February 7.
March.

1807.

British "Orders in Council."

Battle of Eylau.

Formation of the Portland administration.

Slavery abolished in the British dominions.

Convention of Bastenstein (Russia, Prussia, and
Sweden).

Battle of Heilsburg.

Battle of Friedland.

Treaty of Tilsit (France and Russia).

Danish Fleet at Copenhagen surrenders to the British
Treaty of Fontainebleau (France and Spain).

Treaty of the Dardanelles (England and Turkey).

Capitulation of Saragossa.

Napoleon enters Vienna.

Battle of Coruña.

February 21.

April 20.

Battle of Abensberg.

May 12.

May 21.

Battle of Aspern.

SECTION I

EARLY LIFE. 1750-1782

SECTION I

EARLY LIFE.

1750-1782

Family history: Birth of William Windham : Windham at
Eton Fond of books and sports: Nicknamed "Fighting
Windham": His interest in the King: The death of his father:
His guardians : Withdrawn from Eton: The reason for this
step At Glasgow University: His love of mathematics :
At University College, Oxford His reputation there and
academic career: In early life uninterested in public affairs :
Sets out on a voyage of exploration in the Polar Seas: Pre-
vented by sea-sickness from proceeding: He is landed at
Bergen: Extracts from his Diary concerning his sojourn in
Norway Scanty records of early life: His occupations :
First plunge into political life: A letter to Sheridan: His
maiden speech: He quells a Militia mutiny: A serious illness :
He goes abroad to recover strength: Invited to contest
Norwich as a supporter of the Rockingham party: Defeated
at the election of 1780: Invited to stand for Westminster :
The formation of the Rockingham Administration: Corre-
spondence: The death of Lord Rockingham : Lord Shelburne
becomes Prime Minister: An extract from Windham's Diary.

T

HE Right Hon. William Windham came of an old Norfolk family, which had acquired from William Hales in 1436 the manor of Crownethorpe, in the parish of Wymondham. From this parish (pronounced "Wind'-am") the family derived its surname. In 1460 John Wymondham purchased from Sir John Felbrigg the manor of Felbrigg, near Cromer, and this became the chief seat of the family. John was knighted in 1487 on the battlefield of Stoke. Sixteen years later, for being associated with the Earl of Suffolk in a conspiracy against Henry VII., he was tried for high treason, found guilty, and

beheaded on Tower Hill. Sir John married Margaret, fourth daughter of John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, and by her had a son (afterwards Sir) Thomas, who entered the Navy and attained the rank of ViceAdmiral. Sir Thomas married Eleanor, daughter of Sir Richard Scrope, of Upsal, Wiltshire, who bore him a large family. Of his eldest son and successor, Sir Edmund, it is recorded that being condemned by James I. to lose his right hand for striking a Mr. Cleer in the royal tennis court, he prayed that he might rather lose his left hand, for with the right, he said, "I may do ye King gode service," whereupon he was pardoned. Edmund's eldest son Francis died without issue, and the estate then passed to the second son, Sir John, who had married Elizabeth, daughter of John Sydenham, of Orchard, in Somersetshire, in which county he had settled. During the Civil War, his sons fought for the King, and after the battle of Worcester, Colonel Francis Windham, Sir John's fourth son, conducted Charles II. to his seat at Trent. The eldest son, Thomas, came into possession of the property on his father's death, and survived until 1653, when he had reached the patriarchal age of fourscore years and two. Thomas, who married a daughter of Sir John Lytton of Knebworth, was succeeded by his second son William, whose history is thus recorded on a monumental brass in the parish church of Felbrigg :

In a vault near to this monument lieth the Body of WILLIAM WINDHAM, Esq., second son of Thomas Windham of Felbrigg in the County of Norfolk Esq. by Elizabeth his second wife. He married Katharine, Eldest dr. of Sir Joseph Ashe of Twittenham, in the Cy of Middlesex Bart. with whom he lived twenty years, and had issue