William Trussell

Sir William Trussell
Arms William Trussel bore at Boroughbridge: argent, a cross fleury gules
Procurator of the House of Commons & King's Secretary
MP for Leicestershire
In office 9 Sep 1314 – 28 Sep 1314
Monarch	Edward II
Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire
In office 1314–1315
Monarch	Edward II
MP for Northamptonshire
In office 6 May 1319 – 25 May 1319
Monarch	Edward II
Procurator of the House of Commons
In office 7 Jan 1327 – 28 Apr 1343
Monarch	Edward II & Edward III
King's Secretary
In office 1330–1347
Monarch	Edward III
Personal details
Died	1347
Children	William Trussell

Sir William Trussell was an English politician and leading rebel in Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March's rebellion against Edward II. William acted as Speaker of the House of Commons and renounced the allegiance of England to Edward II, forcing his abdication, and became King Edward III's Secretary.

He was born the son of William Trussell of Billesley, Warwickshire.

He was Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire for 1314–15 and represented Leicestershire in Parliament in 1314 and Northamptonshire in 1319. He was an ardent supporter of the House of Lancaster but was pardoned for his role in the death of Piers Gaveston in 1318.

As Edward II slowly regained power from the Ordainers he rewarded the reviled Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester with land he confiscated from the barons, leading to their revolt. William Trussell was amongst them and on 12 March 1322 a warrant for his arrest was issued describing him as "the King's enemy". Four days later both Trussell and his son fought on the rebels' side at the Battle of Boroughbridge. Edward and Dispenser won, beheading the rebels' leader Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster (King Edward's cousin) and forcing others into exile. As the injustices continued, and the effects of the Great Famine of 1315–22 lingered, discontent remained. Despenser was rewarded with lands that had belonged to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, including those in Leicestershire.

Sir William led a band of rebels that allegedly pillaged Dispenser's estate at Loughborough in May 1322 but was imprisoned at Scarborough Castle in July. He escaped and allegedly fled south causing great havoc in Somerset and Dorset in August. On 14 Mar 1323 Roger de Beler, Richard de Willoughby and William de Gosefeld were issued with arrest warrants for Trussell, his son William, his brother Ralph, Roger la Zouch (son of Sir Roger la Zouch, Lord of Lubbesthorpe), Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand and others who were accused by Hugh le Dispenser of stealing horses, oxen, pigs, sheep and swans from his parks in Leicestershire. The warrant was reissued in 1324 alongside similar ones that dealt with alleged rioting against Dispenser in Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire by other rebels.