Sir William Dunch (1578–1611) of Brightwell, Berkshire was an English politician during the reign of King James I. He was the son of Sir Edmund Dunch (1551–1623) and graduated from

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in 1595 before entering

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. He married Mary Cromwell in 1599, the daughter of Sir Henry Cromwell and aunt to

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. It is believed that the variant name for the rounded hills Wittenham Clumps (Mother Dunch's Buttocks) near the Dunch's family seat at Little Wittenham is associated with her. He was knighted in 1603 by King James I. Dunch represented Wallingford in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

(now

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

) as an MP from 1604 to 1611. William's brother Samuel Dunch (1593–1666) represented Wallingford in 1620, as did William's son

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and nobles *Ed ...

(1602–1678).

References

* Annells, P. (2006)
The Berkshire Dunches
'. * Hedges, J.K. (1881) ''Wallingford History'', Wm Clowes, London

External links

Wallingford History Gateway
1578 births 1611 deaths People from Little Wittenham Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Members of Gray's Inn English MPs 1604–1611 {{1604-England-MP-stub