Sir William Fairfax (by 1531– 1 November 1597), of Gilling Castle and Walton, Yorkshire, was an English politician.
[1] He was the eldest son of Sir Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling, who he succeeded in 1571.
He was High Sheriff of Yorkshire for 1577–78 and a member of the Council in the North from 1577 to his death.
When the Spanish Armada threaten invasion in 1588, he was captain of the Bulmer and Ryedale companies of the North York Trained Bands.
He had married twice; firstly Agnes, the daughter of George, Lord Darcy and secondly Jane, the daughter and heiress of Brian Stapleton of Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire.