Sir William Savile, 3rd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir William Savile, 3rd Baronet (1612 - 24 January 1644) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
between 1640 and 1642. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War
and was killed in action.
Savile was born at Thornhill
, the son of Sir George Savile, 1st Baronet. He inherited the baronetcy on the death of his brother George in 1626. Included in the family estates were the residences of Thornhill Hall
, Rufford Abbey, and a house in York. He was educated at University College, Oxford
and entered Gray's Inn
in 1628. Wentworth selected him to be Deputy Lieutenant
of the West Riding in 1633, and he was appointed to the council in the north in July 1636.
In April 1640, Savile was elected Member of Parliament
for Yorkshire
in the Short Parliament
. In parliament, he spoke against ship money and signed the petition against forced billeting, but he remained loyal to the king. He was defeated in the election of November 1640 and was returned as MP for Old Sarum
in a by-election early in 1641. He gave evidence in favour of Strafford and supported him throughout the trial. He was himself committed to the Tower on 12 June for an unidentified offence and let out on 29 June after a reprimand from the Speaker. Savile was with the king at Nottingham when the royal standard was raised on 22 August 1642. He was marked as a "suspicious man" and was disabled from sitting in the Commons by parliament.
Towards the end of 1642 Savile was placed in command at Leeds
when Newcastle marched into the West Riding but on 23 January 1643 Fairfax captured the town after a fierce attack and Savile swam across the River Aire
to escape. In May 1643 he was appointed governor of the town of Sheffield and of Sheffield Castle
and then transferred to York. In October 1643 he was in command of the Royalist cavalry at the Battle of Winceby
. He died at or near York fighting for the king in January 1644. He had converted Thornhill Hall into a garrison for the King's forces, and it was demolished by parliamentary forces after its capture by Cromwell.
, on 29 December 1629. She became celebrated as a heroine of the civil war when she was besieged by the Parliamentarians in Sheffield Castle. She gave a gallant and warlike defence to the battering from guns on all sides, in spite of her advanced pregnancy. Against her orders, the garrison eventually surrendered the crumbling castle and she gave birth the same night on 11 August 1644.
Sir William & Lady Anne had seven children :
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
between 1640 and 1642. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and was killed in action.
Savile was born at Thornhill
Thornhill, West Yorkshire
Thornhill, is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Thornhill was absorbed into Dewsbury County Borough in 1910. It is located on a hill on the south side of the River Calder, and has extensive views of Dewsbury, Ossett and Wakefield...
, the son of Sir George Savile, 1st Baronet. He inherited the baronetcy on the death of his brother George in 1626. Included in the family estates were the residences of Thornhill Hall
Thornhill Hall
Thornhill Hall is the ruins of a medieval Manor house on a moated island located in Rectory Park, Thornhill, West Yorkshire. It is a grade II listed building. and the moat and surrounding grounds is a scheduled monument.-History:...
, Rufford Abbey, and a house in York. He was educated at University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
and entered Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1628. Wentworth selected him to be Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of the West Riding in 1633, and he was appointed to the council in the north in July 1636.
In April 1640, Savile was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Yorkshire
Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
in the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
. In parliament, he spoke against ship money and signed the petition against forced billeting, but he remained loyal to the king. He was defeated in the election of November 1640 and was returned as MP for Old Sarum
Old Sarum (UK Parliament constituency)
Old Sarum was the most infamous of the so-called 'rotten boroughs', a parliamentary constituency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which was effectively controlled by a single person, until it was abolished under the Reform Act 1832. The constituency was the site of what had been...
in a by-election early in 1641. He gave evidence in favour of Strafford and supported him throughout the trial. He was himself committed to the Tower on 12 June for an unidentified offence and let out on 29 June after a reprimand from the Speaker. Savile was with the king at Nottingham when the royal standard was raised on 22 August 1642. He was marked as a "suspicious man" and was disabled from sitting in the Commons by parliament.
Towards the end of 1642 Savile was placed in command at Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
when Newcastle marched into the West Riding but on 23 January 1643 Fairfax captured the town after a fierce attack and Savile swam across the River Aire
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
to escape. In May 1643 he was appointed governor of the town of Sheffield and of Sheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been constructed on the site at some time in the century...
and then transferred to York. In October 1643 he was in command of the Royalist cavalry at the Battle of Winceby
Battle of Winceby
The Battle of Winceby took place on 11 October 1643 during the English Civil War near the village of Winceby, Lincolnshire about 4 miles east of Horncastle.-Prelude:...
. He died at or near York fighting for the king in January 1644. He had converted Thornhill Hall into a garrison for the King's forces, and it was demolished by parliamentary forces after its capture by Cromwell.
Family
Savile married Anne, daughter of Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron CoventryThomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry
Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry was a prominent English lawyer, politician and judge during the early 17th century.-Education and early legal career:...
, on 29 December 1629. She became celebrated as a heroine of the civil war when she was besieged by the Parliamentarians in Sheffield Castle. She gave a gallant and warlike defence to the battering from guns on all sides, in spite of her advanced pregnancy. Against her orders, the garrison eventually surrendered the crumbling castle and she gave birth the same night on 11 August 1644.
Sir William & Lady Anne had seven children :
- Mary (b.1632)
- GeorgeGeorge Savile, 1st Marquess of HalifaxGeorge Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax PC was an English statesman, writer, and politician.-Family and early life, 1633–1667:...
(b.1633) who succeeded William as the 4th Baronet and then later created Marquess of HalifaxMarquess of HalifaxThe title Marquess of Halifax was created in the Peerage of England in 1682 for the 1st Earl of Halifax.The 1st Marquess had previously been created Baron Savile, of Eland in the County of York, and Viscount Halifax in 1668 and Earl of Halifax in 1679, all also in the Peerage of England...
. - Anne (b.1634) married Thomas Windsor, 1st Earl of Plymouth
- William (b.1635)
- Margaret (b.1640)
- Henry (b.1642)
- Talbot (b.1644) born during the siege of Sheffield Castle