Sir William Beecher (24 April 1628 – 5 December 1694) was an English 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 1667 to 1679. Beecher was the son of Oliver Beecher of Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire and Howbury, Bedfordshire and his wife Elizabeth Tate, daughter of Sir William Tate of

Delapré Abbey Delapré Abbey is an English neo-classical mansion in Northamptonshire. The mansion and outbuildings incorporate remains of a former monastery, the Abbey of St Mary de la Pré (the suffix meaning "in or of the Meadow"), near the River Nene s ...

, Northamptonshire. History of Parliament Online - Beecher, William
/ref> He was 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 17 September 1645. In 1657, he was commissioner for assessment for Bedfordshire. He succeeded his father by 1659. He was J.P. for Bedfordshire from March 1660 to 1680. He was commissioner for militia for Bedfordshire in March 1660 and captain of militia horse for Bedfordshire in April 1660. In August 1660 he became Deputy Lieutenant and commissioner for assessment for Bedfordshire and in September 1660 a J.P. for Bedford. He was one of those nominated to be

Knight of the Royal Oak The Knights of the Royal Oak was an intended order of chivalry in England. It was proposed in 1660 at the time of the restoration of Charles II of England to be a reward for those Englishmen who had faithfully and actively supported Charles dur ...

and had an estate worth £1,600 a year. He was knighted on 16 November 1660. In 1661 he was made a freeman of Bedford and was made commissioner for assessment until 1663 and J.P. for Bedford for the year. He was J.P. for Bedford again in 1663. In 1667, Beecher 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

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 ...

in a by-election to the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...

. He was J.P. for Bedford again in 1670 and 1672 and commissioner for assessment for Bedford from 1673 to 1674. In 1675 he was commissioner for recusants for Bedfordshire. He lost his commission of the peace and lieutenancy for Bedfordshire in around 1680. He became Deputy Lieutenant again from February to June 1688 and from 1689 to his death. He was commissioner for assessment for Bedfordshire from 1689 to 1690 and J.P. for Bedfordshire from 1689 to his death. Beecher died at the age of 66 and was buried at Renhold. Beecher married firstly on 15 February 1656, his cousin Frances St John daughter of

Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso KB (1603 – 23 October 1642) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1624 to 1629 and in the House of Lords from 1639. He died fighting in the Parliamentary army in the English ...

. They had a son and daughter but she died in 1658 and was buried on 17 September 1658 . He married secondly on 24 December 1660, Elizabeth Hillersden, widow of Thomas Hillersden of Elstow, Bedfordshire and daughter of John Huxley of Edmonton, Middlesex. They had three sons and a daughter. She died in 1705 and was buried on 20 January 1705.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beecher, William 1628 births 1694 deaths English MPs 1661–1679 Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Deputy Lieutenants of Bedfordshire