William Highgate

Name Given at Birth: William Henry Highgate

Nicknames: Will, Billy Later title: Duke of Oxford

Hometown or where you were born: at Highgate Manor, Oxfordshire, England

Current Residence: Highgate Manor, Oxfordshire near Black Bourton

Age: 70 (But a young 70)

Class: Nobility. Inherited the title of Earl of Oxford age 18, when father died. Duchy of Oxford created when I married Esmerelda in 1572. Educated at Oxford.

What do you do, your main function in life/society: Tending my estate, Highgate Manor, including the vineyards, making fine wines and breeding fine horses. Earlier in life was ambassador to Prussia and to Bohemia, continue to occasionally act as King’s envoy and counselor. Privately, I write sonnets & short plays.

Do you know how to swim?: Yes, quite well.

Have you ever gone skinny-dipping?: Yes, but only with other males, not in mixed company.

Do you make fun of people?: Not unless I know them very well—otherwise, I am very aware of station in life and the need to remain genteel.

Favorite Color: Green for the beautiful forests of the Cotswolds, and, in more recent years, emerald green for Esmerelda.

Have you ever committed or been convicted of a crime?: Certainly not! I may deal sharply, but honestly, and do not engage in fighting.

Closest friends/How did you meet:

One Pillow or two: One is enough for anyone (except my wife, Esmerelda).

Pets: Horses, dogs, & Esmerelda’s homing pigeons.

Favorite Type of Music: The music at gypsy revels. Since marrying Esmerelda, I have come to appreciate the creativity and expressive freedom of the gypsies’ music. I also am somewhat of a drummer, known to only a few people, and do sometimes drum at revels..

Hobbies/Pastimes: Training horses & dogs, tending my vineyards, making wines, & drumming.

Personal Hygiene: Good—I bathe once weekly, and keep my hands clean.

Are your parents alive, do you get along with them?: My parents are deceased. We got along well, though my father was very strict.

If your parents are dead, how did they die?: They died peacefully & naturally, but they had me, their only child, at a fairly late age. My mother died when I was 16, father when I was 18, leaving me the title of Earl of Oxford.

Favorite food: Roast beef & Yorkshire pudding.

Favorite place to relax: Along the Avon River near Stratford. Also at the Scottish lochs, especially Loch Lomond and Loch Ness.

Favorite Holy Day/Why?: Feast of St. Patrick (March 17) & Epiphany (12^th night celebration).

Favorite Drink: Malmsey wine, produced at Highgate Manor.

What’s your bedtime: Whenever I get tired. Bedtime is highly varied.

What, if anything, do you usually wear on your feet?: Fine leather boots. Slippers in the evening at home.

Are you married or single?: I have been married twice. First to a Prussian noblewoman, Gertrude Hohenstein. She & our only child died in childbirth. Now married to Esmerelda since 1572.

Do you have a family/who are they?: As the only child of deceased parents, my only immediate family comes through marrying Esmerelda. I have many cousins, though, some of whom come to Highgate Manor for extended stays.

Favorite Entertainment: Shakespeare’s plays, gypsies’ music at revels. (Because Esmerelda is a gypsy, I am welcomed when I am with her.)

Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Languages. I speak German, French, & a little Spanish.

Least Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Astronomy

Favorite Sport: Riding, fishing.

Most Humiliating Moment: When I was asked by a Spanish nobleman in court if I were married, & I tried to respond in Spanish. I said, "Si, soy cansado con mi esposa, Esmeralda," which would mean "I am always tired of my wife." Realizing I had made an error, (for in Spanish "cansado" means "tired;" "casado" means "married." Also, ("soy) is the Spanish form of the verb "to be" for permanent things, "estoy" for the temporary or uncertain.) I then made another serious error, saying "Estoy casado con mi esposa, Esmerelda," which would mean "I am temporarily married to Esmerelda." At this point I stuttered and became speechless. Fortunately, my hosts understood that which I intended to say.

Proudest Moment: When I was knighted by King Edward for negotiating alliances with Prussia & Bohemia. I was knighted because the alliances were particularly touchy: Albert Frederich of Prussia had become Lutheran. In Bohemia, Maximillian and (later) Rudolph II, though Catholic, ruled a people who were 2/3 Protestant. At the time, Spain was also attempting to make alliances with both Prussia & Bohemia which would have prevented the alliances with England. I persuaded both to ally with England.

Craziest Person or silliest you know: Martin Boleyn, Leopold Bloom.

What do you look for in the opposite sex: Intelligence, humour, wit, social awareness, & (above all) beauty—all of the attributes of Esmerelda.

In our Hierarchical Society everybody has somebody "over" them; who is your immediate "overlord"?: King Richard.

How do you feel about that person?: Great love, respect, & admiration—ever since he was a child, & even more since he became my step-son-in-law. I would serve him in any manner in which I am able. He does ask my counsel on occasion.

Favorite Sport to watch: Contests of sheep dogs at work. The manner in which they respond to the shepherd’s voice and hand signals is most impressive.

Do you remember your first kiss: Yes a maid of our manor. I was 15, she 20. I think she had designs on elevating her station in life by marrying me when I got older. I did not succumb to her charms, which were many.

Do you keep in touch with your childhood friends?: Not many, because I have simply lived longer than most of them. But I have continued to make friends with many younger people (some would even be looked upon by others as "below" my class). This keeps me young at heart. .

Where is your favorite holiday spot?: Hiking in the Bavarian Alps is my favorite, save for regular visits to Canterbury, especially for the Harvest Festival.

Have you ever been overseas: Yes, many times—to Bohemia, the Germanies, France, Spain, Greece, and Italy.

Do you have Dirt/Mud floors or Stone: Stone, of course, covered in many rooms with finely woven carpets; on the upper levels, the floors are of fine inlaid wood..

What is your bed made of?: The finest goose down, on a beautifully carved bedstead.

How many people sleep in your bed: Two, unless some of the younger grandchildren are staying with us.

10 Things Everybody Should Know About Me

1. I am a peacemaker, but one who negotiates strongly, sometimes with "arm twisting."
2. I write poetry, sonnets, & plays (none of them performed, though, under my name).
3. I am a patron & mentor of Shakespeare, & anonymously wrote a couple of the lesser plays his company performed. (Some rumors have circulated that I wrote several of the plays & sonnets attributed to him, but those are mostly untrue.)
4. I do some of my best work at night, at all hours.
5. I was married to a Prussian nobelewoman, Gertrude Hohenstein, who died in childbirth (the baby died, too.)
6. I was an only child, but have several cousins who are dependent on my largess.
7. I speak German, French, a little Spanish, & read Greek.
8. I grow grapes & make excellent wines. (Malmsey is my favorite.)
9. I am a juggler (in private, as this is not a typical pastime for nobility).
10. I have a droll sense of humor, & love a good joke or story, even upon myself.
11. I act on the surface as if I am more strait-laced than I really am. My outward persona is stiff, serious & straightforward, but underneath I’m funny & even devious & devilish. I particularly enjoy relaxing with Esmerelda’s gypsy family, and sometimes play the drums at gypsy revels.