William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter
William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter PC KG (1566 – 6 July 1640), known as Lord Burghley from 1605 to 1623, was an English peer.[1][2]
[edit] Life
Exeter was the son of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter and Dorothy Nevill, daughter of John Nevill, 4th Baron Latymer.[2] He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and travelled on the continent before being admitted to Gray's Inn.[3]
In 1586, when only 20 years of age, he was returned to Parliament as MP for Stamford and was returned again in 1589.[2] In 1597 he was elected knight of the shire for Rutland.[4] He was invested as a Knight in 1603.[2] He held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire between 1623 and 1640.[2] He succeeded to the title of 3rd Baron of Burghley, co. Northampton [E., 1571] on 8 February 1622/23.[2] He succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Exeter [E., 1605] on 8 February 1622/23.[2] He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) in 1626.[2] He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) in 1630.[2]
In 1589, William married Elizabeth Manners, the only child of the 3rd Earl of Rutland and they had one child:
Elizabeth died in 1591 and William married Elizabeth Drury, daughter of Sir William Drury, and they had three children:
- Lady Anne Cecil married the Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford and had issue.
- Lady Elizabeth Cecil (d. 1672), married the Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire and had issue.
- Lady Diana Cecil (d. 1658), married the Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, no issue.
[edit] References
- ^ thepeerage.com Record for William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter on www.thepeerage.com
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Charles Mosley, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 1363.
- ^ Venn, J.; Venn, J. A., eds. (1922–1958). "Cecyll, William". Alumni Cantabrigienses (10 vols) (online ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/cecil-william-1566-1640. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Sutton |
Custos Rotulorum of Nottinghamshire 1600–1640 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| Preceded by The Earl of Exeter |
Custos Rotulorum of Lincolnshire bef. 1621–1640 |
Succeeded by Lord Willoughby de Eresby |
| Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire 1623–1640 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Peterborough |
|
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by Thomas Cecil |
Earl of Exeter 1623–1640 |
Succeeded by David Cecil |
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