William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter
William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter, KG PC (1566 – 6 July 1640), known as Lord Burghley from 1605 to 1623, was an English peer.[1][2]
Life
Exeter was the son of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, and Dorothy Neville, daughter of John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer.[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 (PC) in 1626.[2] He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) 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 Elizabeth Stafford, and they had three children:
- Lady Anne Cecil married Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford, and had issue.
- Lady Elizabeth Cecil (d. 1672), married Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire, and had issue.
- Lady Diana Cecil (d. 1658), married Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, no issue, remarried Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin, also with no issue.[5]
References
- ↑ Lundy, Darryl. "p. 1295 § 12944 Record for William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter on www.thepeerage.com". The Peerage.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 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.
- ↑ "Cecyll, William (CCL578W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ↑ "History of Parliament". Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ↑ Lundy, Darryl. "Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin". Retrieved 14 September 2012.
| 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 |