Sir William Brereton | |
|---|---|
 Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet | |
| Member of Parliament for Cheshire 1628 | |
| In office November 1640 – April 1653 | |
| English Council of State | |
| In office December 1652 – February 1653 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 September 1604 Handforth |
| Died | 7 April 1661 (aged 56) Croydon Palace |
| Resting place | St John Baptist Churchyard, Croydon Minster |
| Spouse(s) | Susanna Booth (1623–1637) Cicely Mytton (1641–1649) |
| Relations | William, Baron Brereton (1611–1664) |
| Children | One son, three daughters |
| Parent(s) | William Brereton (1584–1610); Margaret Holland (1585–1609) |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Landowner and soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  England |
| Years of service | 1643 to 1646 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands | Commander, Parliamentarian forces Cheshire |
| Battles/wars | |
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet (13 September 1604 – 7 April 1661), was an English religious Independent, author, and landowner from Cheshire. He was Member of Parliament for Cheshire at various times between 1628 and 1653, and during the First English Civil War, commander of Parliamentarian forces in the North Midlands.
In the 1630s, he travelled extensively through France, the Dutch Republic, Scotland, and Ireland; his travel journals from 1634 and 1635 were published in the 19th century. His records and letters from the Civil War are a primary source for Parliamentary local administration in the period, as well as the internal divisions that led to the Second English Civil War.
Despite a lack of prior military experience, he proved an energetic and capable soldier, and was one of the most powerful men in England when the First Civil War ended in 1646. However, he gave up his local offices, and although nominated as a judge, refused to attend the trial of Charles I in January 1649. He was elected to the English Council of State in 1652 and 1653 but rarely attended, living in semi-retirement in London. He resumed his seat for Cheshire when the Long Parliament was reinstated in 1659, until its dissolution in March 1660, and died on 7 April 1661.