Family & Education: b. by 1503, 2nd surv. s. of Sir John Williams of Burghfield, Berks. by Isabel, da. and coh. of Richard More of Burghfield. m. (1) by July 1524, Elizabeth (d. 25th Oct. 1556), daughter. and cohort. of Thomas Bledlow of Bledlow, Bucks., Widow of Andrew Edmonds (d.23rd June 1523) of Cressing Temple, Essex, 3s. inc. Henry 2-daughters; (2) Settlement 19th April 1557, Margaret, daughter. of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Lord Wentworth, of Nettlestead, Suffolk, 1-daughter. Knighted 15th November 1538, 28th June 1539; Created Lord Williams of Thame 1554.
Offices Held: Chancery Official by 1526; Clerk of the King’s Jewels 8th May 1530, Joint. (with Thomas Cromwell) Master c.January 1535, sole 1540-44, Receiver, Lands formerly of 3rd Duke of Buckingham March 1531, Thame Abbey by 1535; JP Bucks. 1535, Oxon 1535-37. 1542-47 or later, Berks 1544, Northants. 1554; Sheriff, Oxon & Berks 1538/9; 1544/5, September-November 1553; Visitor of Monasteries 1538, Commander Subsidy, Oxon 1540, Benevolence 1544/5, Chantries, Northants, Oxon, Rutland 1546, 1548, of Admiralty in November. 1547, Relief, Berks, Oxon, Northants. 1550, Musters, Salop, Staffs., Warks 1559; Steward, Manors of Grafton & Hartwell, Northants. February. 1540, Easton Neston, Northants 1542; Master of Cygnets in Thames March 1542; Treasurer, Court Augmentations March 1544 – January 1554; High Steward, Oxford by 1553; Chamberlain to King Philip April 1554-58; Trier of Petitions in the Lords, Parliaments. of November 1554, 1555 & 1559; President of Council in the Marches of Wales February 1559–died.
Biography: John Williams was of Welsh Descent. His father was the 1st of the Line to Anglicise his Name & probably the 1st to Seek his Fortune in England. He was a Kinsman of Morgan Williams who married Cromwell’s Sister, a relationship which must have helped his son in his early career: in 1535 Gregory Cromwell wrote to his own father from Rycote that he had been splendidly entertained by all the neighbourhood, especially by Williams. In 1544 Richard Cromwell alias Williams, Morgan Williams’ son, left Sir John Williams 2-of his best Horses.
It is not certain which of the Family 1st became Established in the Region of Thame. John Williams’ Sister Anne married William King, of Thame, & by 1535 another Sister was Prioress of Studley, but it was Williams’ own Marriage which was probably decisive, as Bledlow is only 5-Miles from Thame. The Marriage, to the Widow of an important Londoner, also suggests that by 1524 Williams was a Royal Servant with London Connections; these may have included Sir John Dauntesey, his neighbour at Thame.
In 1536 Williams increased his reputation by his prompt & effective action against the Lincolnshire Rebellion. In 1537 he was Commissioned to investigate allegations against the Abbots of Eynsham & Osney & to Sit with Dauntesey to hear charges of Sedition at Thame. Although he was probably responsible for the Reprieve of Studley in that year, he was assiduous in receiving the surrender of Monasteries & particularly, as Master of the Jewels, in Ransacking their Shrines. Early in 1538 he took 5,000-Marks’ worth of Gold & Silver from Bury St Edmunds; between 7th & 11th March he stripped Abingdon & was reported to have left 100 Barge-loads of Spoils at the Waterside; & at 3-o’clock on a Saturday morning in September, he & 2-others ‘made an End’ of the Shrine of St Swithun at Winchester, taking the trouble to ‘sweep away all the Rotten Bones called Relics’ lest the Citizens think that they came only for the Treasure. In the previous May he & Thomas Lee I had taken the Surrender of Woburn, where he heard Accusations of Treason against the Abbot & eventually became the Receiver of the Property. In Oxon he took the surrenders of Eynsham, Godstow, Osney, Studley & Thame, that of Studley from his own Sister. Between 1542 & 1557 he pulled down & Sold the materials of Gloucester Hall, Oxford (Below).
