William Brouncker (Wiltshire MP, died 1596)
Member of the Parliament of England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir William Brouncker (c. 1547 – 1596) was an English landowner with estates in Wiltshire, and a Member of Parliament for Westbury.
He was the eldest son of Henry Brouncker of Melksham and Erlestoke by his second wife Ursula Yate.[1] He was trained in the law, entering the Middle Temple in 1566.[2] He succeeded his father in 1568, becoming a wealthy landowner with estates near Chippenham and Devizes, and property in Westbury.[3] He married Martha, the daughter of Sir Walter Mildmay, the following year[4]
As a substantial local landowner, he secured his own election and that of his younger brother Henry as MP for Westbury in 1572.[3][5] He represented Westbury again in 1584.[3] He was a member of the Wiltshire bench as a justice of the peace from 1573 and was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 1581–82.[3] His status in the county was sufficient for him to be elected as a knight of the shire for Wiltshire in 1586, 1589 and 1593.[3] He was knighted in 1592.[3] As an MP he was active as a committee-man and is recorded as having spoken three times in his last parliament.[3]
Children
He and Martha had a son and four daughters:[1]
- Henry, married Gertrude, daughter of Henry Sadler of Everleigh, Wiltshire[7]
- Mary, married John Wynter of Dyrham, Gloucestershire[8][7]
- Grace, married Sir Francis Wortley, 1st Baronet[7]
- Anne, married Sir John Jennings[9][7]
- Elizabeth, married Hugh Halswell[7]