William Pitt (abt. 1489 - 1540)

Born about 1489 in Blandford, Dorset, England

Descendants

Died 14 Oct 1540 at about age 51 in Blandford, Dorset, England

Biography

Birth & Parents

William Pitt, son of Nicholas Pitt & __?__, was born ca 1489 in Blandsford, Dorset, England. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Marriage

William married Helena de Havilland, daughter of James de Havilland & Helena de Beauvoir. ^{[1] [4] [2] [3]}

Per John Boddie in Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia, drawing largely upon John Hutchins' History of Dorset which in turn drew upon York Herald John de Havilland:

William Pitt, son and heir of Nicholas, married Helena daughter of James Haviland of the Isle of Guernsey, Justice of the Royal Court of the Island from 1517 until his death October 14, 1540, and his wife Helena, daughter of Richard de Beauvois of Guernsey and sister of Christopher Haviland of Poole, Dorset. She was a widow living with her brother 17th of January, 1552. ^[5]

According to John V.S. de Havilland in The Chronicle de Havilland:

By Helena de Beauvoir, James de Havelland had four sons, Richard, James, John, William, and a daughter Hélène or Eleanor, who married William, the son of Nicholas Pitt, (living temp. Henry VI ) who is the first known ancestor of that historic family. From this William Pitt and Elianor de Havelland are descended the four titled branches of the Earls of Chatham, the Earls of Londonderry, the Barons Camelford, all now extinct, and the existing Barons Rivers. ^[3]

Note: Many secondary references are incestuous. John von Sonntag de Havilland was a Herald with the College of Arms and was the caretaker of Visitation records and histories, but also indoctrinated some records with his own research. As such, he is the common authority behind William Pitt & Helene de Havilland as found in such works as The History of Dorset, The Diary of William Hedges, and Burkes' Landed Gentry. Therefore, citing multiple secondary sources in this profile and those of his immediate descendants do not necessarily strengthen the facts since they are all drawing upon the same authority and reference. ^[6]

William Pitt, son of Nicholas Pitt, married 'Hélène de Havilland and had issue:

• Sarah Pitt born about 1520.^{[citation needed]}
• John Pitt born about 1523,^[1][2] married Swayne.
• Thomas Pitt born about 1525.^[1][2]
• William Pitt born about 1526,^[1] married Mann
• Edward Pitt born about 1528.^[1][2]
• Christopher Pitt born about 1529,^[1][2] married Yates.

Death & Burial

William died before 1552. ^[1] Some say 14 Oct 1540. ^{[citation needed]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Hutchins, Dorset, Vol. IV, pp. 90-92: The Pedigree of Pitt and Pitt-Rivers of the County of Dorset, Barons Rivers of Sudeley Castle, co. Gloucester (extinct), and of Stratfieldsaye co. Hants; present representative (1831) being the RIght Honourable Horace Pitt-Rivers, sixth Baron Rivers. From: the Heralds' Visitation of Hants c. 19; Vincent MS. Coll. Arms, f. 97; and MS Harl. 1514, etc.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Hedges, Diary, Genealogical Tree of the Pitts of Blandford St. Mary's and Pitts of Stratfieldsay, Etc: Facing page xxix. (Misspells Helena's surname as "Hartland". Includes sons John, Thomas, Edward, and Christopher, but leaves out son William which is found in Hutchins.)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} de Havilland, Chronicle, p. 10.
4. ↑ Hutchins, Dorset, Vol. I, p. 640.
5. ↑ Boddie, Wight, p. 505.
6. ↑ The Haviland - de Havilland Heritage Society.

• Pedigrees from the Visitation of Hampshire Page 195: Pitt

• Primary (transcribed):Visitation of Hants c. 19; Vincent MS. Coll. Arms, f. 97; and MS Harl. 1514.
• Secondary:Hutchins, John. The History and Antiquities of The County of Dorset. Westminster, England: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons (3rd edition), 1861.
• Secondary:Hedges, William. The Diary of William Hedges, Esq. (Afterwards Sir William Hedges), During his Agency in Bengal; as well as on his voyage out and return overland (1681-1687). Vol. III: Containing documentary contributions to a biography of Thomas Pitt, Governor of Fort St. George; with collections on the Early History of the Company's Settlement in Bengal; and on Early Charts and Topography of the Húglí River. London, England: The Hakluyt Society, 1889.
• Secondary:de Havilland, John von Sonntag. A Chronicle of the Ancient and Noble Norman Family of De Havilland, originally of Haverland, in the Cotentin Normandy, now of Guernsey. The Mekeel Press, 1895.
• Secondary:Boddie, John Bennet. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia : a history of the county of Isle of Wight, Virgiina, during the seventeenth century, including abstracts of the county records. Chicago, IL: Chicago Law Print, 1938.

Acknowledgements

• Pitt-86 was merged with Pitt-148 (the latter of which was created through a GEDCOM import by Season McMillan). Some dates confused with a different William Pitt, now corrected).
• 2017: Some research, citations, biographical contributions and profile formatting by Christopher Sirmons Haviland, president of the Haviland - de Havilland Heritage Society, on behalf of its researchers.