The Abbot of Thame was Anne Williams’ Brother-in-law Robert King, for whom Williams had secured the Abbacy of Osney in commendam in 1537 & who in 1541 became Bishop of Thame & Osney & in 1545 1st Bishop of Oxford, no doubt with Williams’ continued assistance. If he could look after a Relative in this way, Williams was able to do much more for Himself. He had begun by securing a 21–yr Lease of the Crown’s Demesne Lands at Grafton, Northants, in 1528 & the Reversion of Lands at Upper Winchendon, Bucks, 4-yrs later. With the Dissolution there began an impressive Series of Grants & Purchases. He had already bought the House at Rycote, which became his Chief Seat, from Giles Heron & had secured an Interest in the Estates of Thame Abbey. His Possession of Rycote was confirmed by an Act of 1539 (31 Hen. VIII, c.19), introduced into the Lords by Williams himself & reaffirmed in the following year by a Proviso to Heron’s Act of Attainder (32 Hen. VIII, c.58). In 1538 he Purchased Wytham, Berks, from Leonard Chamberlain & began to form a 2nd Cluster of Properties West of Oxford, while his Purchase of a Manor in Monmouthshire may reflect some awareness of his Welsh Origins. In Cripplegate, London, he Purchased the Priory of Elsingspital (1-yr later, on Christmas Eve, the Building burnt down) for some £530 & up to 1547 he made 5 further Purchases, in conjunction with other Speculators, of Monastic Lands to a total value of about £8,000, much of which was Resold. At the beginning of Edward VI’s Reign he bought the Abbeys of Thame & Notley, near Thame, from the Duke of Somerset & Sir William Paget. His last Major Purchase was that of the Priory of Marlow (Bisham) in 1555 (Nothing remains of the Abbey Church or its associated Buildings).
The Fall of Cromwell does not seem to have affected Williams’ position, save in making him Sole Master of the Jewels. On 26th August 1540 the Privy Council met at Rycote & a week later it added his name to the Oxon Subsidy Commission. In 1544 he was Licensed to retain 10-men in addition to his Household Servants & was listed as the Captain of 20-Archers & 40-Billmen in the King’s Battle of the Army against France. His Career in Royal Administration culminated in his Appointment as Treasurer of the Augmentations in 1544 with a yearly Salary of £320.
Williams is 1st known to have been Elected to the Parliament of 1542, although he could have Sat for a Borough in its Precursor of 1539, for which most of the returns are lost. His Dhrievalty (Tenure as a Sheriff) doubtless excluded him from the Last Parliament of the Reign, but he was to Sit in the 3 Summoned before his Ennoblement. It was presumably he rather than his son Henry, Knight of the Shire for Northants, who as Mr Williams had a Bill concerning Sheriffs Committed to him after its 2nd Reading on 8th December 1547 & certainly he to whom one concerning Tithes & another on Regrators & Forestallers were Committed during the 2nd Session of that Parliament on 22nd February & 1st March 1549. In the 3rd Session he was doubtless the recipient of a Bill to encourage Husbandry, 1st Read on 4th January 1550 & another for putting away old Service Books after its 2nd Reading 10-days later. On 21st January 1549 he secured privilege for his Servant Anthony Butler. He was himself an unpopular Landlord & a Victim of the Rising in Oxon in the Summer of 1549 when the Commons disparked his Park(s) – & Killed all the Deer’ at Rycote & Thame. It is not surprising, therefore, in view of Somerset’s alleged Leniency to the Rebels, that Williams was one of the 3 ordered to Windsor in October 1549 to ‘Protect’ the King & Arrest Somerset.
In October 1551 the Imperial Ambassador reported that Williams himself had been Arrested, an Act which, since Williams Possessed a huge amount of Livestock & was Loathed by the People, was meant to show that the Duke of Northumberland wanted to ease the People’s Burdens. There is no other evidence of the Arrest before 8th April 1552, when the Privy Council ordered the Warden of the ‘Fleet Prison‘ to receive him & to allow none to Converse with him. By 25th April the Confinement was affecting his Health & he was allowed to Exercise & to be Visited by his Family & Friends; the ill-Health seems to have persisted, for on the Crown Office List of the Parliament of October 1553 he is described as ‘Infirmus’. According to the King’s Journal, Williams had Disobeyed an Order Not to Pay Pensions without the Council’s Foreknowledge & it was for ‘lack of doing his Duty in his Office’ that he made his humble Submission on 22nd May 1552, when he was Released. The Privy Council continued to Issue Warrants to Williams throughout his Imprisonment. There is little reason to question the Official Version of his Offence, although his unpopularity may have made him a Target & there are other Pointers to his having fallen short of even the far from rigorous Standards of the time. Only in May 1552 were his Accounts as Master of the Jewels Cleared & in Mary’s Reign he was to be in Trouble over his Augmentations Accounts. On 5th June 1556 he was charged with a Debt of £2,500; he promised to pay within a fortnight but 5-days later, in consideration of his Service, he was Pardoned all Arrears both as Master of the Jewels & Treasurer of Augmentations. At the end of Edward VI’s Reign these Arrears had already stood at over £28,000. Despite the Pardon, the Privy Council was still discussing Williams’ Accounts in May 1558.
