William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, 8th Baron Saye and Sele, Privy Councillor, Master of the Court of Wards, High Steward of Oxford University, Parliamentarian leader, prominent landowner and Parliamentarian, promoter of the Providence Island Company.
Dates: 28 May 1582–14 April 1662
Biography
William Fiennes succeeded his father as Baron Saye and Sele and was created Viscount Saye and Sele in 1624. He was a major political figure in the opposition to Charles I and supported Parliament during the Civil War, while retaining Broughton Castle as the family seat.
Notes / Sources
History of Parliament biography — https://dev.historyofparliamentonline.org/lord-biography/fiennes-william-c-1583-1662
Cracroft's Peerage, Viscount Saye and Sele — https://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/saye1624.htm
The Saye Family PDF — https://publiclibrary.cc/digitalcollections/files/original/12/13654/The-Saye-Family.pdf
Family / Armorial Context
Family / cadet branch: Fiennes of Broughton and Saye and Sele
Father: Richard Fiennes, 7th and 1st Baron Saye and Sele
Mother: Constance Kingsmill
Spouse(s): Elizabeth Temple
Children / next generation: James Fiennes, 2nd Viscount Saye and Sele; Nathaniel Fiennes; John Fiennes; Richard Fiennes
Armorial Registry
Fiennes of Broughton — William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele
Branch: Senior Broughton line; seventeenth-century viscountcy
Issued / recorded: 1624
Fiennes of Broughton — William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, parent of the Cecil marital branch
Branch: Senior Fiennes line of Broughton Castle and founder of the 1624 viscountcy
Issued / recorded: 7 July 1624
Record history (latest 1)
- Updated crest/arms.
3 Sep 2026, 10:02 UTC · Registry system
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