| Sir William Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 September 1556 Woodham Mortimer, Southminster, Creeksea, Essex |
| Died | 14 November 1616 Creeksea, Essex |
| Resting place | All Saints Church[1] |
| Residence | Creeksea Place Manor |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | English knight, subscriber of the Virginia Company, and landowner |
| Known for | Incorporator in the Virginia Company of London |
| Title | High Sheriff |
| Predecessor | Sir Arthur Harris |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Spouse | Alice Smythe |
| Children | Sir Arthur, William, Thomas, John, Alice, Frances, Elizabeth, Mary |
| Parents | Sir Arthur Harris and Dorothy Waldegrave |
Sir William Harris (1556–1616) was an English knight, land owner, and a notable incorporator in the third Virginia Company of London.
This Harris family appears to have originated some 40 to 50 miles east-north-east of London and on the north bank of the River Crouch. The village of Cricksea (or Creeksea) exists today on this peninsula in Essex County. Creeksea is located about 2 miles west of Burnham-on-the -Crouch and about 18 miles inland from the North Sea. Anciently Called "Danes Island", this area was inhabitted largely by Norman families after the conquest 1066.
Sir William Harris was knighted on July 23, 1603 at Whitehall on the eve of the coronation of James I.[2] His elevation to the knighthood was the result of military service in Ireland during the Nine Years' War (Ireland) along with his cousin Sir William Harris of Shenfield, Essex.[3]
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William Harris was born 21 Sep 1556 in Essex.[4]. His parents were Sir Arthur Harris and Dorothy Waldegrave.[5] He made his home at Creeksea Place Manor [6]
William married Alice Smythe on 6 May 1583 in St Gabriel Fenchurch, London, England. Alice was the daughter of Thomas Smythe[7][8] of Westenhanger, Kent.
The children of Sir William Harris and Lady Alice Harris were:[9][10]
Sir Arthur Harris b 1584....d Jan 9, 1632
William Harris b 1585....d 1622 in Lincolns Inn, Middlesex.
Thomas Harris b 1586....d 1617
John Harris b 1588....d by Oct 14, 1638 in Charles City Co., Va.
Alice Harris married Sir Henry Mildmay[11]
Frances Harris married Mr. Roope
Elizabeth Harris
Mary Harris married Gyles Browne
Sir William Harris, his brother in law, Sir Thomas Smythe and his son, Sir Arthur Harris, each, were Incorporators and Subscribers to the third charter of the Virginia Company of London, and each paid £75 as their subscription.[12] Both Harris and Smythe were very interested in the development of Virginia. They exerted their influence to secure money, men, equipment, supplies, and ships for the colonization efforts.[13]
Lady Alice died 10 November 1615 and Sir William on 14 Nov 1616. Both are buried at All Saints Church in Creeksea.[14] All Saints still displays a depiction of Sir William and his sword, a rapier, which was found in Creeksea Place and given to the church.
Bindoff, S. T. (1982), The House of Commons 1509-1558, I, London: Secker & Warburg
Boddie, John Bennett (1954), Virginia Historical Genealogies, Redwood City, California: Pacific coast Publishers, http://books.google.com/books?id=o95mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PR3&dq=Sir+william+Harris++Virginia+Company&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q=Sir%20william%20Harris%20%20Virginia%20Company&f=false
Brown, Alexander (1890), The Genesis of the United States, New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin & Co., http://books.google.com/books?id=OuWgAxBDjfMC&dq=The%20Genesis%20of%20the%20United%20States%20%20%20Dr.%20Alexander%20Brown&pg=PA913#v=onepage&q=William%20Harris&f=false
Browning, Charles H. (1891), Americans of Royal Descent: Genealogies Showing the Lineal Descent from Kings of Some American Families, Philadelphia: Porter & Coates
Burke, Sir Bernard (1864), Royal Descents and Pedigrees of Founders’ Kin, London: Harrison, http://books.google.com/books?id=SxYYAAAAYAAJ&lpg=RA2-PR30&ots=7d2PcPUkxY&dq=Sir%20William%20Harris%20of%20Shenfield&pg=RA2-PR30#v=onepage&q=Sir%20William%20Harris%20of%20Shenfield&f=false
Hale, Will Thomas & Merritt, Dixon Lanier (1913), A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans: The Leaders and Representative Men in Commerce, Industry and Modern Activities, VI, Chicago and New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&pg=PA1523&id=CDkVAAAAYAAJ#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Harris, Robert E. (1994), From Essex England to the Sunny Southern USA: A Harris Family Journey, Atlanta, GA: Genealogy Press
Harris, Francis Gray (2006), Harris: From Essex, England and Allied Families, II, Ashland, OH: Atlas Books, ISBN 0-9774139-0-X
McRae, Eleanor Harris (1954), The Harris Family of Prince Edward County, Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA: Family Values Publications
Metcalfe, Walter C. (1878), The Visitations of Essex by Hawley 1552; Hervy 1558; Cooke 1570; Raven 1612; and Owend and Lilly 1634., London: Mitchell and Hughes, http://books.google.com/books?id=hqwKAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PP15&ots=DQoVZyVLt-&dq=visitation%20of%20essex&pg=PA59#v=onepage&q=harris&f=false