Sir William Henry Wyatt (1823-1898) was Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, and social reformer in his role of Chairman of both the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum at

Colney Hatch Colney Hatch () is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Colney Hatch refers to a loosely defined area centred on the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects Friern ...

and the Metropolitan Asylum for Chronic Imbeciles at

Leavesden, Hertfordshire Leavesden is a residential and commercial area in the northern part of Watford, England. It lies within the M25 Motorway. On its eastern side it is bounded by the M1 Motorway. Leavesden is split into two councils which are Watford Borough Counc ...

Biography

Grave of William Henry Wyatt in Highgate Cemetery

William Wyatt was born on 22 February 1823, the son of Thomas Wyatt, an

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...

merchant, of Willenhall, Warwickshire & East Barnet, Hertfordshire and his wife Elizabeth Reeves. Wyatt's income mainly derived from railway investments and being a residential landlord, as well as chairmanship of two waterworks companies, but he is best known for his work with the mentally unwell. He joined the governing board (the Committee of Visitors) of the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum in 1860, rising to be its chairman in 1862, a post which he held until 1889. He was also chairman of the Metropolitan Asylum for Chronic Imbeciles at Leavesden, Hertfordshire, which opened ten years later in 1870. He married Maria Wild (1822-1893) on 18 April 1844, daughter of Henry and Maria Wild, and they had eight children, seven daughters and a son. Wyatt was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1876 for his long public service on various committees. He died on 6 January 1898, leaving an estate valued at £93,521 and is buried with his wife, who died five years earlier, on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, William Henry 1823 births 1898 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Defunct organisations based in London People of the Victorian era Knights Bachelor