William Brandon (standard-bearer)
Sir William Brandon | |
---|---|
Born | 1456 |
Died | 22 August 1485 Near Battle of Bosworth | (aged 28–29)
Relations |
|
Sir William Brandon (1456
Biography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
William was the son of Sir William Brandon of Wangford, Suffolk, and of Soham, Cambridgeshire, Knight Marshal of Marshalsea (1425 – 4 March 1491) and wife (married 1462) Elizabeth Wingfield (died 28 April 1496/1497).[4] He had numerous siblings, including Sir Thomas Brandon, who fought with him at the Battle of Bosworth and later became a leading courtier and Master of the Horse of Henry VII.
In 1478 Sir John Paston wrote that Brandon had been arrested for an attempted rape: "yonge William Brandon is in warde and arestyd ffor thatt he scholde have fforce ravysshyd and swyvyd an olde jentylwoman ..."[5] By that time he was already married to Elizabeth Bruyn, a widow with two sons, and according to Paston there were rumours he would be hanged for his offence. Brandon apparently escaped prosecution however, because a few years later he was one of the key London connections behind the Buckingham Revolt of 1483, along with his brother Thomas and brother-in-law, Wingfield.
Pardoned in March 1484, he boarded a ship at
Battle of Bosworth
At the Battle of Bosworth, William formed part of Henry Tudor's personal entourage, performing the role of royal standard bearer. When Richard III launched his final charge, he personally unhorsed Sir
amongst all other Knights, remember
which were hardy, & therto wight;
Sir william Brandon was one of those,
King Heneryes Standard he kept on height,
& vanted itt with manhood & might
vntill with dints hee was dr(i)uen downe,
& dyed like an ancyent Knight,
with HENERY of England that ware the crowne.
—Bosworth Ffeilde, anonymous author
According to popular myth William and his brother were both knighted by Henry Tudor when he landed at Milford in 1485, however Thomas was only knighted after the Battle of Blackheath in 1497 and William was presumably only called "Sir William" out of courtesy after his death, or out of confusion with his father, the elder Sir William.[7]
Family
Some time before 4 November 1474/1475 Brandon married Elizabeth Bruyn, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Henry Bruyn of
By Elizabeth Bruyn, William Brandon had two sons and a daughter (the actual order of birth is not known):
- William Brandon (d. before 1500).
- Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk (ca. 1484 – 24 August 1545).
- Anne Brandon, married firstly Sir John Shilston, and secondly Sir Gawain Carew.
Brandon also had two illegitimate daughters, Katherine, who married Roger Wolrich,[1][12][13] and Elizabeth. William Brandon's sister was Mary Brandon who was the wife of John Reading (Reding) who was the treasurer of the King of England Henry VII
Notes
- ^ a b Gunn 1988, pp. 46–7.
- ^ Chrimes, S.B. (1999). Henry VII. Yale University Press. p. 49.
- ISBN 0-904387-82-8.
- ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Vol. 1 (107th, 3 volumes ed.). Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd. p. 682.
- The Paston Letters, A. D. 1422-1509. Vol. 6. London: Chatto $ Wundis.
- ^ Hales, J.W.; Furnivall, F.J., eds. (1868). "Thomas Percy". Bishop Percy's Folio Manuscript. Ballads and Romances. Vol. 3. London. p. 258.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/3268. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Richardson II 2011, pp. 359–60.
- ^ a b c Richardson II 2011, p. 360.
- ^ Burke 1834, p. 205.
- ^ Cokayne 1912, pp. 357–8.
- ^ Richardson I 2011, p. 298.
- ^ Gunn, Steven J. (1988). "The Brandons". Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, c. 1484-1545. Williston: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 46–47.
References
- Cokayne, George Edward (1912). The Complete Peerage, edited by Vicary Gibbs. Vol. II. London: St Catherine Press. pp. 357–8.
- Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. I (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. pp. 297–302. ISBN 978-1449966379.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. II (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. pp. 359–60. ISBN 978-1449966386.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
Further reading
- Burke, John (1834). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. I. London: Henry Colburn. p. 205.
- Gunn, S.J. (2004). "Brandon, Sir Thomas (d. 1510)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/3268. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Rendle, William (1878). Old Southwark and Its People. Southwark: W. Dewett. pp. 100–1.
- Timbs, John (n.d.). Gunn, Alexander (ed.). Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales. Southwark: Frederick Warne. p. 195.
- Wright, James (1684). The History and Antiquities of the County of Rutland. London: Bennet Griffin. p. 126.