William Moleyns (died 1425)


Sir William Moleyns was an English landowner, administrator and politician from Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire.

Origins

Born in London, he was the son and heir of Sir Richard Moleyns, of Stoke Poges. Books in the nineteenth century and self-published websites today claim that he and his paternal ancestors were barons, which is untrue as none were summoned to Parliament. His mother's name was Eleanor, taken to be the daughter of Henry Beaumont, 3rd Baron Beaumont, and his wife Margaret de Vere.

Career

His father died when he was only four years old and he did not inherit his father's lands until he reached majority in 1399. Shortly after, he also inherited the lands of his grandfather, the MP Sir William Moleyns, which had been held for life by his widow Margery, daughter of Sir Edmund Bacon. This made him owner of ten manors in Buckinghamshire, six in Wiltshire and three in Oxfordshire, with a substantial income. He also had lands in Norfolk.
He was soon involved in local government in Buckinghamshire, being appointed to commissions on defence and on finance, and in 1419 was made a justice of the peace for the county. In 1413 he was knighted by the new king Henry V and in April 1414 was elected as an MP of the Parliament of England for Wiltshire.

Death and memorial

He died on 8 June 1425 and was buried in the church of St Giles at Stoke Poges. On the north side of the altar on a memorial brass are the images of a knight and his lady, with their arms above and an inscription in Latin below: The arms over the lady are blazoned: Or, three piles wavy Gules, impaling Argent, three bends Gules within a bordure Sable bezantée, while those over the knight are blazoned: Or, three piles wavy Gules.

Marriage and family

By 29 September 1401 he was married to a woman from Cornwall called Margery, who died on 26 March 1439. Her family name is unclear, with some sources naming it as Whalesborough.
Their children were: