William Catesby

Also known as: Catesbie / sir William Catesbie · Family: England · Role: justice of the common pleas · First appears: Edward IV 37

Life events

1482 · Edward IV made John Wood under-treasurer and William Catesby a justice of common pleas, and knighted both.(Edward IV 37)
- With: Edward IV John Wood
- “And at his procéeding out of his chamber he made sir Iohn Wood vnder-treasuror of England, & sir William Catesbie one of the iustices of the cōmon plées, knights.”
c. 1483 · Catesbie reports Hastings' opposition and persuades Richard III to arrange his removal.(Edward V 10)
- With: Richard III William Hastings, Baron Hastings
- “procured the protector hastilie to rid him.”
c. 1485 · William Catesby is beheaded at Leicester.(Richard III 23 · 📍 Leicester)
- “Sir William Catesbie learned in the lawes of the realme, and one of the chéefe councellors to the late king, with diuerse other, were two daies after beheaded at Leicester.”

with William Hastings, Baron Hastings (Catesbie was Hastings's close confidential counsellor and trusted associate.) “This ment he by Catesbie, which was of his néere secret councell, and whome he verie familiarlie vsed, and in his most weightie matters put no man in so speciall trust, reckoning himselfe to no man so liefe, sith he well wist there was no man so much to him beholden as was this Catesbie,”
allies with Richard III (Catesbie is described as Richard III's partner and a principal contriver of the treason.) “And therefore he, fearing least their motion might with the lord Hastings minish his credence, wherevnto onelie all the matter leaned, procured the protector hastilie to rid him. And much the rather, for that he trusted by his death to obteine much of the rule that the lord Hastings bare in his countrie: the onelie desire whereof was the allectiue that induced him to be partner, and one speciall contriuer of all this horrible treason.”
enemies with William Hastings, Baron Hastings (Catesbie arranged for the protector to remove Hastings.) “And therefore he, fearing least their motion might with the lord Hastings minish his credence, wherevnto onelie all the matter leaned, procured the protector hastilie to rid him.”

rivals with James Tyrrell “which longing for no mo parteners of the princes fauour; and namelie, not for him, whose pride they wist would beare no péere, kept him by secret drifts out of all secret trust”

sworn: Richard III (Catesby was one of Richard III's chief counsellors.) “Sir William Catesbie learned in the lawes of the realme, and one of the chéefe councellors to the late king”

Extracted from the original text of Holinshed's Chronicles — the reigns Shakespeare dramatized. Made with Rho MD.