Sir William Brereton 
Sir William was born about 1518 in Malpas, Cheshire, England. Sir William's father was Sir Randall Brereton and his mother was Eleanor Dutton. His paternal grandparents were Sir Randall Brereton and Emma Carrington; his maternal grandparents were Peter Dutton and Elizabeth Fouleshurst. He had eight brothers and four sisters, named Richard, Sir Roger, Sir Randall, John, Thomas, Fr. Peter, Robert, Sir Urian, Anne, Elizabeth, Jane and Margred. He was the third youngest of the thirteen children. He died on May 17th, 1536.General Notes
* Chamberlain of Chester, and groom of the chamber to Henry VIII. He married Elizabeth the daughter of Charles, Earl of Worcester and was beheaded 17 May 1536.
One April day in the year 1536 a Tournament of knightly sports was in progress was in progress at the Tilting-Ground at Greenwich. King Henry VIII was there with his queen, Anne Boleyn.
The Queen accidentally dropped her handkerchief, and a chivalrous knight picked it up on the point of his lance and handed it to the Queen.
King Henry saw this act; he left the royal stand, where he and Anne Boleyn were sitting, and his furious temper was plain to see. He ordered that the knight, Sir William Brereton, and four companions should be arrested immediately, and carried off to the Tower of London, to be charged with High Treason as lovers of the Queen. Anne Boleyn was arrested a few hours later and never saw the king again.
A jury of Henry's choosing was impanelled and the five prisoners were hastily tried. Though they pleaded "Not Guilty" they were sentenced to death and beheaded on Tower Hill on May 17th 1536. They were:- Lord Rochford (Anne Boleyn's brother), Sir William Brereton; Sir Henry Norris; Sir Francis Weston and Mark Smeaton, a mere boy. The hapless Queen was beheaded two days later at a scaffold within the Tower.
The following day the King was betrothed to Jane Seymour, and the marriage took place ten days later at York Place.
There is some confusion about the identity of this Sir William Brereton. Apparently he was Sir William Brereton of Aldford, the 7th son of Sir Randle of Malpas Hall. He had presented Anne Boleyn with a greyhound named 'Urian'. Also the details about the tournament may be an embellishment of the deeds of Norris and not Brereton. Sir William had previously accompanied the King and Queen on a visit to check on the inventory of Cardinal Wolsey's goods and chattels shortly before the latter's death. This may have inclined Cavendish, Wolsey's secretary, to testify against him.
(these stories were adapted from the booklet by Arthur L. Moir)
<http://www.alsager1.com/tour/area/play.jpe>
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Ancestor Pedigree Chart
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*There are earlier generations for the ancestor(s) indicated. See their page(s) for details (click name)
- b.~ 1320 in Malpas, Cheshire, England d.~ 1381 in Hartfleur, France
- b.~ 1380 in Malpas, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1340 in Utkinton, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1426 in Malpas, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1360 in Ipstones, Staffordshire, England
- b.~ 1390 in Ipstones, Staffordshire, England
- b.~ 1378 in Barrow, Cheshire, England
- b.1452 in Malpas, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1400 in Eaton, England
- b.~ 1430 in Eaton, England
- b.~ 1485 in Malpas, Cheshire, England d.Jun 1530 in Shocklack, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1430 in Carrington, England
- b.~ 1457 in Carrington, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1410 in Beeston, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1430 in Beeston, Cheshire, England
- b.1408 in Beeston, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1450 in Beeston, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1401 in Bold, Lancastershire, England d.< 1479
- b.~ 1441 in Lancashire, England
- b.~ 1405 in Lancastershire, England
- b.~ 1518 in Malpas, Cheshire, England d.17 May 1536
- b.~ 1455 in Hatton, Cheshire, England d.1502
- b.~ 1484 in Hatton, Cheshire, England d.> 1522 in Malpas, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1360 in Crewe, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1397 in Crewe, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1367 in Kinderton, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1420 in Crewe, Cheshire, England
- b.1347 in Over-Peover, Cheshire, England d.1456
- b.~ 1401 in Over-Peover, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1369 in Kinderton, Cheshire, England d.1459 in Over-Peover, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1454 in Crewe, Cheshire, England
- b.~ 1340
- b.~ 1370 d.1408
- b.~ 1342
- b.1423
- b.~ 1387
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