Biography of William Dugdale 1605-1686

On 12 Sep 1605 William Dugdale was born in Shustoke Coleshill.

In 1623 William Dugdale (age 17) and Margaret Huntbach (age 16) were married. They had nineteen children together.

In 1639 William Dugdale (age 33) was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary.

Battle of Edge Hill

On 23 Oct 1642 the Battle of Edge Hill was fought at Edge Hill [Map]. The Royal army was commanded by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland (age 41) (with his son King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 12) present), Prince Rupert Palatinate Simmern 1st Duke Cumberland (age 22) and Richard Spencer (age 49) commanded the army that included Maurice Palatinate Simmern (age 21), Richard Byron 2nd Baron Byron (age 36), Lucius Carey 2nd Viscount Falkland (age 32), Charles Cavendish (age 22), Henry Newton aka Puckering 3rd Baronet (age 24), Spencer Compton 2nd Earl of Northampton (age 41), Thomas Salusbury 2nd Baronet (age 30), John Byron 1st Baron Byron (age 43) and William Feilding 1st Earl Denbigh (age 55).

George Stewart 9th Seigneur D'Aubigny (age 24) was killed.

Of the Parliamentary army Basil Feilding 2nd Earl Denbigh (age 34) and Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex (age 51). Oliver St John 5th Baron St John (age 39) was wounded.

Samuel Sandys (age 27) commanded a troop of horse.

Richard Sandys (age 26) was killed.

Thomas Strickland (age 20) was knighted on the field for his gallantry.

Henry Hunloke 1st Baronet (age 24) was knighted by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland (age 41).

William Dugdale (age 37) witnessed the battle and subsequently surveyed the battlefield.

John Hinton (age 38) was present.

Edward Verney (age 52) was killed.

John Assheton (age 29) was killed.

Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey (age 59) was killed. His son Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey (age 34) succeeded 2nd Earl Lindsey, 15th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. Martha Cockayne Countess Lindsey and Holderness by marriage Countess Lindsey.

William Pennyman 1st Baronet (age 35) commanded a regiment, of which he served as Colonel, which he led for the King.

Edward Stradling 2nd Baronet (age 42) fought for the King, was captured imprisoned for seven months, and died a month after his release.

After 1660 William Dugdale (age 54) was appointed Norrey King of Arms with the influence of Edward Hyde 1st Earl Clarendon (age 50).

Evelyn's Diary. 29 Aug 1678. I was called to London to wait upon the Duke of Norfolk (age 50), who having at my sole request bestowed the Arundelian Library on the Royal Society; sent to me to take charge of the books, and remove them, only stipulating that I would suffer the Herald's chief officer, Sir William Dugdale (age 72), to have such of them as concerned heraldry and the marshal's office, books of armory and genealogies, the Duke being Earl Marshal of England. I procured for our Society, besides printed books, near one hundred MSS. some in Greek of great concernment. The printed books being of the oldest impressions, are not the less valuable; I esteem them almost equal to MSS. Among them, are most of the Fathers, printed at Basil, before the Jesuits abused them with their expurgatory Indexes; there is a noble MS. of Vitruvius. Many of these books had been presented by Popes, Cardinals, and great persons, to the Earls of Arundel and Dukes of Norfolk; and the late magnificent Earl of Arundel bought a noble library in Germany, which is in this collection. I should not, for the honor I bear the family, have persuaded the Duke to part with these, had I not seen how negligent he was of them, suffering the priests and everybody to carry away and dispose of what they pleased; so that abundance of rare things are irrecoverably gone.

In 1681 [his wife] Margaret Huntbach (age 74) died.

Evelyn's Diary. 21 May 1685. I din'd at my Lord Privy Seale's with Sr Wm Dugdale (age 79), Garter King at Armes, author of the Monasticon and other learned workes: he told me he was 82 yeares of age, and had his sight and memory perfect. There was shewn a draught of ye exact shape and dimensions of the Crowne the Queene (age 26) had been crown'd withall, together with the Jewells and pearles; their weight and value, wch amounted to £100,658 sterling, attested at the foote of the paper by the jeweller and goldsmith who sett them.

On 10 Feb 1686 William Dugdale (age 80) died.