Paternal Family Tree: Tresham
William Tresham was born to Thomas Tresham of Sywell at Northamptonshire.
In 1415 William Tresham reviewed the accounts of the King's officials in southern Wales.
Before 1420 William Tresham and Isabel Vaux [aged 17] were married.
Around 1420 [his son] Thomas Tresham was born to William Tresham and [his wife] Isabel Vaux [aged 18]. He married before 1460 Margaret Zouche, daughter of William Zouche 5th Baron Zouche Harringworth and Alice St Maur Baroness Zouche Harringworth, and had issue.
In 1424 William Tresham was appointed Justice of the Peace Northamptonshire.
In 1439 William Tresham bought manor of Westhall, in Rushton St Peter, in which Rushton Hall, Rushton would later be built.
On 26th September 1439 William Tresham was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons.
On 3rd December 1441 William Tresham was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons.
On 3rd July 1442 William Tresham was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
On 14th December 1446 William Tresham was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons.
On 23rd September 1450 William Tresham was killed while travelling to meet Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 39] by a group of men as a result of a propery dispute before he was tried for treason. His son Thomas Tresham [aged 30] escaped albeit severly injured.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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Chronicle of Gregory. 23rd September 1450. Ande that same year was slayne Tresham, the man of lawe, that was Speker of the Parlymentt, and his son [Thomas Tresham [aged 30]] was soore woundyde in Northehampton schyre. And by the King and his counselle a Parlyment was ordaynyde to be-gyn on Syn Leonarde is day nexte folowynge. In the mene tyme many strange and woundyrfulle bylle were sete in dyvers placys, some at the kyngys owne chambyr doore at Westemyster, in his palysse, and some at the halle dore at Westemyster, ande some at Poulys chyrche dore, and in many othyr dyvers placys of London.
23rd September 1450. [his wife] Isabel Vaux [aged 48] presented in the first session of the Parliament which met on 6 November 1450. WilliamTresham's death, she claimed, was the result of a conspiracy headed by a local gentleman, Simon Norwich. On the evening of 22 September, the conspirators, having discovered that Tresham had been summoned by Richard, duke of York [aged 39], sent a servant to visit him at his manor of Sywell, a few miles from Northampton, to find out his proposed route and time of travel. Armed with this knowledge, they ambushed him at six on the following morning at Moulton as he travelled from Sywell to meet the duke (Leland, clearly drawing upon a family tradition, erroneously has him travelling from Northampton to Sywell). There one Evan Aprice 'with a Launcegay, smote [him] thorough the body a fote and more, wherof he died'.