User:Sterlinghind/William Harris (Tudor person)

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Sir William Harris
Born1556
Woodham Mortimer, Southminster, Creeksea, Essex
Died1616
Creeksea, Essex
Resting placeAll Saints Church[1]
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)English knight, subscriber of the Virginia Company, and landowner
Known forIncorporator in the Virginia Company of London
TitleHigh Sheriff
PredecessorSir Arthur Harris
SpouseAlice Smythe
ChildrenSir Arthur, William, Capt. Thomas, John, Alice, Frances, Elizabeth, Mary
Parent(s)Sir Arthur Harris and Dorothy Waldegrave

Sir William Harris (1556 – 1616) was an English knight, land owner, and a notable incorporator in the third Virginia Company of London.



This Harris family appear to have originated some 40 to 50 miles east-north-east of London and on the north bank of the River Crouch. The village of Cricksea (or Creeksea) exists today on this peninsula in Essex County. Creeksea is located about 2 miles west of Burnham-on-the -Crouch and about 18 miles inland from the North Sea. Anciently Called "Danes Island", this area was inhabitted largely by Norman families after the conquest 1066.

Sir William Harris was knighted on July 23, 1603 at Whitehall on the eve of the coronation of James I.[2] His elevation to the knighthood was the result of military service in Ireland during the Nine Years' War (Ireland) along with his cousin Sir William Harris of Shenfield, Essex.[3]

Family life[edit]

William Harris was born 21 Sep 1556 in Woodham Mortimer, Southminster, Creeksea, Essex, England and was christened 4 May 1563 in Cold Norton, Essex.[4]. His parents were Sir Arthur Harris and Dorothy Waldegrave.[5] He made his home at Creeksea Place Manor [6]

Harris Arms of William's grandfather and namesake, presumed to be similar or the same as Sir William's


William married Alice Smythe on 6 May 1583 in St Gabriel Fenchurch, Landcaster, England. Alice was the daughter of Thomas Smythe[7][8] of Westenhanger, Kent.

The children of Sir William Harris and Lady Alice Harris were:[9][10]

Sir Arthur Harris b 1584....d Jan 9, 1632
William Harris b 1585....d 1622 in Lincolns Inn, Middlesex.
Capt. Thomas Harris b 1586....d 1617
John Harris b 1588....d by Oct 14, 1638 in Charles City Co., Va.
Alice Harris married Sir Henry Mildmay[11]
Frances Harris
Elizabeth Harris married Mr. Roope
Mary Harris

Virginia Company[edit]

Sir William Harris, his brother in law, Sir Thomas Smythe and his son, Sir Arthur Harris, each, were Incorporators and Subscribers to the third charter of the Virginia Company of London, and each paid £75 as their subscription.[12] Both Harris and Smythe were very intersted in the development of Virginia. They exerted their influence to secure money, men, equipment, supplies, and ships for the colonization efforts.[13]

Obverse and Reverse of the Seal of the Virginia Company

Lady Alice died 10 November 1615 and Sir William on 14 Nov 1616. Both are buried at All Saints Church in Creeksea.[14] All Saints still displays a depiction of Sir William and his sword, a rapier, which was found in Creeksea Place and given to the church.

Rapier of Sir William Harris held in All Saint's Church

Sources[edit]

Bindoff, S. T. (1982), The House of Commons 1509-1558, vol. I, London: Secker & Warburg

Boddie, John Bennett (1954), Virginia Historical Genealogies, Redwood City, California: Pacific coast Publishers

Brown, Alexander (1890), The Genesis of the United States, New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin & Co.

Browning, Charles H. (1891), Americans of Royal Descent: Genealogies Showing the Lineal Descent from Kings of Some American Families, Philadelphia: Porter & Coates

Burke, Sir Bernard (1864), Royal Descents and Pedigrees of Founders’ Kin, London: Harrison

Hale, Will Thomas; Merritt, Dixon Lanier (1913), A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans: The Leaders and Representative Men in Commerce, Industry and Modern Activities, vol. VI, Chicago and New York: The Lewis Publishing Company {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)

Harris, Robert E. (1994), From Essex England to the Sunny Southern USA: A Harris Family Journey, Atlanta, GA: Genealogy Press

Harris, Francis Gray (2006), Harris: From Essex, England and Allied Families, vol. II, Ashland, OH: Atlas Books, ISBN 0-9774139-0-X

McRae, Eleanor Harris (1954), The Harris Famly of Prince Edward County, Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA: Family Values Publications

Metcalfe, Walter C. (1878), The Visitations of Essex by Hawley 1552; Hervy 1558; Cooke 1570; Raven 1612; and Owend and Lilly 1634., London: Mitchell and Hughes

  • The Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624, by Wesley Frank Craven, published by University Press of Virginia, 1957, Charlottesville, Virginia. ISBN 0-8063-4555-1


Notes[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.burnham.org.uk/creekseachurch.htm
  2. ^ Brown, Alexander (1890), The Genesis of the United States, New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin & Co.
  3. ^ Burke, Sir Bernard (1864), Royal Descents and Pedigrees of Founders’ Kin, London: Harrison
  4. ^ Pam and Joe Stone, 2905 Pembrooke Rd.,Titusville, FL 32796. "Harris Family of Virginia: Captain Thomas Harris - Immigrant of 1611; Robert Harris - Immigrant of 1634-1635; compiled by descendant J. McFarland Williams, Jr. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971 (1 Microfilm reel); held at the Family History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah; Copyright, 1987; August, 1996 by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  5. ^ Browning, Charles H. (1891), Americans of Royal Descent: Genealogies Showing the Lineal Descent from Kings of Some American Families, Philadelphia: Porter & Coates
  6. ^ http://www.creeksea.org.uk/creekseaplacehistory.pdf
  7. ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/550233/Sir-Thomas-Smythe
  8. ^ http://www.tonbridgehistory.org.uk/people/sir-thomas-smythe.htm
  9. ^ Will of Sir William Harris of Creeksea, Essex. On file with Essex County records in Chelmsford, with the signature of the testator and witnesses, and is classified as Essex Archdeaconry Wills DABW20/299.
  10. ^ Metcalfe, Walter C. (1878), The Visitations of Essex by Hawley 1552; Hervy 1558; Cooke 1570; Raven 1612; and Owend and Lilly 1634., London: Mitchell and Hughes
  11. ^ http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/mildmay.htm
  12. ^ Brown, Alexander (1890), The Genesis of the United States, New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin & Co. http://books.google.com/books?id=OuWgAxBDjfMC&dq=The%20Genesis%20of%20the%20United%20States%20%20%20Dr.%20Alexander%20Brown&pg=PA913#v=onepage&q=William%20Harris&f=false
  13. ^ Harris, Francis Gray (2006), Harris: From Essex, England and Allied Families, II, Ashland, OH: Atlas Books, ISBN 0-9774139-0-X
  14. ^ http://www.burnham.org.uk/creekseachurch.htm