William Winter (admiral)
Encyclopedia
Sir William Wynter was an admiral under Queen Elizabeth I of England
and served the crown during the Anglo-Spanish War
(1585–1604).
Wynter was born at Brecknock, the son of John Wynter (ob.1546 - a merchant and sea captain of Bristol and treasurer of the navy, who was friendly with Sir Thomas Cromwell) and Alice, daughter of William Tirrey of Cork.
, which burned Leith
and Edinburgh
. In 1545 he served in Lord Lisle's channel fleet; two years later he took part in Protector Somerset's expedition to Scotland, and two years after that in an expedition to Guernsey and Jersey. In that same year, 1549, he was appointed surveyor of the navy, and in the following year he superintended the removal of the ships from Portsmouth to Gillingham. He then commanded the Minion when it captured a French ship, taking a reward of £100 to be shared out among the crew of 300, and went on a voyage to the Levant in 1553.
In 1557 Wynter was appointed master of navy ordnance, which post he held along with the surveyorship for the rest of his life. He was present at the burning of Conquet in 1558 and commanded a fleet to guard against French landings in Scotland in 1559. Here he blockaded the Firth of Forth
to break the Siege of Leith
in 1560. He burnt seven ships under d'Elbouf; not only that, all supplies were cut off from France. The result was the Treaty of Edinburgh
of 1560 which brought an end to the 'Auld Alliance
'. In 1561 he purchased Lydney
Manor in Gloucestershire
as his residence. In 1563 he served in the fleet off Havre
.
In 1571, during the first of the Desmond Rebellions
one of Winter's ships was seized at Kinsale by James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald
, the Irish rebel. On the 12th of August 1573, Wynter was knighted, but in 1577 he was passed over for the post of treasurer of the navy in place of Sir John Hawkins
, a promotion that would have doubled his income. Nevertheless, Sir William Wynter and his brother George, both received a handsome return on their investment in Sir Francis Drake's 1577 Voyage. In 1579 he commanded the squadron off Smerwick
in Ireland, cutting off the sea-routes and seizing the ships of the papal invasion force, which was landed by Fitzmaurice in the company of Nicholas Sanders
launching the Second Desmond Rebellion
; during this campaign he assisted in the siege of Carrigafoyle Castle
.
, Wynter joined the main fleet of Lord Howard off Calais and proposed the fire-ship
plan to drive the Spaniards from their anchorage; he took a celebrated part in the battle off Gravelines on the 29th of July, which was the only time in his career when he had hard fighting. During the engagement, he received a severe blow on the hip when a demi-cannon toppled over. It is said that he was the only one to have understood the completeness of the navy's defence, assessing from his experience at Leith that the enemy army's transport would require 300 ships, while Howard and Drake
thought that the invasion of England might still take place despite the naval repulse delivered to the armada.
Vice-Admiral of England Sir William Wynter was granted the manor of Lydney
in recognition of his services against the Spanish Armada
.
Having been created admiral, Wynter supported charges of dishonesty against the treasurer of the navy, Hawkins, and wrote critically of him to Sir William Cecil
, Lord Burghley.
Wynter died on 20 February 1589 aged 68. A Latin eulogy by William Patten
was published in that year.
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and served the crown during the Anglo-Spanish War
Anglo-Spanish War (1585)
The Anglo–Spanish War was an intermittent conflict between the kingdoms of Spain and England that was never formally declared. The war was punctuated by widely separated battles, and began with England's military expedition in 1585 to the Netherlands under the command of the Earl of Leicester in...
(1585–1604).
Wynter was born at Brecknock, the son of John Wynter (ob.1546 - a merchant and sea captain of Bristol and treasurer of the navy, who was friendly with Sir Thomas Cromwell) and Alice, daughter of William Tirrey of Cork.
Naval career
Wynter was schooled in the navy and took part in the 260 ship expedition of 1544Burning of Edinburgh (1544)
The Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English sea-borne army was the first major action of the war of the Rough Wooing. A Scottish army observed the landing on 3 May 1544 but did not engage with the English force. The Provost of Edinburgh was compelled to allow the English to sack Leith and...
, which burned Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. In 1545 he served in Lord Lisle's channel fleet; two years later he took part in Protector Somerset's expedition to Scotland, and two years after that in an expedition to Guernsey and Jersey. In that same year, 1549, he was appointed surveyor of the navy, and in the following year he superintended the removal of the ships from Portsmouth to Gillingham. He then commanded the Minion when it captured a French ship, taking a reward of £100 to be shared out among the crew of 300, and went on a voyage to the Levant in 1553.
