Sir William Chapple (c. 1676–1745) of Waybay House, Upwey, Dorset and Wonersh, Surrey, was a British lawyer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1723 to 1737. He became a High Court Judge in 1737 and presided over the trial of highwayman

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

Early life

Chapple was the second son of John Chapple of Waybay House, Upwey near Dorchester. He was admitted at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

in 1694 and called to the bar in 1709. In 1710, he married Trehane Clifton, daughter of Susannah Clifton of Wonersh who was the niece and heiress of Richard Gwynne of Wonersh Park. He probably rebuilt the house at Wonersh Park.

Career

At the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Tha ...

, Chapple stood for Dorchester with support of the Duke of Newcastle, and was returned as Whig

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

on petition on 13 February1723. According to the 1st Earl of Egmont, when Chapple first entered the House, Arthur Onslow introduced him saying that 'one of the honestest men in England was come to sit among us.' In 1724, he became Serjeant-at-law. He was returned unopposed at the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

. He was knighted on 14 May 1729, also becoming King's serjeant. Upon his appointment as Chief justice of Carnarvon, Merioneth and Anglesey in 1729, he retained his seat in the consequential by-election. In Parliament he voted for the Administration on the civil list arrears in 1729, and on the army in 1732, but was absent for the

Excise Bill The Excise Bill of 1733 was a proposal by the British government of Robert Walpole to impose an excise tax on a variety of products. This would have allowed Customs officers to search private dwellings to look for contraband untaxed goods. The per ...

in 1733. He seconded

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...

on 24 April 1732 in opposing the bill to void the contracts for the sale of the forfeited Derwentwater estates, and made a bad impression by speaking earnestly for the commissioners and purchasers and against such a bills. He was re-elected for Dorchester in a contest at the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's incr ...

but vacated his seat in 1737 when he was appointed a Hhigh Court Judge. In March 1739, Chapple presidered at the trial and ordered the execution of the highwayman

, then going under the name of John Palmer."The Judge & the Highwayman"
wonershhistory.co.uk. Accessed 18 January 2023.

Death and legacy

Chapple died on 15 March 1745, aged 68, and was buried in a tomb of black and white marble in Wonersh church. He and his wife left four sons, William, Richard, John, and Joseph, and two daughters, Jane and Grace who married Sir Fletcher Norton, afterwards Lord Grantly. His eldest son William was apparently married at Wonersh but the entry is erased to the extent that the name of his bride is obliterated – presumably in disapproval.

References

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapple, William 1670s births Date of birth unknown 1745 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741