William Boleyn


Sir William Boleyn was the son of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer and Lord Mayor of London, and his wife, Anne Hoo. He was the father of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and the paternal grandfather of King Henry VIII's second Queen, Anne Boleyn.

Life

William Boleyn was born at Blickling, Norfolk, the younger of the two sons of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer and Lord Mayor of London, and his wife, Anne Hoo. Sir William was heir to his elder brother, Sir Thomas Boleyn, in 1471/2.
Boleyn married Margaret Ormond , the daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond, by his first wife, Anne Hankford. They had six sons, Sir Thomas, William, Sir James, Sir Edward, John and Anthony, and four daughters, Margaret, Anne, Alice and Jane.
Boleyn was created a Knight of the Bath by Richard III and was charged by Henry VII to take care of the beacons that were used to warn in case of an attack on England.
Sir William served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1489 and High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1500.

Issue

  1. Anne Boleyn married Sir John Shelton
  2. Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire married Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and his first wife, Elizabeth Tilney
  3. John Boleyn
  4. Anthony Boleyn
  5. Jane Boleyn married Sir Phillip Calthorpe
  6. Alice Boleyn married Sir Robert Clere
  7. Margaret Boleyn married John Sackville
  8. William Boleyn
  9. Sir James Boleyn married Elizabeth Wood
  10. Sir Edward Boleyn married Anne Tempest

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