William Harris (c. 1652 – 17 October 1709), of

Hayne Hayne is a surname of English origin. Etymology According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', modern names ''Haine'', ''Hayne'', '' Haines'', ''Hains'', ''Hanes'', and '' Haynes'' all in four different medieval nam ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

landowner and politician who sat in the

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

between 1690 and 1709.

Early life

Harris was the eldest son of Christopher Harris of Hayne, Devon and Kenegie in

Gulval Gulval ( kw, Lannystli) is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Although historically a parish in its own right, Gulval was incorporated into the parishes of Ludgvan, Madron and Penzance in 1934, and is now considered to be a suburb ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and his wife Elizabeth Trott, daughter of Martin Trott of Langridge, Devon. While nothing is known about his educational background, on 12 May 1682 he and three other men (including

John Tredenham John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

) were granted a

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

for a new device to drain water out of mines, in particular the Cornish

tin mine Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use can ...

Boase, George Clement George Clement Boase (20 October 1829, in Penzance – 1 October 1897, in Lewisham) was an English bibliographer and antiquary. Biography Boase's father was a banker, and Boase himself took up banking in Cornwall and London as a young man from 1 ...

and William Prideaux Courtney. ''Bibliotheca Cornubiensis: A catalogue of the writings, both manuscript and printed, of Cornishmen, and of works relating to the county of Cornwall, with biographical memoranda and copious literary references'' London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer, 1874; p. 210. On 4 October 1685, he married Jane St Aubyn daughter of John St Aubyn of

Clowance Crowan ( kw, Egloskrewen (village), Pluw Grewen (parish)) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is about three-and-a-half miles (6 km) south of Camborne.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map she ...

, Cornwall. In 1687, Harris succeeded to the estate of Hayne on the death of his father who had inherited it the previous year from his cousin,

Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, of Stowford . Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet (c. 1650 – 1686) of Hayne in the parish of Stowford in Devon (about 11 miles south-west of Okehampton), was four-times elected as a Member of Parliament for Okehampton in Devon, between 1671 and 1685. Origins ...

Career

At the

1690 English general election The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made signi ...

, Harris 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 St Ives and was listed as a Whig by Lord Carmarthen, and seen as a probable supporter of the

Carmarthen Ministry {{Kingdom of England English ministries Political history of England 1690s in England 1690 establishments in England 1694 disestablishments in England Government A government is the system or group of people governing an ...

if it were to come under attack. In 1691 Harris took his first leave of absence on grounds of ill-health, a pattern that continued throughout his parliamentary career. He did not stand for re-election at the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act of 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ...

. He remained active in local politics, becoming a councilman in the new

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

corporation in 1696. At the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' sup ...

he was returned unopposed as MP for

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based i ...

, where his family had an interest, and was classed as a Country Whig. He was returned unopposed for Okehampton at the two general elections of 1701 and by December 1701 was regarded as having become more or less a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

. He did not stand at the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Britis ...

, but served as

High Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

for the year 1703 to 1704 and became Deputy Lieutenant for

in March 1705. He was defeated in a contest at Okehampton at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

. At the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

he was returned unopposed again. The Whigs were unable to work out his political inclinations, but judged him a better choice than the Tory incumbent

Thomas Northmore Thomas Northmore (1766–1851) was an English writer, inventor and geologist. Origins He was born at Cleve in the parish of St Thomas, Exeter, St Thomas, Exeter, in Devon, the eldest son of Thomas Northmore of Cleve, by his wife Elizabeth Osgood ...

Death and legacy

Harris died on 17 October 1709 aged 57. He and his wife had three sons -

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and William, and one daughter, Jane. He was succeeded in Parliament by his son Christopher, who was also his executor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, William 1650s births 1709 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for St Ives Members of the Parliament of England for Okehampton British MPs 1708–1710 High Sheriffs of Devon English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Okehampton