William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter
Encyclopedia
William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter PC KG
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

 (1566 – 6 July 1640), known as Lord Burghley from 1605 to 1623, was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...

.

Life

Exeter was the son of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter
Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter
Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, KG , known as Lord Burghley from 1598 to 1605, was an English politician and soldier.-Life:...

 and Dorothy Nevill, daughter of John Nevill, 4th Baron Latymer.
He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

 and travelled on the continent before being admitted to 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 1586, when only 20 years of age, he was returned to Parliament as MP for Stamford
Stamford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stamford was a constituency in the county of Lincolnshire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of England to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918...

 and was returned again in 1589. In 1597 he was elected knight of the shire for Rutland
Rutland (UK Parliament constituency)
Rutland was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Rutland. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1918, when it became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, along with Stamford in Lincolnshire...

. He was invested as a Knight in 1603. He held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire between 1623 and 1640. He succeeded to the title of 3rd Baron of Burghley, co. Northampton [E., 1571] on 8 February 1622/23. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Exeter [E., 1605] on 8 February 1622/23. He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) in 1626. He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) in 1630.

In 1589, William married Elizabeth Manners
Elizabeth Cecil, 16th Baroness de Ros
Lady Elizabeth Manners, 16th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley was the daughter and heir of Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland...

, the only child of the 3rd Earl of Rutland
Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland
Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland, 15th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG was the son of Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland, whose titles he inherited in 1563....

 and they had one child:
  • William Cecil, 17th Baron de Ros
    William Cecil, 17th Baron de Ros
    William Cecil, 17th Baron de Ros of Helmsley .He was born at Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire, and baptised on 4 June 1590. In 1591, he inherited the barony of de Ros from his mother, Elizabeth Cecil, 16th Baroness de Ros. On 13 February 1615, he married Ann Lake.He was sent by King James I on a...

    .


Elizabeth died in 1591 and William married Elizabeth Drury, daughter of Sir William Drury, and they had three children:
  • Lady Anne Cecil married the Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
    Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
    Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford , known as the Lord Grey of Groby from 1614 to 1628, was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Sir John Grey and Elizabeth Nevill...

     and had issue.
  • Lady Elizabeth Cecil (d. 1672), married the Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire
    Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire
    Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire was the second son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and Catherine Knyvet....

     and had issue.
  • Lady Diana Cecil (d. 1658), married the Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
    Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
    Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford was an English aristocrat, courtier and soldier.-Life:He was born on 24 February 1593 at Newington, Middlesex, the only son of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, by his second wife, Elizabeth Trentham. He succeeded his father as on 24 June 1604.He is said to...

    , no issue.
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