William Brewer, 1st Baron Brewer
William Brewer, 1st Baron Brewer (alias Briwere, etc.) (died 1226) was a prominent administrator and judge in England during the reigns of Kings Richard I, his brother King John, and the latter's son Henry III. He was a major landholder and the founder of several religious institutions. In 1204 he acquired the feudal barony of Horsley in Derbyshire.
Origins
William Brewer's ancestry is unclear, but he was probably the son of Henry Brewer and the grandson of William Brewer, Royal Forester of Bere, Hampshire, who founded the nunnery of Polsloe in Exeter. William Brewer, Bishop of Exeter, was one of his nephews.
Career
William began his own career as Forester of Bere, which appears to have been a hereditary title, and by 1179 had been appointed Sheriff of Devon. Under King Richard I (1189-1199) he was one of the justiciars appointed to administer the kingdom the king was on the Third Crusade. In 1193 he was present at Worms, Germany, to aid in the negotiations for the ranson of King Richard. In about 1193 he began his career as a Baron of the Exchequer, which office he exercised until the reign of King Henry III (1216-1273).