William Hucks (1672–1740) was an English brewer and Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

between 1709 and 1740.

Early life

Hucks was baptized on 22 October 1672, the eldest son of William Hucks, brewer of

St Giles-in-the-Fields St Giles in the Fields is the Anglican parish church of the St Giles district of London. It stands within the London Borough of Camden and belongs to the Diocese of London. The church, named for St Giles the Hermit, began as a monastery and ...

and his wife Lydia Head. His father owned the Horn brewery in Duke Street, Bloomsbury. Hucks followed his father's trade and was made a Freeman of the Brewers’ Company in 1687. He inherited the brewery when his father died in 1691 and worked it with his brothers and later his son. He married by licence dated 1 September 1696, Elizabeth Selwood, daughter of Robert Selwood of Abingdon, Berkshire.

Political career

At the 1698 election, Hucks stood unsuccessfully for Parliament at Abingdon. He stood again at the

1708 general election Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

, and though defeated in the poll, 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 Abingdon on petition on 20 January 1709. He followed Whig policies by supporting the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709 and the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. At the

1710 general election Year 171 ( CLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Herennianus (or, less frequently, year 924 ''Ab urbe con ...

, he stood for Parliament at Wallingford, but was unsuccessful. He was elected MP for Wallingford in a contest at the

1715 general election 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 ...

. Also in 1715, he was appointed King's Brewer. In parliament he voted consistently with the Government. He retained his seat in further contested elections in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), as ...

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

and

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Province of Georgia, Georgia in North America ...

Later life and legacy

Hucks maintained his involvement in the parish of St Giles and was a vestryman between 1709 and 1731. He was responsible for the raising of a statue of George I which was set up on the steeple of

St George's, Bloomsbury St George's, Bloomsbury, is a parish church in Bloomsbury, London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom. It was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and consecrated in 1730. The church crypt houses the Museum of Comedy. History The Commissioners for the ...

. He increased his holding of land in the Wallingford area, and acquired a lease of

Wallingford Castle Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire), adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Sa ...

which included

Ewelme Ewelme () is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, north-east of the market town of Wallingford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,048. To the east of the village is Cow Common and to the ...

in about 1727. He died on 28 November 1740. He and his wife had two sons and a daughter. He was succeeded by his only surviving son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

References

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hucks, William 1672 births 1740 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 English brewers