25, called upon him to help in financial matters and to manage her estates in North England while she was busy in the south securing a future for her three children. William had been named one of the executors of his brother's will. Along with Cuthbert Tunstall, a distant kinsman of the Parr's, they provided the kind of protection and father figure which was missing in the lives of Maud's children. William's children were educated alongside Maud's children.[3]
It was William who found a spot for his nephew, William Parr, later Earl of Essex, in the Duke's household where he would be educated by the very best tutors and mixed with the sons of other prominent families. Though thought to be a wonderful environment for Parr and his nephew to flourish in, the household was not a great passport to success as Parr hoped for. Henry VIII was very fond of his illegitimate son, but had no intention of naming him his heir. It has been claimed that Parr and his sister-in-law, Maud Parr, coached William to make sure that he ingratiated himself with the Duke, in case the Duke became heir to the throne but there is no factual evidence to support this claim.[3]
Although Parr was named Chamberlain of the Duke's household, the household was actually controlled by Cardinal Wolsey in London. This control by Wolsey diminished any opportunity of Parr gaining financial benefit or wider influence. Along with the limited possibilities came other daily frustrations as the Duke's tutors and the household officers under Parr disagreed on the balance of recreation and study. Parr was a countryman who thought it perfectly normal for boys to prefer hunting and sports to the boring rhetoric of learning Latin and Greek. As the Duke's behaviour became more unruly Parr and his colleagues found it quite amusing. The Duke's tutor, John Palsgrave, who had only been employed six months, would not tolerate being undermined and decided to resign. Such was the household in which Parr presided over. Parr was suspicious of schoolmaster priests and anyone of lesser birth, even though he was not considered a nobleman at the time. The experience did not further the Parr family. If Sir William had spent more attention to his duties and responsibilities he may have reaped some sort of advancement; thus when the overmanned and over budgeted household was dissolved in the summer of 1529, Parr found himself embittered by his failure to find any personal advancement or profit from the whole ordeal.[3]
Despite his failed attempts at achieving personal gain from the household of the Duke, Sir William made up for it during the Pilgrimage of Grace during 1536. William showed impeccable loyalty to the Crown during the rebellion. He had been in Lincolnshire along with the Duke of Suffolk and supervised the executions at Louth and Horncastle. William tried to ingratiate himself with the Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Cromwell. Parr's presence at the execution in Hull of Sir Robert Constable prompted Cromwell to share in confidence a correspondence in which he received from the Duke of Norfolk on William's "goodness" which "never proved the like in any friend before."[3]
Parr was a strong supporter of the new religion under Henry VIII and he became Thomas Cromwell's chief agent for the dissolution of the monasteries in Northamptonshire.[citation needed]
Offices
Sir William was Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1518, 1522, 1534 and 1538. He was also Esquire of the Body to Henry VII and Henry VIII. In addition to this, he was a third cousin to King Henry VIII through his mother. William was appointed Chamberlain to his niece Queen Catherine and when she became Queen regent during Henry's time in France, Catherine appointed William part of her council. Although he was too ill to attend meetings, the appointment shows her confidence in her uncle.[3]
Parr was knighted by King Henry VIII after the siege of Tournai in October 1513.[4] He was elected to parliament as knight of the shire for Northamptonshire in 1529 and 1539.[5]
He was made a peer of the realm as 1st Baron Parr of Horton, Northamptonshire on 23 December 1543. Upon his death in 1547 he was buried at Horton, where the inscription on his monument wrongly gives his year of death as 1546. With no male heirs, the barony became extinct.[6]
Family
He married Mary Salisbury, the daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Salisbury; who brought as her dowry the manor of Horton. It was a happy marriage which produced four daughters who survived infancy. In 1517 he named his eldest daughter to be his sole heir.[7]
Maud (Magdalen) Parr, who married Sir Ralph Lane of Orlingbury.[1] Maud grew up with her cousin Catherine Parr, who became the last queen of King Henry VIII. She became a lady-in-waiting and was among the queen's close circle. Maud would become a lifelong friend and confidante of the queen.[8] She was with her cousin as Dowager queen and was one of her ladies at Sudeley Castle.[3]
^ abcdefgPorter, Linda. Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr, the Last Wife of Henry VIII. Macmillan, 2010.
