William Cornwallis (died 1614)

For the British Admiral who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, see William Cornwallis.

Sir William Cornwallis (c. 1579 – 1 July 1614) was an early English essayist and served as a courtier and member of Parliament. His essays, influenced by the style of Montaigne, rather than that of Francis Bacon, became a model for later English essayists. He has sometimes been confused with his uncle of the same name.

Life

Cornwallis was baptised in Fincham, Norfolk, the eldest child of the diplomat Sir Charles Cornwallis by his first wife Ann (c. 1550–1584, the widow of Richard Nicoll), the daughter of Thomas Fincham, whose family resided in Fincham for 500 years. Cornwallis was the member of Parliament for Orford in 1604 and 1614.[1][2][3] He was knighted in 1599 after serving in the Earl of Essex's Irish campaign.[1]

Cornwallis is often confused with Sir William Cornwallis of Brome, his uncle of the same name. His uncle, rather than he, was a friend of Ben Jonson. This William Cornwallis is sometimes described as "the younger" to differentiate him from his uncle, who is often described as "the elder".[1][4]

On 26 August 1595, Cornwallis married Katherine née Parker, by whom he had eleven children.[1] He spent freely and accumulated debts paid by selling family estates.[4][5] When James I assumed the throne in 1603, Cornwallis became a member of the privy chamber. After 1605, he spent most of his life in studious retirement. He died in 1614 leaving his wife and eight surviving children destitute. He was buried in St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.[1]

Works

Cornwallis's essays, meditative in tone, cover such topics as ambition, resolution, youth, essays and books, and humility.[1] Like Montaigne's essays, they focus on self-analysis and self-improvement.[4] His is the earliest surviving essay attempting a defence of Richard III. His essays were popular during his lifetime and retained popularity until the mid-17th century. His works, some of the earliest English examples of the essay genre, were written in the tradition of Montaigne, rather than that of Francis Bacon; they became a model for later English essayists.[1][5]

His major works include:

He also published some verse, including a verse epistle to his friend John Donne.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kincaid, Arthur (2004). "Cornwallis, Sir William, the younger". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/6345. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ↑ Blyth, p. 15
  3. 1 2  Hunt, William (1885–1900). "Cornwallis, William (d.1631?)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  4. 1 2 3 Hebel, J. William (ed.). "Notes" on Cornwallis, Prose of the English Renaissance, Ardent Media, 1952
  5. 1 2 3 Fakundiny, pp. 192–93
  6. ↑ The introduction (by John Ramsden and Arthur Kincaid) to Kincaid's edition of The Encomium of Richard III, p. 1, states: "Paradoxes were an occasional literary style, rarely printed, and then only when they had been circulating in manuscript for some time."
  7. ↑ Kincaid, Arthur, ed. (1977), The Encomium of Richard III, p. 1

Sources

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