On this day in Tudor history, 3 October 1559, Sir William Fitzwilliam, gentleman of Prince Edward’s privy chamber, MP, court insider, and later deputy chancellor in Ireland under Mary I, died and was honoured with burial in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

He was one of those capable, steady figures who moved quietly through the Henrician, Edwardian, and Marian courts, and kept being trusted.

Who was he?

Quick note: he’s not the later Elizabethan Lord Deputy with the same name.

Why he matters: a Dublin-born second son who, through competence, discretion, and flexibility, became a trusted royal servant across three reigns - from household retainer to the prince’s inner circle and high Irish office.

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