Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Ellis, William (d.1732)
ELLIS, Sir WILLIAM (d. 1732), secretary of State, second son of John Ellis (1606?-1681) [q. v.], was educated on the foundation of Westminster, whence he was elected to a studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1665, and proceeded B.A. 19 June 1669. He lost his studentship for accepting the degree of M.A. 'per literas regias' at Cambridge in 1671, without having first obtained his grace in his own college; and, despite the intercession of the Prince of Orange, in whose train he had visited Cambridge, was never restored. In 1676 he was appointed, along with his brother, Welbore Ellis, customer, comptroller and searcher for the provinces of Leinster and Munster (Addit. MS. 21135, f. 53), and while holding this lucrative sinecure acquired considerable property in Ireland (ib. 28930, 28938, 28940, 28941, 28946). He acted as secretary to Richard, earl of Tyrconnel, on the latter's appointment to the lord-lieutenancy of Ireland in 1686, and was knighted. At the revolution he elected to follow the fortunes of the house of Stuart. Accompanying James to Ireland he was placed on his privy council and appointed one of the assessors of Dublin in April 1690 (D'Alton, King James's Irish Army List, 2nd ed. i. 33, ii. 692, where he is confounded with Sir William Ellis, 'solicitor-general for Ireland In 1657 and one of the baronets created by Cromwell'). He was attainted in 1691, and his older brother, John [q. v.]]], to whom he owed money, gained possession of his Irish property. He afterwards became secretary to James in his exile at St. Germain, and on his death in 1701 acted as treasurer to his son, the Old Pretender. Ellis died a protestant at Rome in the autumn of 1732, aged between 65 and 90 (Gent. Mag. ii. 930). His letters to his brother John and others (1674-1689) are in the British Museum, Addit. MSS, 28875-6: those to Cardinal Gualtorio (1719-27) will be found in Addit. MSS. 20310, 31267.
Ellis Correspondence ed. Hon. G. J. W Agar Ellis. 1829; Welch's Alumni Westmon. 1852. p. 161; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss iii. 711; Gent. Mag. xxxix; 328; Oxford Graduates, 1851, p. 212; Cambridge Graduates, 1787. p. 130.]