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William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby (1561 - 29 September 1642) was an English nobleman.
He was a son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby and Lady Margaret Clifford. His mother was heiress presumptive of Elizabeth I of England from 1578 to her own death in 1596.
His maternal grandparents were Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland and Lady Eleanor Brandon. Eleanor was the third child of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor. Mary was the fifth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York.
It has occasionally been suggested that he is the true author of William Shakespeare's works due to his involvement with the theatre, extensive travel and education, although this is not widespread . His older brother Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby formed a group of players which evolved into the King's Men. It is possible that the first production of A Midsummer Night's Dream was performed at his wedding banquet.
He married Elizabeth de Vere, daughter of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford and Anne Cecil. Her maternal grandparents were William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and his second wife Mildred Cooke. Mildred was the eldest daughter of Anthony Cooke and his wife Anne Fitzwilliam. They had five children:
- James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (31 January 1607 - 15 October 1651).
- Robert Stanley (d. 1632).
- Anne Stanley, Countess of Ancram (d. 1657). Married first Sir Henry Portman and secondly Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Ancram.
- Elizabeth Stanley. Died young.
- Elizabeth Stanley. Named after deceased older sister. Died young.
This biography of an earl in the peerage of England is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vacant |
Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire and Lancashire jointly with Lord Strange 1626–1642 1607–1642 |
Succeeded by Interregnum |
| Vice-Admiral of Cheshire and Lancashire 1607–1638 |
Succeeded by Lord Strange |
|
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by Ferdinando Stanley |
Earl of Derby 1594–1642 |
Succeeded by James Stanley |