William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford was a 17th-century English politician and Royalist who was later falsely accused of treason. Born in the City of Westminster in 1614, he was a member of the Howard family and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Despite his relative political obscurity, he was caught up in the fabricated Popish Plot, which led to his imprisonment in the Tower of London. He was executed at Tower Hill in 1680 after being implicated by informers. He is recognized as a blessed martyr within the Catholic Church.