In 1557 Wynter was appointed master of navy ordnance, which post he held along with the surveyorship for the rest of his life. He was present at the burning of Conquet in 1558 and commanded a fleet to guard against French landings in Scotland in 1559. Here he blockaded the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
to break the Siege of Leith
Siege of Leith
The Siege of Leith ended a twelve year encampment of French troops at Leith, the port near Edinburgh, Scotland. The French troops arrived by invitation in 1548 and left in 1560 after the English arrived to assist in removing them from Scotland...
in 1560. He burnt seven ships under d'Elbouf; not only that, all supplies were cut off from France. The result was the Treaty of Edinburgh
Treaty of Edinburgh
The Treaty of Edinburgh was a treaty drawn up on 5 July 1560 between the Commissioners of Queen Elizabeth I with the assent of the Scottish Lords of the Congregation, and French representatives in Scotland to formally conclude the Siege of Leith and replace the Auld Alliance with France with a new...
of 1560 which brought an end to the 'Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that...
'. In 1561 he purchased Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
Manor in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
as his residence. In 1563 he served in the fleet off Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
.
In 1571, during the first of the Desmond Rebellions
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
one of Winter's ships was seized at Kinsale by James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald
James FitzMaurice FitzGerald
James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald was a member of the 16th century ruling Geraldine dynasty in the province of Munster in Ireland. He rebelled against the crown authority of Queen Elizabeth I of England in response to the onset of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was deemed an archtraitor...
, the Irish rebel. On the 12th of August 1573, Wynter was knighted, but in 1577 he was passed over for the post of treasurer of the navy in place of Sir John Hawkins
John Hawkins
Admiral Sir John Hawkins was an English shipbuilder, naval administrator and commander, merchant, navigator, and slave trader. As treasurer and controller of the Royal Navy, he rebuilt older ships and helped design the faster ships that withstood the Spanish Armada in 1588...
, a promotion that would have doubled his income. Nevertheless, Sir William Wynter and his brother George, both received a handsome return on their investment in Sir Francis Drake's 1577 Voyage. In 1579 he commanded the squadron off Smerwick
Ard na Caithne
Ard na Caithne , meaning height of the arbutus or strawberry tree, known as Smerwick in English, in the heart of the Kerry Gaeltacht is one of the principal bays of Corca Dhuibhne. It is nestled at the foot of An Triúr Deirfiúr and Cnoc Bhréanainn, which at is the highest mountain in the Brandon...
in Ireland, cutting off the sea-routes and seizing the ships of the papal invasion force, which was landed by Fitzmaurice in the company of Nicholas Sanders
Nicholas Sanders
Nicholas Sanders was an English Roman Catholic priest and polemicist.-Early life:Sanders was born at Chariwood , Surrey, the son of William Sanders, once sheriff of Surrey, who was descended from the Sanders of Sanderstead...
launching the Second Desmond Rebellion
Second Desmond Rebellion
The Second Desmond rebellion was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions launched by the FitzGerald dynasty of Desmond in Munster, Ireland, against English rule in Ireland...
; during this campaign he assisted in the siege of Carrigafoyle Castle
Siege of Carrigafoyle Castle
The Siege of Carrigafoyle Castle took place at Easter in 1580 near modern-day Ballylongford, County Kerry, Ireland on the southern shores of the River Shannon. The engagement was part of the English crown's campaign against the forces of Gerald Fitzgerald, 15th Earl of Desmond during the Second...
.
Spanish Armada
In 1588, the year of the Spanish ArmadaSpanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
, Wynter joined the main fleet of Lord Howard off Calais and proposed the fire-ship
Fire ship
A fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy ships, or to create panic and make the enemy break formation. Ships used as fire ships were usually old and worn out or...
plan to drive the Spaniards from their anchorage; he took a celebrated part in the battle off Gravelines on the 29th of July, which was the only time in his career when he had hard fighting. During the engagement, he received a severe blow on the hip when a demi-cannon toppled over. It is said that he was the only one to have understood the completeness of the navy's defence, assessing from his experience at Leith that the enemy army's transport would require 300 ships, while Howard and Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
thought that the invasion of England might still take place despite the naval repulse delivered to the armada.
Vice-Admiral of England Sir William Wynter was granted the manor of Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
in recognition of his services against the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
.
Having been created admiral, Wynter supported charges of dishonesty against the treasurer of the navy, Hawkins, and wrote critically of him to Sir William Cecil
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
, Lord Burghley.
Wynter died on 20 February 1589 aged 68. A Latin eulogy by William Patten
William Patten (historian)
William Patten was an author, scholar and government official during the reigns of King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I.-Early career:...
was published in that year.