William Downe Gillon (31 August 1801 – 7 October 1846) was a Scottish Whig politician. The son of Andrew Gillon of Wallhouse (Linlithgowhire (now

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

)), Lieut-Col. in the

Scots Fusilier Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

and Mary Anne Downe, daughter of William Downe of Downe Hall,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, he was educated 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 ...

. He was elected at the 1831 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the

Lanark Burghs Lanark Burghs (also known as Linlithgow Burghs) was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster Palace, Westminster) from 1708 to 1832 ...

. That constituency was abolished by the

Scottish Reform Act 1832 The Scottish Reform Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the election laws of Scotland. The act was passed at approximately the same time as the Reform Act 1832, which applied to England and Wales. The chief a ...

, and at the 1832 general election he was returned for the new Falkirk Burghs. He was returned unopposed in

1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...

and

1837 Events January–March * January 1 – The destructive Galilee earthquake causes 6,000–7,000 casualties in Ottoman Syria. * January 26 – Michigan becomes the 26th state admitted to the United States. * February – Charles Dickens's ...

, but defeated at the 1841 general election by the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

candidate William Baird. William Downe Gillon was a major beneficiary of his elder cousin John Gillon's (d. 1809) will, including profits coming from the plantation at Wallhouse, Dominica, housing 137 enslaved people in 1817. This gave Downe Gillon an annuity of £500 per annum and the purchase of

Herstmonceux Castle Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built castle, dating from the 15th century, near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England. It is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England. The castle was renowned for being one of the f ...

Freemasonry

Gillon was Initiated into Scottish Freemasonry in the Lodge of Holyrood House (St Luke's), No.44, on 29 November 1828. He was Master of the Lodge from 1843 until his death in 1846. He was the first Provincial Grand Master of Linlithgowshire, the name remains unchanged for Masonic purposes, and served 1832 until his death. His son, Andrew (1823-1888), was also a Scottish Freemason and Affiliated to his late father's Lodge in 1849.

References

External links

* 1801 births 1846 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 Scottish Freemasons {{Scotland-UK-MP-stub