William Sherard, 1st Baron Sherard

Lord Sherard was married to Abigail (née Cave) Tresham (1593–1659), widow of Henry Tresham of Newton, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Anne (née Bennett) Cave (daughter of sole heir of Anthony Bennett of Greenwich) and Cecil Cave of Stanford (third son of Roger Cave).^[3] Together, they were the parents of seven sons (four of whom died without unmarried) and four daughters (three of whom died unmarried):^[7]

• Bennet Sherard, 2nd Baron Sherard (1621–1700), an MP for Leicestershire who served as Lord Lieutenant of Rutland.^[8]
• Hon. Philip Sherard (1623–1695),^[9] an MP for Rutland who married Margaret Eure, widow of both John Pulteney and Col. Hon. William Eure (son of Lord Eure), and daughter of Sir Thomas Denton of Hillesden.^[10]
• Hon. George Sherard (1626–1670), who married Anne Crockenbury (d. 1669), daughter of London merchant.^[3]
• Hon. Abigail Sherard (c. 1633–1680), who married Nicholas Knollys, titular 3rd Earl of Banbury of Great Harrowden, widower of Lady Isabella Blount (eldest daughter of Mountjoy Blount, 1st Earl of Newport), and a son of William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury.^[11]

Lord Sherard died on 16 April 1640 and was buried near his father at Stapleford. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron.^[1]

Through his eldest surviving son Bennet, he was a grandfather of Bennet Sherard, 1st Earl of Harborough and Hon. Lucy Sherard, who married John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland.^[12] Through his granddaughter Lucy, Duchess of Rutland, he was the ancestor of Lord Sherard Manners, MP for Tavistock, Lady Caroline Manners (wife of Sir Henry Harpur, 5th Baronet and, secondly, Sir Robert Burdett, 4th Baronet), Lady Lucy Manners (wife of William Graham, 2nd Duke of Montrose), Lord Robert Manners, and Lord Charles Manners, among others.^[13]

Through his son Philip of Whissendine, he was a grandfather of Bennet Sherard, himself the father of Philip Sherard, 2nd Earl of Harborough, who inherited the Harborough earldom from his first cousin once removed through special remainder,^[12] and Margaret Sherard, the wife of The Most Rev. John Gilbert, Archbishop of York.^[14]

Through his son George, he was a grandfather of William Sherard, who married the daughter and heir of Castell Sherard, of Glatton and Folksworth. George's great-great-great-grandson, Philip Castel Sherard (1804–1886), became the ninth Baron Sherard upon the death of Robert Sherard, 6th Earl of Harborough (the grandson of Robert Sherard, 4th Earl of Harborough)^[a] in 1859.^[3]

• Sir William Sherard, 1st Baron Sherard, Baron of Leitrim at the British Museum
• William Sherard, 1st Baron Sherard (1588-1640), Member of The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners under James I at the National Portrait Gallery, London