| Notes |
- estimate, based on date of death and age given in the church record. Church register contains: December, 1608. William Davison, of Stepney, Esquire Sometyme, Secretary to Queen Elizabeth XXII day, ---
Notes from William Davison’s biography.
William Davison, Secretary to Queen Elizabeth, was on the Commission to try Mary, Queen of Scots, but was not present at the trial and did not sign the sentence.
Latin: Guilremum Davidsonoum. He was a handsome man, with a grave expression of countenance and possessed a fine voice. His temper was peculiarly mild and benign; his manner, urbane and persuasive, and he has been described as the sweetest man living.
Virtue and learning were in the former times sure ladders by which a man might climb to honor’s seat, but now they will not hold unless the mounting steps are made of gold. Under King James, he held the office of “Clerk of the Treasury and Warrents, and Custo Brevium of the King’s Bench,” for the term of his natural life.
In a History of the Pilgrims, there is reference to William Davison as a friend of one of the Pilgrim Fathers, William Brewster: “After he (Mr. Brewster) left College, he was employed to assist Mr. William Davison, who was a great man in Queen Elizabeth’s time. Mr. Brewster, went with him to Holland, on some important business, and on their return home, Mr. Davison gave him a gold chain as a mark of respect for his wisdom and faithfulness.”
Excerpt from the book “Mary, Queen of Scots”, showing the role he played in her death, and the price he paid for not: “Yet, with all the prejudices of her subjects in her own favor, Elizabeth would fain have had Mary’s death take place in such a way as that she herself should not appear to have any hand in it. Her Ministers were therefore employed to write letters to Mary’s keepers, insinuating what a good service they would do to Elizabeth and the Protestant religion if Mary could be privately assassinated. But these stern guardians, though strict and severe in their conduct towards the Queen, would not listen to such persuasions; and well it was for them that they did not, for Elizabeth would certainly have thrown the whole blame of the deed upon their shoulders, and left them to answer it with their lives and fortunes. She was angry with them nevertheless, for their refusal, and called Paulet a precise fellow, loud in boasting of his fidelity, but slack in giving proof of it.
As, however, it was necessary, from the scruples of Paulet and Drury, to proceed in all form, Elizabeth signed a warrent for the execution of the sentence pronounced on Queen Mary, and gave it to William Davison, her Secretary of State, commanding that it should be sealed with the Great Seal of England. William Davison laid the warrent, signed by Elizabeth, before the Privy Council, and next day the Great Seal was placed upon it. Elizabeth, upon hearing this, affected some displeasure that the warrent had been so speedily prepared, and told the Secretary that it was the opinion of wise men that some other course might be taken with Queen Mary. William Davison, in this pretended change of mind saw some danger that his mistress might throw the fault of the execution upon him after it had taken place. He therefore informed the Keeper of the Seals, what the Queen had said, protesting he would not venture farther in the matter. The Privy Council having met together, and conceiving themselves certain what the Queen’s real wishes, determined to save her the pain of expressing them more broadly, and resolving that the blame, if any arise, should be common to them all, sent off the warrent for execution with their clerk, Beale. The earls of Kent and Shrewsbury, with the High Sheriff of the county, were empowered and commanded to see the fatal mandate carried into effect without delay.”
Queen Mary was executed February 8, 1587
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1538 - 1608 (70 years)