William Brereton, 2nd Baron Brereton | |
|---|---|
 Family home,Brereton Hall | |
| JointLord Lieutenant of Cheshire | |
| In office July 1660 – July 1662 | |
| Member of Parliament forCheshire | |
| In office 1661–1664 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 February 1611 |
| Died | 21 April 1664(1664-04-21) (aged 53) |
| Resting place | St Oswald's Church, Brereton |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Goring (1629–her death) |
| Children | William (1631–1680); Thomas (1635-1683); Henry (1636–1659); George (1638–1672); Elizabeth (1645–1724); others |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Royalist |
| Battles/wars |
|
William Brereton, 2nd Baron Brereton (28 February 1611 – April 1664) was an English landowner fromCheshire and member of thePeerage of Ireland who owned estates inCounty Carlow. ARoyalist sympathiser during theWars of the Three Kingdoms, after the 1660Stuart Restoration he served as jointLord Lieutenant of Cheshire andMember of Parliament forCheshire from 1661 to 1664.
Born on 28 February 1611, Brereton was the eldest son of Sir John Brereton (1591–1629), and Anne (1594–1663), daughter of Sir Edward Fitton (1572–1619), owner ofGawsworth Old Hall. Sir John was heir apparent to SirWilliam Brereton, 1st Baron Brereton ofBrereton Hall (1550–1631); his death in 1629 made Brereton the new heir, while his mother remarried, this time toSir Gilbert Gerard (died 1646),Royalist Governor ofWorcester during theFirst English Civil War.[1]
One of five surviving children, William had two brothers, John (1624–1656) and Edward, along with two sisters; Jane (died 1648), and Mary (died 1652), whose second husband was another member of the Gerard family,Sir Gilbert Gerard, 1st Baronet of Fiskerton (died 1687).[2]
In 1629, Brereton married Lady Elizabeth Goring (1615–1687), daughter ofGeorge Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich and another substantial Cheshire family. They had a total of 14 children including his heirWilliam (1631–1680), Thomas (1635-1683), Henry (1636–1659), George (1638–1672) and Elizabeth (1645–1724). Several of his daughters died unmarried, as the financial losses he suffered during the civil war made it impossible to provide them withdowries.[3]
In 1661 William became 2nd Baron Brereton after the death of his grandfatherSir William Brereton, 1st Baronet.
The Brereton family had been established in Cheshire since the 14th century and was split into a number of different branches; thesenior line was based atHandforth Hall and headed by anotherSir William Brereton (1604–1661), aPuritan who ledParliamentarian forces in Cheshire during the civil war.[4] In 1624, Brereton's grandfather purchased an Irish barony and was appointedBaron Brereton ofLeighlin inLeinster, a title inherited by his grandson along with his lands when he died on 1 October 1631.[5]
He held no military commission during theFirst English Civil War but in August 1642 was appointed aCommissioner of Array for Cheshire byCharles I, and installed aRoyalist garrison at Brereton Hall. Captured in 1644 when Biddulph House inStaffordshire surrendered toParliamentarian forces, he was restored to his estates by theCommittee for Compounding with Delinquents after paying a fine of £2,539.[3]
Although associated withBooth's Uprising in August 1659, he escaped arrest and after the 1660Stuart Restoration was appointed jointLord Lieutenant of Cheshire and served asMember of Parliament forCheshire between 1661 and 1664.[3] He died in April 1664 and was buried on 21 April 1664 inSt Oswald's Church, Brereton. Upon his death, his eldest son becameWilliam Brereton, 3rd Baron Brereton.
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCheshire 1661–1664 With:Peter Venables | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire 1662–1664 withThe Earl of Derby | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by | Baron Brereton 1631–1664 | Succeeded by |