William Alpheus Higgs (c. 183823 December 1889) was a London tea merchant who served as

sheriff of London and Middlesex Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...

in 1887. He was a liveryman of several of the city's guilds and at the time of his death had been selected as a Radical candidate for a parliamentary constituency in north London.

Early life and family

William Alpheus Higgs was born around 1838 or 1839 in

Luckington Luckington is a village and civil parish in the southern Cotswolds, in north-west Wiltshire, England, about west of Malmesbury. The village is on the B4040 road linking Malmesbury and Old Sodbury. The parish is on the county border with Glouces ...

, Wiltshire.William Alpheus Higgs England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007.
Family Search. Retrieved 11 August 2020. William Alpheus Higgs England and Wales Census, 1881.
Family Search. Retrieved 11 August 2020. He married Phoebe and the 1881 census shows them living in St Pancras, London, with their eight sons and two daughters.

Career

Higgs was a partner in Barber & Company, tea merchants of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Bristol. He also traded as William Alpheus Higgs & Company, tea, wine, and spirits importers and grocers with multiple premises in London. He was a liveryman of several of the city's guilds"Obituary", ''The Times'', 25 December 1889, p. 4. and in June 1887 was elected as a

. In the late 19th century he bought

Willenhall House Willenhall House was a house and estate located to the south of Chipping Barnet, on the borders of Hertfordshire and Middlesex, in what is now north London. It was designed by John Buonarotti Papworth in 1829 for the East Indies merchant Thomas Wy ...

in Pricklers Hill, north London, from T. G. Waterhouse, Cass, Frederick Charles. (1885-92)
East Barnet.
' London: Nichols for the

London and Middlesex Archaeological Society The London and Middlesex Archaeological Society (LAMAS) is a society founded in 1855 for the study of the archaeology and local history of the City of London and the historic county of Middlesex. It also takes an interest in districts that were h ...

. pp. 156-157. and at the time of his death had been selected as a Radical candidate for a parliamentary constituency in the area.

Death and legacy

Higgs died of apoplexy at midnight on the 23 December 1889 at the Hotel Victoria in London where he was about to set off with his wife and sons for the Lady Mayoress's ball. In 1907 his arms were carried by the

Worshipful Company of Glovers The Worshipful Company of Glovers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Glovers were originally classified as Cordwainers, but eventually separated to form their own organization in 1349. They received a Royal Charter of inco ...

in the procession of the

Lord Mayor's Show The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the best-known annual events in London as well as one of the longest-established, dating back to the 13th century. A new lord mayor is appointed every year, and the public parade that takes place as his or her in ...

."The Lord Mayor's Show", ''The Times'', 7 November 1907, p. 6. He was buried on the western side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgs, William Alpheus Sheriffs of the City of London English merchants People from Wiltshire 1830s births Year of birth uncertain 1889 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century English businesspeople