William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton

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William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton and 1st Earl of Essex KG (c. 1512–October 28, 1571) was the son of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Matilda or Maud Greene, daughter of Sir Thomas de Greene, of Greenes Norton, and brother of Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.

On February 9, 1526, William married Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier, daughter of Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex. On April 17, 1543, their marriage was annulled by an Act of Parliament and his children were declared bastards.

He later married Elizabeth Brooke, daughter of George Brooke, 4th Baron Cobham.

Their marriage was declared valid in 1548, invalid in 1553, and valid again in 1558.

Two months before he died, he married Helena Snakenborg, a lady in waiting, who was from Sweden.

He was created Baron Parr of Kendal in 1539, Earl of Essex in 1543 and Marquess of Northampton in 1547. He was stripped of these title by Mary I in 1553, but they were restored by Elizabeth I in 1559. On his death, with no legitimate issue, the titles became extinct.

Honorary Titles
Preceded by The Lord Braye	Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners 1550–1553	Succeeded by The Earl of Sussex
Preceded by The Earl of Bedford	Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire 1553–1559	Succeeded by The Duke of Norfolk
Peerage of England
Preceded by New Creation	Earl of Essex 1543–1553 (Forfeit)	Succeeded by Extinct
	Marquess of Northampton 1547–1553 (Forfeit) (Restored) 1559–1571
	Baron Parr 1547–1553 (Forfeit) (Restored) 1559–1571