The Council recommended to the Sheriff of Oxon & Berks that Williams should be returned for Oxon to the Parliament of March 1553, but he had to yield 1st-Place to Northumberland’s brother Sir Andrew Dudley, whose recent Acquisitions in the County were making him a threat to Williams’ Local preponderance. On grounds of self-interest Williams might therefore have been expected to go over to Mary & in the event he sprang to her support with the Alacrity he had shown in 1536 & with the same reward for himself. He is said to have raised 6,000-men, including Cavalry Recruited among the Peasantry & the News of the response to his Summons was believed to have had a decisive effect on the Council in London. On 22nd July he was Ordered to dismiss his men & to wait upon the Queen who continued to Employ him in a Military Role; on 12th August 1553 he & Leonard Chamberlain were given £2,000, on 14th August. 400-Lances & 500-Corselets & on the 15th 6-Field pieces. In the following February he was Commanded to provide 100-Horse & 100-Foot for the Queen’s Retinue.
He Discharged the Office of Sheriff of Oxon & Berks for a few weeks in the Autumn of 1553 & Mary thereafter treated him as her Henchman in Oxon. In this Capacity he was involved in the Custody & Execution of Cranmer, Latimer & Ridley & the Safe-keeping of Princess Elizabeth. On 19th May 1554 he joined Sir Henry Bedingfield & Sir Leonard Chamberlain to Escort Elizabeth from the Tower to Woodstock. It is not clear either that he was ever in Sole charge of her, or that he was replaced by Bedingfield for his Leniency, but he gained a lasting reputation for kindness to Elizabeth on her Journeys To & From Woodstock. On both occasions he entertained her at Rycote & according to Foxe, Protested that he would die for her if necessary & clashed with Bedingfield over the respect he paid her. There is some likelihood, therefore, that he was the ‘Lord William’ reported by the Imperial Ambassador in March 1555 to be Conspiring with Elizabeth & Plotting to marry her to Courtenay. Williams’ favourable reputation with Protestants is also clear from Foxe’s Report of his Treatment of the Condemned Bishops, whom he Conducted to Oxford from the Tower in March 1554 & at whose Executions he Presided in October 1555(Latimer & Ridley) & March 1556 (Cranmer). The Rumour is therefore Intelligible which is Reported to have been Rife in September 1554, that the See of Canterbury ‘was given to a Spanish Friar; & the Lord Williams was out of his Chamberlainship & Secretary Petre Out of his Office’.
There is no evidence that Williams ever betrayed his allegiance to Mary & he remained in favour throughout the Reign. In April 1554 he was summoned to Parliament as Lord Williams of Thame; this was in part to compensate him for his Loss of Office when the Court of Augmentations was dissolved & in part to give him the Dignity necessary to his New Office of Chamberlain to King Philip. It was he who with the 12th Earl of Arundel met Philip II of Spain at the Gates of Southampton on 20th July 1554. On losing his Augmentations Office Williams was Granted an Annuity of £320 & in March 1554 he received a Gift of 200–Crowns from the Queen & in July a Pension of 1,000-Crowns from the King. He was fairly regular in his Attendance in the Lords throughout the remainder of the Reign & had several Bills Committed to him in the Parliaments of April 1554 & 1555, including one to confirm the Articles of the Spanish Marriage. In 1555 he was one of 4-Peers who Voted against a Bill ‘for the keeping of Milch Kine’ & the Sole Dissenter from a Bill for the Repeal of an Act of 1497 concerning Merchant Adventurers (12 Hen. VII, c.6); in 1558 he was again the Sole Dissenter from a Bill to cancel Import Licences for French or Gascon wines.
With Elizabeth on the Throne Williams’ ability to keep on good terms with all Parties once more paid him well. One of his Servants brought the Queen’s Proclamation to Oxford & he was one of the Lords appointed to attend Elizabeth from Hatfield to London. Two months later he was Council in the Marches of Wales, but by the following March he was seriously ill & before he was able to make any impression on the Marches he died at Ludlow on 14th October 1559. Only at the very end of his life is there a suggestion that he was other than a Leading Example of the Profiteer from the Religious Revolution: in his last illness he received into his House for a Period Bishop Jewel, once Vicar of Sunningwell, near Oxford, where Williams had an Estate & in 1559 just returned from Exile.
Williams was buried with Great Pomp at Thame on 15th November 1559, a & his Tomb remains in the Church. His sons having predeceased him, the Barony became Extinct & the Heirs to his Property were his sons-in-law Henry Norris & Richard Wenman. To his wife Williams left several Manors, his House at Elsingspital & Cups given by the Queen, the Duchess of Norfolk & Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, at the Christening of one of her children; she later married in turn William Drury & James Croft. To Bedford he left his Personal Armour & to Sir Robert Dudley a Black Mare called ‘Maud Mullford which mare I take to be the best mare in England’. Several Rectories were Assigned for the Endowment of a Free School at Thame and Provision was also made for the Restoration of the Footway between Oxford & Botley & the support of Botley Road upon Stone Arches: a Bill for the amendment of Causeways & Highways had been Committed to Mr Williams, either Sir John or Thomas Williams I, a Member for Oxford, in the Parliament of October 1553. The Executors included Sir Walter Mildmay & the Supervisors the Earl of Bedford & Sir William Cecil.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 