William Boleyn

Sir William Boleyn (1451 – 10 October 1505) was the son of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer and Lord Mayor of London, and his wife, Anne Hoo. He was the father of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and the paternal grandfather of King Henry VIII's second Queen, Anne Boleyn.

William Boleyn was born at Blickling, Norfolk, the younger of the two sons of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer and Lord Mayor of London, and his wife, Anne Hoo. Sir William was heir to his elder brother, Sir Thomas Boleyn, in 1471/2.

Boleyn married Margaret Ormond (otherwise Butler) (d. before 20 March 1540), the daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond (died 3 August 1515), by his first wife, Anne Hankford. They had six sons, Sir Thomas, William (Archdeacon of Winchester), Sir James, Sir Edward, John and Anthony, and four daughters, Margaret (wife of John Sackville), Anne (wife of Sir John Shelton), Alice (the wife of Sir Robert Clere) and Jane (wife of Sir Philip Calthorpe).

Boleyn was created a Knight of the Bath by Richard III and was charged by Henry VII to take care of the beacons that were used to warn in case of an attack on England. Sir William served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1489 and High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1500.