William Colles (abt. 1560 - 1615)

Born about 1560 in Leigh, Worcestershire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 20 Sep 1615 at about age 55 in Leigh, Worcestershire, England

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Biography

William was born about 1560. He was the son of Edmund Colles and his wife Jane Somerville ^[1] and was baptised at Leigh with Bransford, Worcestershire on 30 Aug 1560. ^[2]

William wrote his will on 27 July 1615, describing himself as William Colles of Leigh, Esq. ^[3]He made bequests to, and mentioned:

• my son Edmund and his wife Martha
• my son in law Sir Walter Leveson, knight
• my cousins Humphrey and John Colles
• my deceased father Edmund Colles
• my brother Edmund
• Sir Henry Townsend, knight
• Sir Robert Stanford, knight
• Andrew Archer
• William Daunsey
• my daughter Jane
• Sir Ralph Selby
• my daughter Mary
• my second son john
• my third son Thomas
• my fourth son Jerome
• Anthony Skynner
• my kinsman Michael Colles

His will was not probated until 21 Jun 1623.

William died on 20 Sep 1615. His memorial at Leigh reads:

"Here lieth William Colles of Leigh in the county of Worcester, Esq., with Mary his wife, daughter and heir of Jerome Palmer Esq. by Esther Paget his wife, third daughter of William Lord Paget, baron of Beaudesert, lord keeper of the privy seal, knight of the most noble order of the garter, and a privy councillor to Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Queen Mary. William Colles died 20 Sept. 1615 and Mary his wife died 15 April 1602."

Their monument is situated in the church at Leigh against the north wall, between the first and second windows from the east. It is a large Renaissance monument, with two kneeling figures below an arch supported by two square pillars. William is in armour and his wife kneels behind him, while above the figures is a shield of arms with helm, crest, and mantling, Colles impaling Palmer quartered with Harthill and Mountney. On the base of the monument are the kneeling figures of twelve children, seven sons and five daughters. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ COLLES, Edmund (1528-1606), of Leigh, Worcs. | History of Parliament Online accessed:5 December 2020 HOP
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NLK2-YZ3: 21 March 2020), Willimus Colles, 1560.
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 . Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.The National Archives; Kew, England; Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers;PROB 11141Ancestry Record 5111 #896043
4. ↑ "Parishes: Leigh with Bransford," in A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 4, ed. William Page and J W Willis-Bund (London: Victoria County History, 1924), 101-111. British History Online, accessed December 5, 2020, BHO