LORD BURLEIGH, CECIL
Lord Burleigh, Cecil, was Principal Minister to Queen Elizabeth during most of her forty year reign. He was one of the most learned men of that era, and the most powerful man in England during that period. It was his sister that married Robert Wingfield who was a counselor to the Queen. The Wingfields are a family with ancient roots in England prior to the Norman conquest of 1066. They were Saxons and the original orthography is Germanic in appearance.
Lord Burleigh's castle, one of the great castles of England, is located only a few miles from Northborough, our ancestral home and the location of the Manor. It was Cecil's niece, Dorothy Wingfield, that married Adam Claypool and through their offspring that we were annexed to the roster of great and noble historic families of England, including nine signers of the Magna Carta.
All during the reign of Queen Elizabeth; she, Cecil, and their court were consumed by the threat of a Catholic plot to restore a Catholic monarch to the throne of England. The focus of this alleged conspiracy was on Mary, Queen of Scots, and her claim to the throne. Robert Wingfield played a roll in a foiled attempt to eliminate Mary, but that's another story.
Note: I have a map of Northhamptonshire from those years. It shows both Northborough Manor and Burleigh castle. Also another manor owned by the Claypools in Latham, a few miles away.
Last Updated April 27, 2005
