Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire
Francis Norris | |
---|---|
1st Earl of Berkshire | |
Born | Wytham, Berkshire | 6 July 1579
Died | 31 January 1622 Rycote, Oxfordshire | (aged 42)
Buried | Dorchester Abbey |
Spouse(s) |
Sir William Norreys |
Mother | Elizabeth Morison |
Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire (6 July 1579 – 31 January 1622) was an English
Biography
Norris (also spelled Norreys) was the son of Captain
In February 1598 Norris went to France on diplomatic service with
On 24 March 1603 he signed the proclamation announcing the
On 16 January 1605 he was made a
In the autumn of 1613 he fought a duel with Peregrine Bertie, the result of a longstanding dispute with Bertie's brother, Lord Willoughby de Eresby.[2] In September 1615 Willoughby and Norris met in a churchyard in Bath, and their retainers fought with swords. One of Willoughby's servants was slain, and Norris was tried and convicted of manslaughter. He was granted a pardon by the king.[2]
On 28 January 1621, Norris was created Earl of Berkshire and Viscount Thame in the Peerage of England by the king, likely on the suggestion of the Duke of Buckingham.[2] Shortly afterwards, on 16 February Norris attacked Lord Scrope in front of fellow members of the House of Lords. He was sent to Fleet Prison. After being released and returning to Oxfordshire, Norris was unable to recover from the humiliation and shot himself with a crossbow on 29 January 1622, dying two days later. He was buried at Dorchester Abbey.[2]
Marriage and issue
He married
References
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20269. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c d e f Lee, Sidney (1895). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 41. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 120–121. . In
- ^ David Nash Ford. Royal Berkshire History, Nash Ford Publishing 2002. Sir William Norreys (1545-1579)
- ^ "Francis Norris". Rediscovering Rycote. Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ M. S. Giuseppi, HMC Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Marquess of Salisbury, 15 (London, 1930), p. 90.
- ^ Henning, B.D. (1983). "NORREYS, Sir Edward (1634-1712), of Weston-on-the-Green, Oxon". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715. historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 14 September 2023.