A Wetpaint Site

William Brereton |

Version Compare

Version	User	Scope of changes
Sep 29 2009, 2:29 PM EDT (current)	MsSquirrly	87 words added, 87 words deleted, 9 photos added, 10 photos deleted
Sep 29 2009, 2:23 PM EDT	MsSquirrly	10 photos added, 1 photo deleted

Changes

Key: Additions Deletions

Click EasyEdit to update this page! (Don't see the EasyEdit button above? Sign in or Sign up.)

Sir William Brereton of Malpas as played by James Gilbert

born - date unknown - executed May 17, 1536
by order of Henry VIII

Character's backstory: *Although an actual historical character, the series has totally fictionalized this character. William Brereton was not a jesuit and was not commissioned by the Pope to assassinate Anne Boleyn. He also never confessed to adultery with the Queen. He was probably collateral damage when Cromwell moved against the Boleyn Faction and decided to get rid of him in the same coup.

Historical backstory: William was the 7th of 9 sons and had to find his own fortune in the world rather than rely on his inheritance. William's family was prosperous landed gentry, seated in Cheshire in Northern England. His father had enjoyed substantial favor from the crown, but had little to give to his younger heirs. Like four of his brothers (four others became priests), William entered royal service and by 1524 was a groom of the king's Privy Chamber. William married in 1529 to a widow, Elizabeth Savage, who was a second cousin to Henry VIII which improved his status and his connections to the crown. As a result of his marriage, he received 36 offices in Cheshire and North Wales. After his father's death, William received the office of chamberlain of Chester thanks to his ties with the king.

In 1536, William was one of the five men who were accused of adultery and conspiracy with Queen Anne. Cromwell claimed that the queen had solicited William for sex on November 16, 1533 and the act took place on the 27th. In retrospect, this is highly unlikely, since Anne was still in seclusion after having given birth to Elizabeth in September (Eric Ives). He was not a prominent courtier and was an older man in the background of the Boleyn faction. Despite the dubious nature of the claims made against him, he was arrested on May 4th during a jousting tournament in Greenwich in which William, as the story goes, picked up the token handkerchief of Queen Anne and in doing so set off the king's jealous rage. William Brereton was found guilty of high treason and beheaded at Tower Hill on May 17, 1536. Historian Eric Ives claims that the true reason William Brereton was implicated in the conspiracy is because of Cromwell's interest in Brereton's lands in Wales and Northern England.

Gentility: 7th son of Sir Randle Brereton of Malpas Hall

Position: By 1521 he was a groom of the King's chamber, from 1524, groom of King Henry VIII's privy chamber and Chamberlain of Chester. In reward for his work for the King, Brereton gained many grants in Cheshire and the Welsh Marches. These eventually brought him more than £10,000 a year. (a veritable fortune in Tudor times).

Personality type: ambitious social climber, Using his place at court, he had secured a virtual monopoly of royal appointments in Cheshire & Wales.

Signature look:

Endearing trait(s): self-made man, loyal friend and servant to the King.
He presented Anne Boleyn with the gift of a greyhound named Urian.

Annoying trait(s): there's no telling what he'll do or who he'll betray to get ahead.

Scandals:He had managed to get some trumped up charges against a Flintshire gentleman named Eyton who Cromwell hadClick triedEasyEdit to save but failed which resulted in the hanging ofupdate this gentleman. Contemporary George Cavendish mentions it. The irony of Brereton hanging an enemy on a flimsy charge of felony and then being executed himself on a flimsypage! charge

(Don't ofsee highthe treasonEasyEdit wasbutton aabove? moralSign tooin goodor toSign forget.up.)

"Brereton farewell, as one that least I knew.

Great was thy love with divers as I hear,

But common voice doth not so sore thee rue

As other twain that doth before appear;

But yet no doubt but they friends thee lament

And other hear their piteous cry and moan.

So doth each heart for thee likewise relent

That thou givest cause thus to be dead and gone."

A verse from Thomas Wyatt's poem - a eulogy to those who were executed along with Anne Boleyn:

Scandals:
He had managed to get some trumped up charges against a Flintshire gentleman named Eyton who Cromwell had tried to save but failed which resulted in the hanging of this gentleman. Contemporary George Cavendish mentions it. The irony of Brereton hanging an enemy on a flimsy charge of felony and then being executed himself on a flimsy charge of high treason was a moral too good to forget.

UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER QUOTES

"The cause whereof I die, judge not. But if you judge, judge best." Brereton protesting his innocence, as well as begging for a more merciful sentence from the traditional punishment of being drawn and quartered that is reserved for traitors

DEFINING EPISODES | MEMORABLE SCENES

Episode 2.3 - Tries to shoot Anne Boleyn during her coronation from a nearby window as her carriage passes, either due to bad aim or nervousness (or lack of conviction?) he misses and kills the footman instead.

PHOTOS







William Brereton stands behind Anne







Tomb of William's parents, Sir Randel Brereton and Eleanor Dutton, in the BreredonBrereton chapel of St. Oswalt'sOswald's Church in Malpas	Tower Hill where Brereton and four others were executed May 17, 1536

JavaScript must be enabled in order for you to contribute to this site.
To start contributing, enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, then try again.

Home