William FitzWilliam

Treasurer of the Household

The story so far…

Week 19: Crows (Part 1)

In 1535, Gregory is in Fitzwilliam’s household, learning how to be a gentleman. Gregory calls him Fitz, and Fitzwilliam calls Cromwell Crum.

Week 21: Angels

At court, Cromwell sits with those old friends of the king who happen not to be peers. Like William Fitzwilliam, Master Treasurer.

Week 22: The Black Book (Part 1)

When Henry falls in the jousts, Cromwell turns to Fitzwilliam for support: how to secure Mary. How to secure the succession?

Afterwards, he points out how few friends he has. ‘I don’t know, Crumb,’ says Fitz. ‘You are not without support, you know.’

Cromwell notes that Fitz is more affable than normal, and he wonders why.

   He waits. Of course he heard them; what is the real question here? Fitz is close to the king. He was brought up at court with Henry since they were small boys, though his family is good gentry, not noble. He has been to war. Has had a crossbow bolt in him. Has been abroad on embassies, knows France, knows Calais, the English enclave there and its politics. He is of the select company, the Garter knights. He writes a good letter, to the point, neither abrupt nor circumlocutory, nor larded with flattery, nor cursory in expressions of regard. The cardinal liked him, and he is affable to Thomas Cromwel when they dine daily in the guard chamber. He is always affable: and now more so?

Cromwell thanks Fitz for training up Gregory. ‘The pleasure is mine. Send him back to me soon.’

Week 24: The Black Book (Part 3)

Fitz visits Crumb at the Rolls House. He wants to talk about getting rid of Anne, but he is twitchy, checking the door and dancing around the point.

Fitz begins to talk to Carew. The conspiracy against Anne takes shape.

Week 25: Master of Phantoms (Part 1/5)

St George’s Day and the knights of the Garter gather. They consist of Cromwell’s new allies: William Fitzwilliam, Henry Coutenay, Norfolk and Brandon.

Week 26: Master of Phantoms (Part 2/5)

On their way to arrest Anne, Fitz is unhappy. He was with Audley in the council chamber when Anne was charged with adultery. ‘He confessed to me he loved her. He didn’t confess of any act.’ On the boat, you can hear him groan when Anne threatens to curse his accusers. ‘It was none of us raised the subject of curses.’

Once the queen is in custody, the councillors joke in the boat. They all joke that Cromwell will weld and melt Norfolk. ‘You begin as a duke and end as a leaden drip.’

Week 27: Master of Phantoms (3/5)

Cromwell asks Fitzwilliam to come with him to the Tower to talk to Norris. He refuses. ‘I cannot do it a second time. I have known him all my years. The first time nearly killed me.’

Week 29: The Book of Phantoms (Part 5/5) / Spoils

All these days he is not alone. His allies are watching him. Fitzwilliam is at his side, disturbed still by what Norris half-told him and then took bacck: always talking about it, taxing his brain, trying to make complete sentences from broken phrases.

Week 31: Salvage (Part 1/3)

Cromwell tells his nephew that Fitzwilliam ‘knows Henry’s mind. He knows him as well as any man… Find out his hopes. And raise them.’

Week 32: Salvage (Part 2/3)

Fitzwilliam on the council: ‘Trial? Jesus save us! Your flesh and blood? I implore you, think before you do this. you will make yourself a monster in the sight of all.’

He marches out but turns and confronts Henry: ‘What will you do? Cut off her head?’ Cromwell makes a scene, grappling with him and removing his chain of office. But Henry says, ‘that won’t do. Getting up a fight for my benefit, when I know you agree with him.’

Audley wonders whether Fitz has lost his position as Lord Treasurer, but apparently not. Henry says:

‘Fitzwilliam, is not greatly to be blamed. He is my old friend, and I think you commonly say, you councillors, that he understands me better than any man alive.’

Week 34: Wreckage (II) (Part 1/2)

The king has pardoned Fitz, and he has regained his chain of office.

Fitz says to Crumb: ‘Do you trust him? Gardinar’s pupil?’ He means Call-Me. ‘You don’t trust anybody, do you?’

Week 35: Wreckage (II) (Part 2/2)

In Kent, Fitz confides in Cromwell. The king appears to be taking it in turn to humiliate his councillors. They are all living in fear.

Week 37: The Five Wounds

‘So, Crumb, how does it feel?’ Fitz asks after the king’s outburst at council. ‘To be the heir presumptive to England?

Week 41: The Image of the King (Part 1/2)

Fitzwilliam at council as they celebrate the news of Jane’s pregnancy. ‘…not a man or woman in England who does not wish your Majesty well and pray on his knees nightly that the queen will give you a sturdy boy.’ He reassures his doubtful king that the marriage is good and no mistakes were made.

Week 42: The Image of the King (Part 2/2) / Broken on the Body

Fitzwilliam joins Cromwell in a mission to Henry to ask for clemency in the punishment of the Early of Surrey for drawing blood at court. ‘Because it is almost worse to maim a nobleman, than to kill him. It savours of barbarity, or at best of an alien code.’ He says, ‘I beg you, do not lightly shed ancient blood.’

Fitzwilliam is an ‘encouraging presence’ for Cromwell, walking him through the rituals that will make him a knight of the Order of the Garter.

After the birth of Henry’s son, Fitzwilliam is made the Earl of Southampton.

   Why Fitzwilliam, above him? Old friendships, no doubt: old usage. Fitzwilliam has sense and wit, speaks plain and to the point. But without a clerk at his elbow he is like Brandon, he cannot spell the days of the week.

Week 43: Nonsuch

Fitzwilliam encourages Cromwell to ‘feel out the terrain’ of a possible match between Henry and Christina, Duchess of Milan. ‘I would emphasise the sweetness’ of Christina, he says. ‘The rest if conjecture.’

Week 44: Corpus Christi (Part 1/2)

William Fitzwilliam interrogates Geoffrey Pole in the Tower. ‘I fear we lack proof against Exeter,’ he tells Cromwell. ‘He is a cautious man, he destroys his traces.’

Week 45: Corpus Christi (Part 2/2) / Inheritance

Fitz interrogates Margaret Pole but gets nothing from her. She is brought to his place at Cowdray, to the dismay of Lady Fitzwilliam.

Week 47: Ascension Day (Part 2/2)

At council, Cromwell notices that Fitz is ‘out of humour’ and he speculates whether he is ‘jealous of his new offices.’ He wonders whether it is because he has a son and Fitz does not. He gazes as him and ‘under scrutiny’, Fitz spills his papers.

After he recovers from his illness, he stops trusting Fitzwilliam.