William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, Viscount Cranborne, Knight of the Bath, Knight of the Garter, Privy Councillor, Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and Dorset, Member of Parliament for Weymouth, King's Lynn and Hertfordshire., Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Captain of the Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners, High Steward of St Albans., Member of Parliament, Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and Dorset., Baron Ros from 1591, styled Lord Ros, ambassador extraordinary to Spain, travelled in Europe, associated with the Jacobean court., Viscount Cranborne from 1605 to 1612, member of the Lords during the Commonwealth and Restoration periods., 16th Baron Ros of Helmsley, sometimes numbered 17th Baron de Ros, ambassador extraordinary to Spain in 1616, royal ward in his minority., Baron Ros of Helmsley from 1591, 1616., 16th Baron Ros of Helmsley from 1591, heir to the Exeter Cecil earldom, although he died before his father.
Dates: 28 March 1591 – 3 December 1668
Biography
English peer and politician who succeeded his father Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, in 1612. He maintained the Salisbury estates and political position through the Stuart monarchy, Civil War, Commonwealth and Restoration.
Notes / Sources
History of Parliament, William Cecil (1591–1668) — https://dev.historyofparliamentonline.org/lord-biography/cecil-william-1591-1668
Cracroft's Peerage, Earl of Salisbury — https://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/salisbury1605.htm
Wikimedia Commons, William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury armorial image — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_Sir_William_Cecil,_2nd_Earl_of_Salisbury,_KG.png
Family / Armorial Context
Family / cadet branch: Salisbury line of Cecil
Father: Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Mother: Elizabeth Brooke, daughter of William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham
Spouse(s): Catherine Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Children / next generation: Charles Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, father of James Cecil, 3rd Earl of Salisbury; James Cecil, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, grandson and successor in the earldom; Elizabeth Cecil, later Countess of Devonshire; Catherine Cecil, later Countess of Leicester
Armorial Registry
Cecil of Exeter–Ros — William Cecil, 16th Baron Ros, only child of William Cecil and Elizabeth Manners
Branch: Exeter Cecil–Ros branch, extinct in the male line
Issued / recorded: 1590-06-04
Cecil of Exeter–Ros — William Cecil and the inherited de Ros barony before the 1616 settlement
Branch: Cecil of Exeter—Ros succession
Issued / recorded: 1591
Cecil of Exeter–Ros — William Cecil, 16th Baron Ros, paternal Exeter Cecil arms
Branch: Exeter Cecil line, descended from Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter
Issued / recorded: 1591
Ros of Helmsley — William Cecil's inherited baronial armorial component
Branch: The ancient Ros barony transmitted through the female line of Elizabeth Manners into the Cecil family
Issued / recorded: 1591
Cecil of Salisbury — William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury and direct Salisbury succession
Branch: Salisbury line of Cecil, Hatfield House; second generation from Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Issued / recorded: 1612
Cecil of Salisbury — William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury and first hereditary continuation of the pre-Gascoyne line
Branch: Salisbury and Hatfield, second generation
Issued / recorded: 1612
Cecil of Salisbury — William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, Hatfield succession and Garter achievement
Branch: Salisbury of Hatfield House; second generation from Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Issued / recorded: 1612
Cecil of Salisbury of Hatfield — William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, recorded Garter-era six-quarter achievement
Branch: Salisbury of Hatfield; second hereditary generation after Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Issued / recorded: 1625
Record history (latest 2)
- Updated crest/arms.
3 Sep 2026, 08:56 UTC · Registry system - Updated crest/arms.
3 Sep 2026, 05:28 UTC · William James Dalrymple Bedding Fanshawe West Esq., Lord of Watlington-West, Norfolk
Corrections / Challenges
Sign in to challenge or submit evidence against a recorded assertion.