Sir William Capel (c. 1446-1515) of Capel Court[1] in the parish of St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange in the City of London and of Hadham Hall in the parish of Little Hadham, Hertfordshire, served as Lord Mayor of London and as a Member of Parliament for the City of London.

Arms of Capell: Gules, a lion rampant between three cross-crosslets fitchée or
Hadham Hall in the parish of Little Hadham, Hertfordshire, purchased by Sir William Capel

Origins

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He was the son of John Capell (1398–1449) of Stoke-by-Nayland in Suffolk, a member of the Suffolk gentry,[2] whose family had been seated at Capel St. Mary[3] in Suffolk since the 12th century.[4]

Career

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William Capel was a member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers, who served as Sheriff of the City of London for 1496, and was twice elected Lord Mayor of London, in 1503 and 1510. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for the City of London from 1511 to 1515.[4]

His London mansion stood in the vicinity of the present London Stock Exchange and of Capel Court (named after him, now a short sidestreet or walkway) in the City of London.[1] He added a south chapel to his parish church of St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange (demolished in 1840) in the City. He purchased the estate of Hadham Hall in the parish of Little Hadham, Hertfordshire, which remained in the Capell family from many generations. A new house was later built there, whether on the site of the old hall or on a new site is uncertain, which became the seat of his Capell descendants from the 1570s onwards.

Marriage and issue

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Canting arms of Arundell: Sable, six martlets argent (hirondelle (French), martlet)

He married Margaret Arundell, a daughter of Sir John Arundell (1421–1473) of Lanherne in Cornwall, by his second wife Katherine Chideocke, by whom he had issue including a son and two daughters:

References

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  1. ^ a b "Capel Court, EC2R". The Underground Map. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  2. ^ HOP: "born into an armigerous family"; family is not listed in the heraldic visitations of Suffolk, not listed in index[1]
  3. ^ a b "CAPELL, Sir Gamaliel (1561-1613), of Rookwood Hall, Abbess Roding, Essex". Historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  4. ^ a b "CAPELL, Sir William (by 1448-1515), of London". Historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
Civic offices
Preceded by Lord Mayor of London
1503-1504
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Mayor of London
1510
Succeeded by