Biography of William Stanford 1509-1558

On or before 22nd August 1509 William Stanford was born to William Stanford Mercer.

In or before 1540 William Stanford (age 30) and Alice Palmer were married.

In 1542 William Stanford (age 32) was elected MP Stafford.

In 1545 William Stanford (age 35) was elected MP Stafford.

In 1547 William Stanford (age 37) was elected MP Newcastle under Lyme.

In 1552 William Stanford (age 42) was appointed Serjeant at Law.

In 1552 William Stanford (age 42) was appointed Justice of the Common Pleas.

On 28th August 1558 William Stanford (age 49) died.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 29th August 1558. The sam day was bered be-yond Barnet (blank) [ju]ge Stamford (deceased) knyght, with standard, cotte armur, penon of armes, elmett, targett, sword, and the mantylles; and iiij dosen of skochyons, and ij dosen torchys, and tapurs; and master Somerset the harold of armes.

Note. P. 172. Funeral of sir William Stamford. "Sir William Staunford knight, one of the kinges and the quenes maties justyces of the common banke, dysseassed the xxviijth. August An° D'ni 1558, about iiij. of the cloke in the afternone the same day in the 49 yere of his age, and iiij. dayes, and was buryed at Hadley j° die Septemb' in A° D'ni 1558. He maried Ales doughter of Joh'n Palmer esquyer, and had issue Robert Stamford son and heyr, 2. Thomas, 3. William, 4. Henry, 5. Raff, 6. Joh'n; Frances wyff to Thomas Repington esquyer, Doraty, Kateren, Margaret." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 18.) His funeral insignia were remaining in Hadley church when visited by Nich. Charles, and will be found drawn in the Lansd. MS. 874, f. 60, with other memorials of his family. His personal biography will be found in Wood's Athenæ Oxonienses, (by Bliss,) vol. i. p. 262. He was the editor of the first edition of Ranulph de Glanville's treatise "De Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliæ, printed by Tottel in 1554. (See Wright's Biographia Literaria, vol. ii. p. 279.)