William Dowdeswell (18 August 1682 – 5 September 1728) was a British land-owner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1712 to 1722.

Early life

Dowdeswell was the son of Richard Dowdeswell, MP of Pull Court, Bushley, Worcestershire. His family owned the Pull Court estate near Bushley in Worcestershire.Parishes: Bushley'
A History of the County of Worcester: volume 4 (1924), pp. 45-49. Date accessed: 28 December 2010 Several members of the family were MPs, including William's father, who was MP for Tewkesbury in ten successive parliaments. He was educated at Eton College and 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 ...

in 1700 and then travelled abroad. In 1711 he succeeded his father. He married as his first wife Katharine Cokayne, daughter of

Charles Cokayne, 3rd Viscount Cullen Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

on 13 March 1712.

Political career

Dowdeswell was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tewkesbury at a by-election on 1 January 1712. He was returned again unopposed in

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ref ...

. At the

1715 Events For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...

he was returned again as MP for Tewkesbury. He did not stand there at the 1722 general election. He was appointed Sheriff of Worcestershire for 1726. He married secondly on 5 August 1719, Amy Hammond, daughter of

Anthony Hammond Anthony Hammond (1668–1738), of Somersham Place, Huntingdonshire and Lidlington, Bedfordshire, was an English official and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1695 and 1708. He was also known as a poet a ...

, MP and poet, of Somersham, Huntingdonshire.He was appointed Sheriff of Worcestershire for 1726.

Later life and legacy

Dowdeswell died in 1728. He had a son and a daughter by his first wife and four sons by his second. He was succeeded by his son William Dowdeswell, who later became

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

References

1682 births 1728 deaths People educated at Eton College People from Malvern Hills District Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 High Sheriffs of Worcestershire {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub