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William Catesby (1450 – 25 August 1485) was one of Richard III of England's principal councillors. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons during Richard's reign. The Catesbys’ medieval wealth derived from livestock and the zenith of their political achievement came during his career.

The son of Sir William Catesby of Ashby St Ledgers, Northamptonshire (died 1478) and Philippa, daughter and heiress of Sir William Bishopston, he was trained for the law in the Inner Temple. As an aspiring lawyer Catesby initially progressed in the service of William, 1st Lord Hastings. He married Margaret, daughter of William La Zouche, 6th Baron Zouche of Harringworth; the couple had three sons. Upon the death of his father he inherited many estates in the English Midlands and was land-agent for many others. He was a member of the Council that ruled during the reign of Edward V. After Richard was enthroned, Catesby was one of King Richard's closest advisors. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and as Speaker of the English House of Commons during the Parliament of 1484, in which he sat as knight of the shire for Northamptonshire. He also received a substantial grant of land from the king, enough to make him richer than most knights.

In July 1484, William Collingbourne, a Tudor agent, tacked up a lampooning poem to St. Paul's Cathedral, which mentions Catesby among the three aides to King Richard, whose emblem was a white boar:

The Catte, the Ratte and Lovell our dogge rulyth all Englande under a hogge.

(The dog here refers to Lovell's heraldic symbol, a wolf.) The poem was interpolated into Laurence Olivier's film Richard III, a screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. Collingbourne was hanged, drawn and quartered for this and other alleged treasonable activities.

William Catesby was one of the two councillors (the other being Richard Ratcliffe) who are reputed to have told the king that marrying Elizabeth of York would cause rebellions in the north. He fought alongside Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field and was captured. Alone of those of importance, he was executed three days later at Leicester. The suggestion that he might have made a deal with the Stanleys before the battle comes from his will when he asked them "to pray for my soul as ye have not for my body, as I trusted in you."

After his death, his estates were largely confiscated by Henry VII. Catesby was succeeded by his eldest son, George, to whom the family seat of Ashby St Legers was later restored. Robert Catesby, leader of the Gunpowder Plot, was a descendant.

Notes

1. Entry in War of the Roses website Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine; see also John A. Wagner, Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2001), 49-50.
2. Dictionary of National Biography, 63 vols., (New York: Macmillan, 1887) 9:284 sub loco
3. Ross, p. 156.
4. Robert Fabyan, The New Chronicles of England and France in to Parts (London, 1811), p. 672.
5. Fields, Bertram. Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes. 2000
6. Weir The Princes in the Tower p. 211-212.
7. Gairdner, p. 284
8. "gunpowder-plot.org". www.gunpowder-plot.org.

References

• Gairdner, James (1887). "William Catesby (d. 1485)". Dictionary of National Biography. 9: 284–285.
• Ross, Charles (1981). Richard III. ISBN 9780520045897.
• Rowse, A.L. (1966). Bosworth Field & the Wars of the Roses. Wordsworth Military Library. ISBN 1-85326-691-4.

v t e Chancellors of the Exchequer under the House of York (1461–1470; 1471–1485)
Edward IV (1461–1470) (1471–April 1483)	Thomas Thwaites (1461–?) Thomas Witham (1465–1469) Richard Fowler (1469–1470) Thomas Thwaites (1471–1483)
Edward V (April–June 1483)	William Catesby (April–June 1483)
Richard III (June 1483–1485)	William Catesby (June 1483–1484)

v t e Speakers of the House of Commons (list)
House of Commons of England	14th century de Shareshull De la Mare Hungerford De la Mare Pickering Guildesborough Waldegrave Pickering Bussy Cheney Doreward Savage Redford Savage 15th century Esturmy Tiptoft Chaucer Stourton Doreward Hungerford Chaucer Redman Beauchamp Flower Hunt Chaucer Baynard Flower Russell Walton Vernon Tyrell Alington I Tyrell Russell Hunt Bowes Tyrell Burley W. Tresham Burley W. Tresham Say Popham I W. Tresham Oldhall Thorpe Charlton Wenlock T. Tresham Green Strangeways Say Alington II Wood Catesby Lovell Mordaunt Fitzwilliam Empson Drury Englefield 16th century Dudley Englefield Sheffield Nevill More Audley Wingfield Rich Hare Moyle Baker Dyer Pollard Broke Higham Cordell Gargrave T. Williams Onslow Wray Bell Popham II Puckering Snagge Coke Yelverton 17th century Croke Phelips R. Crewe Richardson T. Crewe H. Finch J. Finch Glanville Lenthall Pelham Lenthall Rous (Barebones Parliament) Lenthall Widdrington (2nd Protectorate Parliament) Chute, Long & Bampfield (3rd Protectorate Parliament) Lenthall Grimston Turnour Charlton Seymour Sawyer Seymour Gregory W. Williams Trevor Powle Trevor Foley Littleton 18th century Harley Smith
House of Commons of Great Britain	18th century Smith R. Onslow Bromley Hanmer Compton A. Onslow Cust Norton Cornwall Grenville Addington
House of Commons of the United Kingdom	19th century Addington Mitford Abbot Manners-Sutton Abercromby Shaw-Lefevre Denison Brand Peel Gully 20th century Lowther Whitley FitzRoy Brown Morrison Hylton-Foster King Lloyd Thomas Weatherill Boothroyd Martin 21st century Martin Bercow Hoyle

• 1450 births
• 1485 deaths
• Chancellors of the Exchequer of England
• Speakers of the House of Commons of England
• People of the Wars of the Roses
• Knights Bachelor
• People executed under Henry VII of England
• Executed people from Northamptonshire
• English MPs 1484
• People from West Northamptonshire District
• People executed by Tudor England by decapitation
• English politicians convicted of crimes