William Petre

second son of Will. Lord Petre, was born in his Fathers house at West Thorndon in Essex, became a Gent. Com. (with his Brother Robert, afterwards Lord Petre) of Exeter Coll. about the beginning of Lent term, an. 1612 aged 10 years, and soon after, when Wadham Coll. was finished by his great Aunt Dame Dorothy Wadham, he was translated thither and became the first Gent. Com. or Nobleman thereof. Afterwards leaving the University, without the taking of a degree, he went to the Inns of Court, travelled and became a Gen. of many accomplishments. He hath translated into English The lives of Saints, with other feasts of the year according to the Roman Calendar. St. Omer. 1669. Written in Spanish by Pet. Ribadeneira of the Society of Jesus. To which are added a translation by the same hand of all those Saints which have been put into the Calendar since the authors (Ribadeneira) edition, until the year 1669, besides those Feasts of Spain which the author himself hath inserted. This Mr. Will. Petre died 16. January in sixteen hundred seventy and seven, in his house at Stanford Rivers in Essex (where he had an estate left him by his Father) and was buried in the Church there,1677/8. as I have been informed by his Sisters Son, that most generous and well bred Gentleman Ralph Sheldon of Beoly in Worcestershire, commonly called Great Sheldon.