Sir William Walter, 1st Baronet (c. 1604 – 23 March 1675) was an English lawyer and 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 1628 to 1629. Walter was the son of Sir John Walter, of

Wolvercote Wolvercote is a village that is part of the City of Oxford, England. It is about northwest of the city centre, on the northern edge of Wolvercote Common, which is itself north of Port Meadow and adjoins the River Thames. History The Domesday B ...

, Oxfordshire,

Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pre ...

(1625–1630), and his first wife, Margaret Offlet, daughter of William Offlet, of London.George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage, Volume 2'' 1900
/ref> He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

on 16 March 1621, aged 17.'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500-1714: Waad-Warwright', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714 (1891), pp. 1550-1577. Date accessed: 3 June 2012
/ref> He studied law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

and was called to the bar in 1630 He succeeded his father on 18 November 1630 and was appointed

Sheriff of Oxfordshire The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much older ...

for 1636. In 1628, he was elected

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

Weobley Weobley ( ) is an ancient settlement and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white villages owing to its abundance of ...

and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. Walter was created

baronet 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 ...

Sarsden Sarsden is a village and civil parish about south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The 2001 Census recorded the parish population as 83. Since 2012 Sarsden has been part of the Churchill and Sarsden joint parish council area, sharing a paris ...

on 20 November 1641. He was created

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

on 2 November 1642. He compounded and was fined £1,430 in August 1646. In April 1663 he was elected MP for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

but the election was declared void. Walter died intestate at the age of about 70 and was buried at Sarsden on 27 March 1675. He had married by licence dated 20 December 1632 Elizabeth Lucas, daughter of Thomas Lucas of St. John's Abbey, Colchester, who was buried at Sarsden on 12 May 1691. They had at least two sons and two daughters.

References

1600s births 1675 deaths English MPs 1628–1629 Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of the Inner Temple Baronets in the Baronetage of England High Sheriffs of Oxfordshire {{17thC-England-MP-stub