William Widdrington, 1st Baron Widdrington
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Sir William Widdrington (1610 – 3 September 1651), of Widdrington, Northumberland, was created 1st Baron Widdrington of Blankney in the Peerage of England on 2 November 1643.
He was the son and heir of Sir Henry Widdrington of Widdrington (d. 1623) and in 1629 married Mary Thorold, heiress of Blankney Hall, Blankney, near Lincoln.
He was the Member of Parliament for Northumberland in both the Short and the Long Parliaments of 1640-1642, but in August 1642 he was expelled for taking up arms in support of Charles I.
During the Civil War he fought for the King chiefly in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and on 9 July 1642 was rewarded for his loyalty to the Crown by creation as 1st Baronet Widdrington of Widdrington.
He served as governor of Lincoln in 1643, and on 2 November 1643 was elevated to the Peerage as 1st Baron Widdrington of Blankney.
In 1644, after helping to defend York, and the Kings defeat at Marston Moor he left England with the Duke of Newcastle for exile in Hamburg.
In 1648 he was condemned to death in his absence by the House of Commons and his estates were confiscated. He returned in 1650 when he accompanied Charles II to Scotland and in 1651 he was mortally wounded while fighting for him at Wigan.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Widdrington, Barons", a publication now in the public domain.
