Sir William Withers (c. 1654 – 31 January 1720) of

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

, Middlesex, was an English linen draper and Tory politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

between 1701 and 1715. He was

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

from 1707 to 1708.

Early life

Withers was the second son of William Withers, a linen-draper, of St. Mary-le-Bow, London, and his first wife Sarah Cornish, daughter of George Cornish. He was a descendant of Sir Thomas Wyther and was believed to be the first family member to spell the name Wyther as Withers. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish father and son in the record, and Withers may have been the common counsellor for Cheap from 1675 to 1680. In 1680, like his father, he became a freeman of the Fishmonger's Company. He married Margaret Hayes, daughter of Thomas Hayes of

Chertsey Abbey Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey. It was founded in 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the same ti ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

by licence dated 24 February 1682.

Career

Withers was probably a Commissioner for taking subscriptions to land bank in 1696 and an Assistant of the

Royal African Company The Royal African Company (RAC) was an English trading company established in 1660 by the House of Stuart and City of London merchants to trade along the West African coast. It was overseen by the Duke of York, the brother of Charles II of Eng ...

from 1697 to 1698. In 1698, he became a Director of the New East India Company and was elected Alderman for

Farringdon Within Farringdon Within is one of the 25 wards of the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, England. It was formed in the 14th century from the sub-division of the pre-existing Farringdon Ward into ''Farringdon Within'' (inside ...

ward. He was knighted by

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...

on 20 October 1699 when he was a member of the City delegation which congratulated the King on his return from the Continent. He became Prime Warden of the Fishmonger's Company in 1700 At the first general election of 1701 Withers was returned as Member of Parliament for

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Although a Tory, he was prepared to stand with the Whigs on behalf of the New East India Company. He became

Sheriff of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...

for the year 1701 to 1702, which meant that as returning officer, he could not stand for election at the second general election of 1701 or the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Briti ...

. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in ...

he stood for the City again, but came bottom of the poll. He became Colonel of the Yellow regiment of the City militia in 1705, and in 1706 became Governor of the Irish Society for life. He was runner up for the mayoralty for 1706, and was then chosen to serve as Lord Mayor for the year 1707 to 1708. In 1707 he lost his command in the Militia, but became a Sub-Governor of the Royal African Company. On the strength of being Mayor, he was elected again as MP for the City of London at a by-election on 16 December 1707, following the death of Sir Robert Clayton. Withers was returned again for the City of London at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

. On stepping down as Mayor in 1708, he became President of the

Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals The Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals were two charitable foundations that were independently put into the charge of the City of London. They were brought under joint administration in 1557. Bethlehem Hospital The Bethlem Royal Hospital was foun ...

. Also in 1708, he acquired a newly built house called Holcrofts, having a long avenue of elms in front, from Robert Limpany. He became a Director of the United East India Company from 1709 to 1710 and regained his regiment in 1710. He was returned for the City again at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

. He was Commissioner for building 50 new churches in 1711 and 1712. He was returned again at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election was held on 22 August 1713 to 12 November 1713, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 R ...

but was thrown out when the Whigs returned to power at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election was held on 22 January 1715 to 9 March 1715, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliam ...

. He was appointed Governor of St Thomas' Hospital by 1719.

Later life and legacy

Withers died on 31 January 1720 and was buried at

All Saints Church, Fulham All Saints' Church is the ancient parish church of Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, pre-dating the Reformation. The parish was founded in the precinct of Fulham Manor, currently adjacent to it, which was in the possession of the Bishops o ...

. He and his wife had two children, William and Sarah.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, William 1650s births 1720 deaths Year of birth uncertain Sheriffs of the City of London 18th-century lord mayors of London 18th-century English people Members of the Parliament of England for the City of London English MPs 1701 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 Burials at All Saints Church, Fulham Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for the City of London