William Bowles (11 February 1686 – 14 May 1748), of Burford, Worcestershire, was an English glass manufacturer and Whig 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. ...

for more than 20 years from 1727 to 1748.

Early life

Burford House and formal gardens (geograph 1852831)

Bowles was the eldest son of Phineas Bowles of St. Michael's, Crooked Lane, London and Loughborough House, Lambeth, and his wife Margaret Dockwra, daughter of William Dockwra, merchant of London. When his father died in 1718 he became the proprietor of the

Vauxhall glassworks Vauxhall glassworks was a plate glass factory off what is now the Albert Embankment in the Vauxhall area of Lambeth, London, just to the north of Vauxhall Gardens. The site is now commemorated in the name of Glasshouse Walk. The Vauxhall site had ...

in London, the major glass works in the country. In 1720 he bought the Burford Estate in Shropshire, where he built Burford House in 1728. He had purchased Burford on the understanding that the estate contained a deer park, but afterwards he discovered that it did not, and undertook six years of litigation.Discovering Shropshire's History - The grounds and Gardens of Burford House
/ref> He was a Director of the

South Sea Company The South Sea Company (officially The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America, and for the encouragement of the Fishery) was a British joint-stock company founded in Ja ...

from 1724 to 1739.

Career

Bowles was returned 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

Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and withi ...

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 voted with the Administration on the Hessians in 1730, on the army in 1732, and on the repeal of the Septennial Act in 1734. He voted against the administration on the civil list in 1729 and on 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 also opposed a bill against ‘the infamous practice of stockjobbing’ in 1733. 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 ...

Bowles was returned as MP for both Bridport and

Bewdley Bewdley ( pronunciation) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley west of Kidderminster and southwest of Birmingham. It lies on the River Sev ...

where he had acquired a controlling interest, but chose to sit for Bridport again and brought his brother Phineas in for Bewdley. He married Sarah Cook, the widow of William Cook on 29 January 1736, and was appointed Recorder of Bewdley in 1738. In Parliament, he spoke against a proposal to reduce the interest on the national debt in 1737 and did not take part in the division on the Spanish convention in 1739. He voted for the place bill in 1740. In 1740 he also spoke on behalf of Carolina in opposing the inclusion of rice among prohibited exports. Bowles was again returned for both Bridport and Bewdley at the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

and this time chose to sit for Bewdley. He voted with the Administration on the chairman of the elections committee in December 1741, but was absent from an important division on 21 January 1742, when he ‘sat diverting himself all night at

Garraway's Coffee House Garraways Coffee House was a London coffee house in Exchange Alley from the period where such houses served as important places where other business was performed. Its original proprietor, Thomas Garway, was already said to be the first person ...

’. He was a member of the committee of inquiry into Walpole's conduct, and though considered a supporter of Walpole, he not only voted but also spoke for the bill to indemnify anyone who gave evidence against Walpole. He was returned again at Bewdley at the

1747 British general election The 1747 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Henr ...

Death and legacy

Bowles died on 14 May 1748, but left no children. He bequeathed Burford to his sister Lady Rushout and it remained in the Rushout family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowles, William 1686 births 1748 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 Politicians from Shropshire Businesspeople from Shropshire