^Metcalfe, Walter Charles, ed., Book of Knights Banneret, Knights of the Bath etc., IV Henry VI to 1660, London (1885), p. 50
^"PARR, Sir William (by 1484-1547), of the Blackfriars, London and Horton, Northants". Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^ abcBurke, John. A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, extinct, dormant, and in abeyance. Page 411
^James, Susan E. (23 September 2004). Lane [née Parr], Maud [Matilda], Lady Lane (c. 1507–1558/9), courtier. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/70800.
^"'Parishes: Horton', A History of the County of Northampton: Volume 4 (1937), pp. 259-262". Retrieved 19 October 2010.
^Burke, A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, extinct, dormant, and in abeyance, pg. 411
James, Susan E. "Parr, William, Baron Parr of Horton". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/58528. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
william, parr, baron, parr, horton, other, people, with, same, name, william, parr, disambiguation, 1483, september, 1547, william, parr, second, wife, elizabeth, fitzhugh, later, lady, vaux, harrowden, contents, life, offices, family, ancestry, references, so. For other people with the same name see William Parr disambiguation William Parr 1st Baron Parr of Horton c 1483 10 September 1547 1 was the son of Sir William Parr and his second wife the Hon Elizabeth Fitzhugh later Lady Vaux of Harrowden 2 Contents 1 Life 2 Offices 3 Family 4 Ancestry 5 References 6 SourcesLife EditWilliam Parr was a military man who fought in France where he was knighted by King Henry VIII at Tournai Cathedral and Scotland Parr seemed to be uncomfortable in court circles and insecure in securing relationships citation needed Nonetheless he accompanied the King at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in France Like his brother Sir Thomas Parr William flourished under Sir Nicholas Vaux 3 William was also a family man After the death of his brother Sir Thomas William s sister in law Maud widowed at age 25 called upon him to help in financial matters and to manage her estates in North England while she was busy in the south securing a future for her three children William had been named one of the executors of his brother s will Along with Cuthbert Tunstall a distant kinsman of the Parr s they provided the kind of protection and father figure which was missing in the lives of Maud s children William s children were educated alongside Maud s children 3 Although William was inadept at handling his financial matters he was ironically appointed the office of Chamberlain in the separate household of the Duke of Richmond the acknowledged illegitimate son of King Henry VIII and Elizabeth Blount based at Sheriff Hutton Castle in Yorkshire It was William who found a spot for his nephew William Parr later Earl of Essex in the Duke s household where he would be educated by the very best tutors and mixed with the sons of other prominent families Though thought to be a wonderful environment for Parr and his nephew to flourish in the household was not a great passport to success as Parr hoped for Henry VIII was very fond of his illegitimate son but had no intention of naming him his heir It has been claimed that Parr and his sister in law Maud Parr coached William to make sure that he ingratiated himself with the Duke in case the Duke became heir to the throne but there is no factual evidence to support this claim 3 Although Parr was named Chamberlain of the Duke s household the household was actually controlled by Cardinal Wolsey in London This control by Wolsey diminished any opportunity of Parr gaining financial benefit or wider influence Along with the limited possibilities came other daily frustrations as the Duke s tutors and the household officers under Parr disagreed on the balance of recreation and study Parr was a countryman who thought it perfectly normal for boys to prefer hunting and sports to the boring rhetoric of learning Latin and Greek As the Duke s behaviour became more unruly Parr and his colleagues found it quite amusing The Duke s tutor John Palsgrave who had only been employed six months would not tolerate being undermined and decided to resign Such was the household in which Parr presided over Parr was suspicious of schoolmaster priests and anyone of lesser birth even though he was not considered a nobleman at the time The experience did not further the Parr family If Sir William had spent more attention to his duties and responsibilities he may have reaped some sort of advancement thus when the overmanned and over budgeted household was dissolved in the summer of 1529 Parr found himself embittered by his failure to find any personal advancement or profit from the whole ordeal 3 Despite his failed attempts at achieving personal gain from the household of the Duke Sir William made up for it during the Pilgrimage of Grace during 1536 William showed impeccable loyalty to the Crown during the rebellion He had been in Lincolnshire along with the Duke of Suffolk and supervised the executions at Louth and Horncastle William tried to ingratiate himself with the Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Cromwell Parr s presence at the execution in Hull of Sir Robert Constable prompted Cromwell to share in confidence a correspondence in which he received from the Duke of Norfolk on William s goodness which never proved the like in any friend before 3 Parr was a strong supporter of the new religion under Henry VIII and he became Thomas Cromwell s chief agent for the dissolution of the monasteries in Northamptonshire citation needed Offices EditSir William was Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1518 1522 1534 and 1538 He was also Esquire of the Body to Henry VII and Henry VIII In addition to this he was a third cousin to King Henry VIII through his mother William was appointed Chamberlain to his niece Queen Catherine and when she became Queen regent during Henry s time in France Catherine appointed William part of her council Although he was too ill to attend meetings the appointment shows her confidence in her uncle 3 Parr was knighted by King Henry VIII after the siege of Tournai in October 1513 4 He was elected to parliament as knight of the shire for Northamptonshire in 1529 and 1539 5 He was made a peer of the realm as 1st Baron Parr of Horton Northamptonshire on 23 December 1543 Upon his death in 1547 he was buried at Horton where the inscription on his monument wrongly gives his year of death as 1546 With no male heirs the barony became extinct 6 Family EditHe married Mary Salisbury the daughter and co heiress of Sir William Salisbury who brought as her dowry the manor of Horton It was a happy marriage which produced four daughters who survived infancy In 1517 he named his eldest daughter to be his sole heir 7 Maud Magdalen Parr who married Sir Ralph Lane of Orlingbury 1 Maud grew up with her cousin Catherine Parr who became the last queen of King Henry VIII She became a lady in waiting and was among the queen s close circle Maud would become a lifelong friend and confidante of the queen 8 She was with her cousin as Dowager queen and was one of her ladies at Sudeley Castle 3 Anne Parr who married Sir John Digby 1 6 Elizabeth Parr who married Sir Nicholas Wodhull modern spelling Woodhull 1 6 Mary Parr who married Sir Thomas Tresham 1 9 Lord Parr and his wife are ancestors of William Prince of Wales through his late mother Diana Princess of Wales They descend from both Maud Lady Lane and Mary Lady Tresham citation needed He is buried at Horton where the family estate was Ancestry EditAncestors of William Parr 1st Baron Parr of Horton16 Sir William Parr8 Sir John Parr17 Elizabeth Ros4 Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal18 Sir Thomas de Crophull9 Agnes Crophull19 Sybil de la Bere2 William Parr 1st Baron Parr of Kendal20 Sir William de Tunstall10 Sir Thomas of Thurland Tunstall 10 21 Alice Lindsay5 Alice Tunstall22 Sir Nicholas of Farleton Harrington 10 11 Isabel Harrington 10 23 Isabel English1 William Parr 1st Baron Parr of Horton24 Henry FitzHugh 3rd Baron FitzHugh12 William FitzHugh 4th Baron FitzHugh25 Elizabeth of Codnor Grey6 Henry FitzHugh 5th Baron FitzHugh26 William Willoughby 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby13 Marjory Willoughby27 Lucy Le Strange3 Hon Elizabeth FitzHugh28 Ralph de Neville 1st Earl of Westmorland14 Richard Neville 5th Earl of Salisbury29 Lady Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland7 Lady Alice Neville30 Thomas Montacute 4th Earl of Salisbury15 Lady Alice Montacute 5th Countess of Salisbury31 Lady Eleanor Holland Countess of SalisburyReferences Edit a b c d e Douglas Richardson Plantagenet Ancestry A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families 2nd Edition 2011 pg 663 Douglas Richardson Plantagenet Ancestry Baltimore Maryland U S A Genealogical Publishing Company 2004 page 566 a b c d e f g Porter Linda Katherine the Queen The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr the Last Wife of Henry VIII Macmillan 2010 Metcalfe Walter Charles ed Book of Knights Banneret Knights of the Bath etc IV Henry VI to 1660 London 1885 p 50 PARR Sir William by 1484 1547 of the Blackfriars London and Horton Northants Retrieved 11 January 2012 a b c Burke John A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England Ireland and Scotland extinct dormant and in abeyance Page 411 James Susan E 23 September 2004 Lane nee Parr Maud Matilda Lady Lane c 1507 1558 9 courtier Vol 1 Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 70800 Parishes Horton A History of the County of Northampton Volume 4 1937 pp 259 262 Retrieved 19 October 2010 Burke A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England Ireland and Scotland extinct dormant and in abeyance pg 411 a b c Douglas Richardson Magna Carta ancestry Genealogical Publishing Com 2005 pg 643 Sources EditJames Susan E Parr William Baron Parr of Horton Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 58528 Subscription or UK public library membership required Peerage of EnglandNew creation Baron Parr of Horton1543 1547 Extinct Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Parr 1st Baron Parr of Horton amp oldid 1139018443, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
