William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter

William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter, KG PC (1566 – 6 July 1640), known as Lord Burghley from 1605 to 1623, was an English peer.

Exeter was the son of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, and Dorothy Neville, daughter of John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and travelled on the continent before being admitted to Gray's Inn.

In 1586, when only 20 years of age, he was returned to Parliament as MP for Stamford and was returned again in 1589. In 1597 he was elected knight of the shire for Rutland. He was invested as a Knight in 1603. He held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire between 1623 and 1640. He succeeded to the title of 3rd Baron of Burghley, co. Northampton [E., 1571] on 8 February 1622/23. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Exeter [E., 1605] on 8 February 1622/23. He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (PC) in 1626. He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) in 1630.

In 1589, William married Elizabeth Manners, the only child of the 3rd Earl of Rutland, and they had one child:

Elizabeth died in 1591 and William married Elizabeth Drury, daughter of Sir William Drury and Elizabeth Stafford, and they had three children:

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