133:, a rival and advisor to the King, came under suspicion as plotting against the crown. Rupert's subsequent surrender at Bristol caused Charles to dismiss his nephew from his service. While Charles was at Newark, Rupert arrived to confront him over what he considered the injury done to his honour; Willis rode out with
186:
wrote that Willis "reported to Oliver everything that passed among them, and had two hundred a year for it"). Alternatively, Willis may have wanted to secure his safety in case the
Royalist cause failed. Notwithstanding critical assessments of his actions, however, no evidence has been uncovered that
141:
as
Governor of Newark. Willis challenged him to a duel, but was stopped by the King; Rupert, his brother Prince Maurice, Gerard and other cavaliers took Willis's side and in the ensuing argument were all dismissed from the King's service. Rupert later reconciled with the King, and Willis, for his
217:
Willis was banned from court, but no other punishment was imposed, presumably in recognition of his previous service. Having taken a wife of considerable means, he enjoyed a comfortable retirement with his family at Fen Ditton, where his will, dated 16 to 20 May, was probated 10 December 1690.
226:
Willis married in or before 1659, Alice, daughter and sole heir of Thomas Fox, M.D., of
Warlies, in Waltham Holy Cross, Essex , and of Shipton, Oxon, by Anne, daughter of Robert Honywood, of Pett, in Charing, Kent. Her will, dated 27 October 1684, probated 28 March 1688. Alice was the
234:
The baronetcy passed to Sir Thomas Fox Willys, of
Warlies (30 June 1661 – 1701) who was said by his grandfather Thomas Fox to have been born "bereft of his wits" and died unmarried and without children at the age of 59. With his death
47:, both being sons of Richard Willys, a lawyer and Lord of the Manors of Fen Ditton and Horningsey, Cambridgeshire, by Jane, daughter and heir of William Henmarsh, of Balls, in Ware, Hertfordshire. Both were created baronets of
667:
137:
to greet him. The court-martial Rupert demanded exonerated him, but Willis, for what the King considered to be the disloyalty of his attendance on Rupert, was replaced by
451:
647:
142:
previous service, was created a
Baronet of Fen Ditton in June 1646, as his elder brother, a landowner and politician, had been five years previously.
98:
He joined the
Royalist cause as an officer in the King's army, being knighted on 1 October 1642 by the King for gallantry in a cavalry skirmish at
121:
Willis eventually became
Colonel General of the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland, and in May 1645 was appointed Governor of
642:
75:
in the same year. As a younger son, he stood to inherit little, so became a career soldier, enlisting in the Dutch military and serving at the
268:
explains that much of the book's plot was inspired by the career of Willis, and his family's later, unsuccessful attempts to clear his name.
672:
134:
103:
206:) and then assassinate them. Morland is said to have learned of the plan while pretending to be asleep in Thurloe's office in
496:
652:
138:
130:
662:
178:
68:
44:
284:
260:
657:
87:
from 1639 to 1640. Prior to the outbreak of civil war, Willis was a member of the King's Guard based at
579:
115:
543:
Narrative of the Days of the
Reformation: Chiefly from the manuscripts of John Foxe the martyrologist
283:
Dates used in this article use the Julian calendar with the start of year adjusted to 1 January (see
202:, to lure Charles and his brothers to return to England under false pretences (to meet followers in
520:
511:
165:
637:
524:
191:
76:
32:
627:
622:
532:
476:
80:
56:
8:
541:
214:
632:
552:
24:
187:
Willis passed on any significant piece of information, or betrayed any old friends.
456:
207:
126:
111:
84:
468:
592:
248:
236:
199:
183:
169:
122:
107:
92:
505:
460:
195:
52:
157:(his successor as Governor of Newark, Belasyse, was also one of the members).
616:
569:
Cavalier and
Roundhead Spies - Intelligence in the Civil War and Commonwealth
72:
173:
161:
106:, being captured twice during this period but escaping. Imprisoned in the
484:
252:
154:
265:
99:
48:
228:
88:
28:
150:
20:
19:(sometimes spelt 'Willys') (13 January 1614 – December 1690) was a
203:
529:
The
Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art
449:
Birken, William (January 2008) . "Foxe, Thomas (1592–1662)".
357:
355:
301:
299:
297:
295:
293:
146:
102:, and was promoted to Colonel of a Regiment of Cavalry under
247:
Richard Willis appears as a character in Act II of the play
352:
290:
488:
403:
145:
Following the Royalist defeat, Willis spent some time in
427:
379:
340:
328:
125:. By this time Prince Rupert had been defeated at the
391:
668:
Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War
231:, her grandfather being his son Samuel (1560-1630).
495:. Vol. 2. London: Treuttel and Würtz. p.
318:
316:
314:
415:
614:
311:
198:, who accused him of plotting, with Thurloe and
190:In 1659 Willis was denounced to the future King
525:"The Mournful Marriage of Sir Samuel Morland"
518:
455:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
361:
539:
409:
149:, returning to England in 1652 to join the
176:, in 1656 or 1657, possibly for money (in
566:
385:
346:
334:
227:great-granddaughter of the martyrologist
540:Nichols, John Gough; Foxe, John (1859).
531:. Vol. 38. Leavitt, Trow & Co.
475:
433:
104:William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison
503:
452:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
397:
305:
615:
448:
421:
648:Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
643:Baronets in the Baronetage of England
550:
322:
110:for nine months following capture at
27:, and a double agent working for the
504:Cokayne, George Edward, ed. (1902).
239:created for Willis became extinct.
164:. Although twice imprisoned by the
13:
160:However, it seems Willis became a
129:, and through the machinations of
79:in 1637, returning to serve under
43:Willis was the younger brother of
14:
684:
673:Prisoners in the Tower of London
376:magazine, 1 October 1964, p.838.
242:
221:
17:Sir Richard Willis, 1st Baronet
367:
277:
255:, published in Paris in 1828.
168:, he established contact with
153:underground organisation, the
1:
553:"Sir Richard Willys, 1614-90"
507:Complete Baronetage 1625–1649
442:
285:Old Style and New Style dates
261:An Instance of the Fingerpost
71:in 1631, and was admitted to
38:
493:The Foreign Quarterly Review
469:UK public library membership
179:A Child's History of England
7:
69:Christ's College, Cambridge
10:
689:
567:Whitehead, Julian (2009).
172:'s secret service, led by
603:
590:
585:
578:
551:Plant, David (May 2007).
62:
521:Bidwell, Walter Hilliard
479:(June 1828). "Art. XIX.—
362:Agnew & Bidwell 1856
271:
194:by Thurloe's secretary,
410:Nichols & Foxe 1859
114:in 1644, Willis joined
663:People from Fen Ditton
571:. pp. 62–63, 202.
461:10.1093/ref:odnb/10054
653:Members of Gray's Inn
580:Baronetage of England
477:Cochrane, John George
533:New Monthly Magazine
523:, eds. (June 1856).
519:Agnew, John Holmes;
308:, pp. 234, 235.
258:In his afterword to
23:officer during the
658:17th-century spies
67:Willis went up to
611:
610:
606:Thomas Fox Willis
604:Succeeded by
491:. Paris. 1828.".
467:(Subscription or
25:English Civil War
680:
576:
575:
572:
563:
561:
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472:
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365:
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127:Battle of Naseby
29:Parliamentarians
688:
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681:
679:
678:
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613:
612:
607:
600:
597:(of Fen Ditton)
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557:
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481:Cromwell, Drome
466:
445:
440:
432:
428:
420:
416:
408:
404:
400:, pp. 235.
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245:
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184:Charles Dickens
108:Tower of London
93:Thomas Lunsford
65:
41:
12:
11:
5:
686:
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583:
582:
574:
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537:
535:. p. 221.
516:
501:
473:
444:
441:
439:
438:
436:, p. 171.
426:
414:
402:
390:
388:, p. 220.
386:Whitehead 2009
378:
366:
364:, p. 221.
351:
349:, p. 163.
347:Whitehead 2009
339:
335:Whitehead 2009
327:
310:
289:
275:
273:
270:
244:
241:
223:
220:
196:Samuel Morland
81:King Charles I
77:Siege of Breda
64:
61:
53:Cambridgeshire
40:
37:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
685:
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671:
669:
666:
664:
661:
659:
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638:English spies
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634:
631:
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621:
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599:
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584:
581:
577:
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546:. p. xv.
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447:
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435:
434:Cochrane 1828
430:
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412:, p. xv.
411:
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363:
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348:
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337:, p. 62.
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254:
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243:In literature
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238:
237:the Baronetcy
232:
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222:Personal life
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216:
211:
209:
208:Lincoln's Inn
205:
201:
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185:
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167:
163:
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139:Lord Belasyse
136:
132:
128:
124:
119:
117:
116:Prince Rupert
113:
109:
105:
101:
96:
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90:
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85:Bishops' Wars
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78:
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70:
60:
58:
54:
50:
46:
45:Thomas Willys
36:
34:
30:
26:
22:
18:
598:
591:
587:New creation
586:
568:
556:. Retrieved
542:
528:
506:
492:
480:
450:
429:
417:
405:
398:Cokayne 1902
393:
381:
374:Country Life
373:
369:
342:
330:
306:Cokayne 1902
279:
259:
257:
246:
233:
225:
212:
189:
182:, Ch.XXXIV,
177:
174:John Thurloe
166:Commonwealth
162:double agent
159:
144:
120:
97:
66:
42:
16:
15:
628:1690 deaths
623:1614 births
558:25 February
510:. pp.
485:Victor Hugo
422:Birken 2008
253:Victor Hugo
215:Restoration
155:Sealed Knot
135:Lord Gerard
118:'s forces.
33:Interregnum
31:during the
617:Categories
601:1646–1690
471:required.)
443:References
323:Plant 2007
266:Iain Pears
213:After the
192:Charles II
131:Lord Digby
100:Shrewsbury
91:under Sir
73:Gray's Inn
49:Fen Ditton
39:Early life
633:Cavaliers
229:John Foxe
112:Ellesmere
89:Whitehall
57:Charles I
512:234, 235
249:Cromwell
200:Cromwell
170:Cromwell
151:Royalist
21:Royalist
593:Baronet
83:in the
483:. Par
465:
204:Sussex
123:Newark
63:Career
272:Notes
147:Italy
560:2013
497:171
489:8vo
457:doi
251:by
55:by
51:in
619::
527:.
487:.
354:^
313:^
292:^
264:,
210:.
95:.
59:.
35:.
562:.
514:.
499:.
463:.
459::
424:.
325:.
287:)
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