Sir William Wake, 8th Baronet (1742–1785), was a British politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1774 to 1784. Wake was the son of Sir William Wake, 7th Baronet of

Courteenhall Courteenhall is a village south of the county town of Northampton, in the shire county of Northamptonshire, England, and about north of London. The population of the civil parish was 122 at the 2011 census. The village is located in a cul-de-sa ...

and his wife Sarah Walker of Weston, Yorkshire. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

in 1755 and admitted at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

on 2 February 1760. On 6 March 1764, he was admitted at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

. He married Mary Fenton, daughter of Richard Fenton of Banktop, Yorkshire on 6 June 1765 and succeeded his father in the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 25 September 1765. He was

High Sheriff of Northamptonshire This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the respon ...

in 1771–2. In the 1774 general election Wake was elected as

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 ...

for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

. He is reported as making only three speeches in that Parliament. He was re-elected for Bedford in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...

. He was described as "a very independent Member" with "a small mixture of tenaciousness, or perhaps obstinacy, in his disposition". He decided not to stand again in 1784 but was active in the election at Bedford. Wake died on 29 October 1785. He was succeeded by his son William, who was married to Mary Sitwell, elder sister of

Sir Sitwell Sitwell, 1st Baronet Sir Sitwell Sitwell, 1st Baronet (September 1769 – 14 July 1811) was a British politician and landowner. Sitwell was the son of Francis Hurt (1728–1793) of Mount Pleasant, Sheffield, Mount Pleasant, Sheffield, who changed his name to Sitwe ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wake, Sir William, 8th Baronet 1742 births 1785 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 Baronets in the Baronetage of England High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...