Deen, Fordice, Hallett, Hodges and Van Horn Families - Person Sheet
Deen, Fordice, Hallett, Hodges and Van Horn Families - Person Sheet
NameSir William Parker
Birth1575
Death1 Jul 1622, Great Hallingbury, Essex, England
Occupation13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle, Member Of Parliment, House Of Lords
FatherSir Edward Parker (~1550-1618)
MotherElizabeth Stanley
Notes for Sir William Parker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Parker,_4th_Baron_Monteagle
William Parker, 13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle was an English peer, best known for his role in the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. In 1605 Parker was due to attend the opening of Parliament. He was a member of the House of Lords as Lord Monteagle, the title on his mother's side.[1] He received a letter: it appears that someone, presumably a fellow Catholic, was afraid he would be blown up. The so-called Monteagle letter survives in the National Archives , but its origin remains mysterious.
William Parker came from a family with strong catholic sympathies on both sides. The 8th Baron Morley was a devoted catholic under Henry VIII, and the 9th Baron Morley, William's grandfather, was considered a dangerous recusant who left England in 1569 and lived under Spanish protection. His father, Edward Parker, 10th Baron Morley also spent some time abroad as a recusant, and was forced to resign his hereditary office of Lord Marshal of Ireland. However, William seems to have learned the art of conformation quite well from his father, who later received the exclusive rights to publish a book instructing children on the taking of the Oath of Allegiance, and who served as a commissioner for the trials of Mary Stuart and Philip, Earl of Arundel, in spite of retaining his catholic sympathies.
His mother Elizabeth was the daughter and heiress of William Stanley, 3rd Lord Monteagle, and her mother was a firm supporter of the Jesuits.
The eldest son of Edward and Elizabeth, he had a younger brother Charles, who served with Ralegh in 1617, and a sister Mary who married Thomas Habington of Hindlip, Worcestershire.. Through his mother he was connected to the powerful families of the Stanleys and the Howards, including Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, both families who were also known for their catholic tendencies.
His marriage in 1589 to Elizabeth Tresham, younger sister of the conspirator Francis Tresham brought him a much needed dowry of 3800 pounds, including the property at Hoxton. It also brought him more firmly into the recusant world through his new connections to the Tresham, Vaux and Catesby families, and as a brother-in-law to Lord Stourton. His principal residence was at Great Hallingbury, near Bishop Stortford in Essex, but he also kept a town house in the Strand, and owned Hornby Castle in the Vale of the Lune.
In spite of his father's conformation, Parker's own record as a recusant was spotless before the accession of James, and his life and actions within the catholic community closely paralleled those of the other plotters.
In 1599 he joined the Earl of Essex in his Irish campaign as a cavalry officer under Southampton. He was involved in the brave, if not foolhardy rescue of Essex's forces in a skirmish near Arklow on 30 June 1599 and was knighted by Essex on 12 July. He became a devotee of the Earl, and assisted him in his abortive rebellion on 7 February 1600. He went with Essex and his entourage to see a specially requested presentation of Shakespeare's play Richard II prior to the rebellion, and during the Earl's march on the City, he attempted unsuccessfully to prevent a herald accompanying Lord Burleigh from proclaiming Essex a traitor, his men only driving them away after the proclamation had been read. While trying to make his way back to Essex House with the others, he fell into the river Thames and nearly drowned.
He gave himself up with the others after the siege at Essex House, and wrote a letter to Sir Robert Cecil on 13 March 1600 hoping to obtain mercy. "My conscience tells me that I am in no way guilty of these Imputations and that mearley the blindness of ignorance led me into these infamous errors." This letter, along with his confession that was used to help convict the Earl of Essex, perhaps earned him his life. He was released in August, however, he was fined the enormous sum of 8,000 pounds, leading some to speculate that he became a government spy at this point.
However, he remained involved in catholic activities, helping Robert Catesby to fund a trip by Thomas Wintour and Father Tesimond to Spain in 1602 to seek Spanish aid soon after his release - but there were no repercussions that one would have imagined would have occurred had he indeed been a spy at that point.
The accession of James created a change in fortunes and a change in course for William Parker. He was granted the right to sit in the House of Lords in right of the title on his mother's side as Lord Monteagle, had his estates in Essex restored, King James personally asked Henri IV for the release of his brother from prison in Calais, he served as a Lord Commissioner who prorogued Parliament on October 3, 1605, a great honor, was appointed to the court of Queen Anne in some capacity, and his name appears on the charter creating Prince Charles the Duke of York.
William Parker, 13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle was an English peer, best known for his role in the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. In 1605 Parker was due to attend the opening of Parliament. He was a member of the House of Lords as Lord Monteagle, the title on his mother's side.[1] He received a letter: it appears that someone, presumably a fellow Catholic, was afraid he would be blown up. The so-called Monteagle letter survives in the National Archives , but its origin remains mysterious.
William Parker came from a family with strong catholic sympathies on both sides. The 8th Baron Morley was a devoted catholic under Henry VIII, and the 9th Baron Morley, William's grandfather, was considered a dangerous recusant who left England in 1569 and lived under Spanish protection. His father, Edward Parker, 10th Baron Morley also spent some time abroad as a recusant, and was forced to resign his hereditary office of Lord Marshal of Ireland. However, William seems to have learned the art of conformation quite well from his father, who later received the exclusive rights to publish a book instructing children on the taking of the Oath of Allegiance, and who served as a commissioner for the trials of Mary Stuart and Philip, Earl of Arundel, in spite of retaining his catholic sympathies.
His mother Elizabeth was the daughter and heiress of William Stanley, 3rd Lord Monteagle, and her mother was a firm supporter of the Jesuits.
The eldest son of Edward and Elizabeth, he had a younger brother Charles, who served with Ralegh in 1617, and a sister Mary who married Thomas Habington of Hindlip, Worcestershire.. Through his mother he was connected to the powerful families of the Stanleys and the Howards, including Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, both families who were also known for their catholic tendencies.
His marriage in 1589 to Elizabeth Tresham, younger sister of the conspirator Francis Tresham brought him a much needed dowry of 3800 pounds, including the property at Hoxton. It also brought him more firmly into the recusant world through his new connections to the Tresham, Vaux and Catesby families, and as a brother-in-law to Lord Stourton. His principal residence was at Great Hallingbury, near Bishop Stortford in Essex, but he also kept a town house in the Strand, and owned Hornby Castle in the Vale of the Lune.
In spite of his father's conformation, Parker's own record as a recusant was spotless before the accession of James, and his life and actions within the catholic community closely paralleled those of the other plotters.
In 1599 he joined the Earl of Essex in his Irish campaign as a cavalry officer under Southampton. He was involved in the brave, if not foolhardy rescue of Essex's forces in a skirmish near Arklow on 30 June 1599 and was knighted by Essex on 12 July. He became a devotee of the Earl, and assisted him in his abortive rebellion on 7 February 1600. He went with Essex and his entourage to see a specially requested presentation of Shakespeare's play Richard II prior to the rebellion, and during the Earl's march on the City, he attempted unsuccessfully to prevent a herald accompanying Lord Burleigh from proclaiming Essex a traitor, his men only driving them away after the proclamation had been read. While trying to make his way back to Essex House with the others, he fell into the river Thames and nearly drowned.
He gave himself up with the others after the siege at Essex House, and wrote a letter to Sir Robert Cecil on 13 March 1600 hoping to obtain mercy. "My conscience tells me that I am in no way guilty of these Imputations and that mearley the blindness of ignorance led me into these infamous errors." This letter, along with his confession that was used to help convict the Earl of Essex, perhaps earned him his life. He was released in August, however, he was fined the enormous sum of 8,000 pounds, leading some to speculate that he became a government spy at this point.
However, he remained involved in catholic activities, helping Robert Catesby to fund a trip by Thomas Wintour and Father Tesimond to Spain in 1602 to seek Spanish aid soon after his release - but there were no repercussions that one would have imagined would have occurred had he indeed been a spy at that point.
The accession of James created a change in fortunes and a change in course for William Parker. He was granted the right to sit in the House of Lords in right of the title on his mother's side as Lord Monteagle, had his estates in Essex restored, King James personally asked Henri IV for the release of his brother from prison in Calais, he served as a Lord Commissioner who prorogued Parliament on October 3, 1605, a great honor, was appointed to the court of Queen Anne in some capacity, and his name appears on the charter creating Prince Charles the Duke of York.