William Dormer

Sir William Dormer, KB (died 17 May 1575) was a Tudor knight, captain and politician. Biography William Dormer was born before 1514, the only child of Sir Robert Dormer of West Wycombe and of Wing, Buckinghamshire, and London (died 2 or 8 July 1552), and his wife Jane Newdigate (d. 1568), daughter of John Newdigate (died 15 August 1528) of Harefield, Middlesex, by Amphyllis Neville (d. 15 July 1544). From 1535 until 1559, Dormer's main residence was Eythrope in Buckinghamshire. A William Dormer was in the service of Thomas Cromwell, and considered for transfer to royal service in 1538. If the subject of this biography was that William Dormer then his marriage to Mary, daughter of Sir William Sidney may have been assisted by Cromwell. In 1553, he was made a knight of the Order of the Bath. Dormer was returned as the second member for Chipping Wycombe in the parliament of 1542, and served under his father's command in the war against France in 1544. He may well have been the "young Dormer" who for two years was captain of 100 men at a muster in Buckinghamshire. Two years later (in 1546) he accompanied his father to a reception at court for the French ambassador.