William Joseph Denison (12 May 1769 – 2 August 1849), son of Joseph Denison (c.1726 – 1806), was an English banker, politician, landowner, and philanthropist.

Life

William was born in Princes Street,

Lothbury Lothbury is a short street in the City of London. It runs east–west with traffic flow in both directions, from Gresham Street's junction with Moorgate to the west, and Bartholomew Lane's junction with Throgmorton Street to the east. History ...

, the only son of Joseph Denison (1726?–1806), who had gone to London from the west of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

at an early age and amassed a fortune. William was a highly successful banker and became a senior partner in the firm of Denison, Heywood, & Kennard (based in Lombard Street, London). He also had a long political career, first serving as a Whig MP for between 1796 and 1802. In 1806 he was elected to the constuency of , and represented from 1818 until 1832. Following the passing of the

1832 Reform Act The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the elect ...

, he was returned as an MP for the newly-created constituency of , then held the seat for the remainder of his life. Denbies when owned by Denison (cropped)

Upon the death of his father in 1806, Denison acquired estates in Yorkshire ( Seamer, south of

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

) and Surrey (

Denbies Denbies is a large estate to the northwest of Dorking in Surrey, England. A farmhouse and surrounding land originally owned by John Denby was purchased in 1734 by Jonathan Tyers, the proprietor of Vauxhall Gardens in London, and converted into a ...

, near Dorking). During the course of his lifetime, he extended the boundaries of the latter considerably, through the purchase of adjoining land from both the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

and

Earl of Verulam Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston (in the peerage of the United Kingdom) at the same time. Verulam had previously ...

. Denison also increased the size of his financial inheritance to such an extent that, following his death in

Pall Mall, London Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road. The street's name is derived from pall-mall, ...

on 2 August 1849, the gross value of his estate was an estimated £2,300,000 (equivalent to around £184 million ). He was selected

High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...

for 1808/09. Having never married, virtually all of his estate passed to his nephew Lord Albert Conyngham, on condition that he took the surname Denison. According to the records of The General Cemetery Company (incorporated by Act of Parliament 1832), Denison is buried in plot 8304 at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

Notes

References

External links

historyofparliamentonline.org, ''Denison, William Joseph (1770–1849), of Denbies, nr. Dorking, Surr.''
Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Denison, William Joseph 1770 births 1849 deaths English bankers English landowners Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies 19th-century English landowners High Sheriffs of Yorkshire