William Fiennes

was the nearest Kinsman to William of Wykeham Founder of New Coll, as being lineally descended from William Lord Say killed in the battle at Barnet 2 Ed. 4. Dom. 1471 by his Wife Margaret dau. and heir of Will. de Wykeham Lord of the Mannour of Broughton near Banbury in Oxfordshire, Son of Sir Tho. de Wykeham Knight, Son of Will. Perot by Alice his Wife, Daughter of Will. Champneis by Agnes his Wife, Sister to Will. of Wykeham B. of Winton and Founder of New Coll. before mention’d. This person Will. Fiennes whom we are farther to mention, was born at Broughton aforesaid, being the eldest Son of Sir Rich. Fiennes (to whom King Jam. 1. in the first year of his Reign had recognized and confirmed the dignity and honour of the Baron Say and Sele) was trained up in Grammaticals in Wykehams School near Winton, became a Fellow Commoner of New Coll. at about 14 years of age, in 1596; where spending some time in Logicals and Philosophicals, was called home for a time. Afterwards he travelled beyond the seas, and at his return being invested in a fair Estate, did some years after give and obtain a vast sum of money towards the Wa [•] in the Palatinate, which was very pleasing to his [•] . [•] . K. Jam. 1. yet shewing kindness to his neighbours by leaving it to their pleasure to pay towards that War what they thought fit, he was, on notice given to his Majesty, committed to custody in the month of June 1 [•] 22; whence being soon after released, he was on the 7 of July 22 Jac. 1. Dom. 1624. advanced from a Baron [•] o be Viscount Say and Sele, at which time he stood up [〈◊〉] the Privileges of Magna Charta, but after the grand Rebellion broke out he looked upon it as a ridiculous [〈◊〉] , such was the mutability of the man. The truth is, he being ill natur’d, cholerick, severe and rigid, and withal highly conceited of his own worth, did expect great matters at Court; but they failing, he sided therefore with the discontented party the Puritan, and took all occasions cunningly to promote a Rebellion. For so it was, that several years before the Civil War began, he being looked upon at that time the Godfather of that Party, had meetings of them in his house at Broughton, where was ((†))((†)) Persecutio undecima. Printed 1648. p. 103. a room and passage thereunto, which his Servants were prohibited to come near: and when they were of a compleat number, there would be great noises and talkings heard among them, to the admiration of those that lived in the house, yet could they never discern their Lords Companions. At other times he would be present at their meetings in the house of Knightley at Fawsley in Northamptonshire; where, as at other places in the Kingdom, they had their Council Chambers and chief Speakers: And what Embryo’s were conceived in the Country, were shaped in Greys-Inn-Lane near London, where the Undertakers for the Isle of Providence did meet, brought them to pass and put them out to Nurse in London. In 1639 he was a great Favourer of the Scotch Covenant, and had much correspondence with the Scotch Commissioners: and when the Long Parliament began in 1640 (for the continuance of which, he perswaded (as ’tis said) his Majesty to consent) shewed himself soon after so active therein, as in others before, that he with Pym, Hamden, and Strode, (three of the five Members) were esteemed Parliament-drivers, or Swayers of all the Parliaments wherein they sat. Whereupon his Majesty being fully satisfied that he was discontented (as indeed he was, for want of Offices he had ran himself much into debt) he confer’d upon him the Mastership of the Court of Wards 17 May 1641, in the place of Francis Lord Cottington (who some months before had given it up to please a new Favourite) and admitted him to be one of his Privy Council. But all this satisfying not, he grew more active in the House when it was to be continued; and when the King was forced from his Parliament to take up Arms in his own defence, then did he cause his House at Broughton to be fortified for the use of the Parliament, shewed himself an enemy to Prelacy, to Archb. Laud, an incliner to a Republick, and I know not what, to advance himself. In the month of Aug. the same year, he was made Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire by the Parliament, and was persuaded almost to fortifie the City of Oxon for their use, and to make Bulstrode Whitlock sometimes of S. Johns Coll. (then a Member of Parliament) Governour thereof, but for what reasons he could not be overcome, it appears not. At the same time he did endeavour to engage the People of the said County in a Rebellion, not only at Oxon, but afterwards at Woodstock, where he did protest upon his honour, after Edghill Fight, that the King had neither men, nor money, nor arms, but the Parliament had all these, &c. On the 27 of Dec. and 8 of Febr. in 1642, his Maj. published two Proclamations commanding all the Officers of the Court of Wards to attend him at Oxon, but this Lord Say refusing to come, was outlaw’d and attainted of Treason. So that he being put out of his place, and a new Seal made for the use of the said Court, it was ordered then to remain in the custody of the said Francis Lord Cottington. In 1646 the Court of Wards was taken away by the Parliament sitting at Westminster, the Members of which did recompence the Lord Say for his loss as being Master, with the sum of 10000 l, and Sir Ben. Rudyard the Surveyour of the said Court, with the sum of 6000 l, and both with Lands from the Earl of Worcester’s Estate. In 1648 he shew’d himself a zealous enemy in the House against a personal Treaty with his Majesty, and the same year was present with the Parliament Commissioners in the Isle of Wight, when they treated in order for Peace with the King. At which time this Lord Say did boldly urge to his Maj. a passage out of the three last and corrupted books of Mr. Rich. Hocker’s Ecclesiastical Polity that tho the King was singulis major, yet he was universis minor, which was answer’d with great prudence and dexterity by his Maj. as may be elsewhere seen. At that time the Kings Arguments concerning several matters did so much work upon him, that at his return to London, he sided with that party in the House that voted that the Kings Answers to the Propositions were a firm ground for them to proceed upon for a Peace. After the King’s death, he altogether sided with the Independents, as before he had done with the Presbyterians, became great with Oliver, who made him one of the other House, that is House of Lords. After the restauration of K. Ch. 2. at what time he had acted as a grand Rebell for his own ends almost 20 years, he was rewarded forsooth with the honorable Office of Lord Privy Seal, while others that had suffered in estate and body, and had been reduced to a bit of bread for his Maj. cause, had then little or nothing given to relieve them, for which they were to thank a hungry and great Officer, who, to fill his own Coffers, was the occasion of the utter ruin of many. A person ((*))((*)) Bulstr. Whitlock in his Memorials of English Affairs, an. 1642. p. 60. b. of the Lord Say’s persuasion, who had run with the times, as he did, purposely to raise a family, saith that he was a person of great parts, wisdom, and integrity, and ((a))((a)) Arth. Wilson in his Hist. of Great Britain, &c. an. 1621. p. 162. another who was taken to be a Puritan in his time, tells us that Say and Sele was a seriously subtil piece, and always averse to the Court ways, something out of pertinaciousness; his temper and constitution ballancing him altogether on that side which was contrary to the wind; so that he seldom tack’d about, or went upright, though he kept his course steady in his way a long time, &c. As for the things that he hath published, the titles of them are these.

Several Speeches, as (1) Two Speeches in Parliament. One upon the Bill against the Bishops, and the other touching the Liturgy of the Church of Engl Lond. 1641. in two sh. in quart. (2) Sp. in the Guildhall, London, 27 Oct. 1642. Lond. 1642. qu. This was spoken just after Edghill Fight to encourage the Citizens to raise more money to carry on the War. At which time also were very earnest in their Speeches for that purpose, Philip Lord Wharton, Philip Earl of Pembroke, Henry Earl of Holland, and Will. Str [•] de one of the 5 Members. (3) Speech in Parliament against the Supremacy of the Bishops, and their power in civil Affairs. Lond. 1642. qu. This, with the former against the Bishops, were much applauded among the patriotical Party, whose sense they spoke out to the full, and were the core of the Canker bred in them against the Church. These Speeches also did the Clergy take to be their chief reason of their several years of Persecution that followed, and why they were banished from their Livings, for fear, forsooth, they should preach the People (then in a great manner deceived) into obedience to the King. After the War was ceased, and no Malignants there were (as he called the Cavaliers) to oppose him, he shew’d himself an Enemy to the Quakers, with whom he was much troubled at or near Broughton; and thereupon wrot certain books against them, as I shall tell you by and by.

The Scots designe discovered: relating their dangerous attempts lately practised against the English Nation, with the sad consequence of the same. Wherein divers matters of publick concernment are disclosed: and the book called Truths manifest is made apparent to be Lies manifest.—Lond. 1653 qu. This is usually called Vindiciae veritatis, or, an Answer to a Discourse intit. Truth it’s manifest, &c.

Folly and madness made manifest. Or, Some things written to shew how contrary to the word of God, and practice of the Saints in the Old and New Testament, the doctrines and practices of the Quakers are, &c. Oxon. 1659. qu. This I think was printed before.

The Quakers reply manifested to be rayling: or, a pursuance of those by the light of the Scriptures, who through their dark imaginations would evade the truth, &c. Oxon. 1659—60. qu. and other things which I have not yet seen. At length this noble Author, after he had spent 80 years mostly in an unquiet and discontented condition, had been a grand promoter of the Rebellion which began in 1642, did die quietly in his bed, but whether in conscience, I cannot tell, on the fourteenth day of April in sixteen hundred sixty and two:1662. whereupon his body was buried in Broughton Church among the graves of his Ancestors, and had over it, soon after, a rich and costly monument erected, more befitting a Hero, than a Rebell. He left behind him several sons living at the time of his death, among whom James his eldest son was one, who succeeding him in his Honours, was made L. Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, having always been reputed an honest Cavalier, and a quiet man. Nathaniel the second son, whom I shall mention elsewhere, &c.