William Hatton

Sir William Hatton (né Newport; c. 1565 - 12 March 1597) was an English politician in the 16th century.

Sir William Newport William Newport was born , son of John Newport of Hunningham, Warwickshire and Dorothy Hatton, sister of Sir Christopher Hatton, Elizabeth I's celebrated Lord Chancellor. Newport attended Magdalen College, Oxford before travelling to Europe, spending some time in Paris with Anthony Ashley, transferring to The Netherlands in 1586, where he fought at Zutphen with Sir Philip Sydney, returning to England in the same year to attend Sydney's funeral. Thereafter, Newport appears to have remained in England, when he was twice returned in his uncle's borough of Corfe Castle although his parliamentary career is poorly documented in the journals of the House of Commons. His time in Europe had instilled the adventurer in him, apparently collaborating with his neighbours to hire ships and to harry the Spanish Armada in 1588. (Frances later married Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, issues include Anne Montagu, Viscountess Mandeville) The following year Newport's maternal uncle Christopher Hatton died, leaving his considerable estates, as well as his mounting debts, to Newport. (Norsworthy reports debts of £42,000 on the Isle of Purbeck alone, but Holdenby Hall is attributed as the main burden of inheritance for William.) Properties included two palatial estates in Northampton, Ely Place in Holborn, and the Isle of Purbeck, which included Corfe Castle, all of which carried debts, creating financial hardship for Hatton, who lacked the revenues of high office enjoyed by his uncle. Hatton was able to sell lands that had not been developed to help pay off some of the debt and was able to play an active role in Northamptonshire county business. They had one child together, who died in infancy.

Hatton died at his home in Holborn in 1597, when his wife was still in her teens, and was buried at All Saints Church, Holdenby. Hatton had no male heir and appears to have split his estate between his wife, Lady Elizabeth Hatton, and his second cousin, Sir Christopher Hatton.

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