William Harvey was born June 1510 to Turner and Mary Harvey in Ashill, Somerset. He was not an only child; he had a brother Thomas Harvey of London, whose daughter Audrey Harvey married William Jefferay. [See the diary of their son: "The journal of William Jefferay, gentleman: Born at Chiddingly, old England, in the Year 1591; Died at Newport, New England, in the Year 1675", edited by John Osborne Austin (Providence, R.I.: 1899), pages 1-2, on http://www.archive.org/stream/journalofwilliam00aust#page/n3/mode/2up] According to the Dictionary of National Biography vol 1-20, 22, William Harvey became a junior officer of the college of arms and was appointed the Bluemantle Pursuivant in ordinary on 18th June 1536. Under this title he accompanied William Paqet on an embassy visit to France. After this he was awarded the Somerset Herald coat of arms. Under this title he was recorded as being the only officer of arms to attend the funeral of Catherine Queen dowager of King Henry VIII.
In 1549 he was appointed the Norroy King of arms by Edward VI. During this time he made an official visit to Germany. Most strikingly he was despatched to France on 7th June 1577 to declare war on behalf of Queen Mary.
William died in Thame, Oxfordshire in 1567.