Sir William Hustler (–1730), of Acklam, Yorkshire, and Little Hatfield, Holderness, Yorkshire was an English draper and Whig politician who sat in the English 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 1695 and 1710. He was a member of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and was great patron of charity schools.

Early life

Hustler was the eldest son of William Hustler of Acklam and his wife Grace Savile, daughter of Sir John Savile of Lupset, near Wakefield, Yorkshire. He 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 ...

on 14 May 1673 and succeeded his father in 1678. On 8 July 1680, he married Lady Anne Wentworth, widow of Sir Matthew Wentworth of Bretton, Yorkshire, and daughter of

William Osbaldeston William Osbaldeston or Osbolston (1577–1645) was Gresham Professor of Divinity at Gresham College, London, England. Life He was the eldest son of Lambert Osbaldeston, haberdasher, of London, and brother of Lambert Osbaldeston, was born in 15 ...

of Hunmanby, Yorkshire. He built

Acklam Hall Acklam Hall is a Restoration mansion in the former village, and now suburb, of Acklam in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building. History It was built by William Hustler between 1680–83. A long-held, albe ...

in Cleveland in the early 1680s

Career

Hustler was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Northallerton 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 ...

on the interest of the Whig Sir William Robinson, 1st Baronet. He signed the Association, but was absent from the division on the attainder of Sir John Fenwick. He managed a bill in April 1698 to make it easier to return juries to serve at the assizes and throughout his career managed many bills through the House, often private bills. 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 again returned unopposed and was listed as a member of the Country party and later as a supporter of the Whig Junto. He was returned unopposed in the first general election 1701, and during the year became vice president of the newly founded Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. At the second general election of 1701, he was again returned unopposed as a Whig for Northallerton and acted frequently as a teller. 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 ...

, Hustler was returned as MP for both Northallerton and Ripon. He chose to sit for Ripon, probably as part of an electoral agreement on behalf of John Aislabie with whom he exchanged places. He was returned unopposed again for Northallerton 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 ...

and voted for the Court candidate as Speaker on 25 October 1705. 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 as Whig MP for Northallerton once more. He supported the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709 and voted for the impeachment of Henry Sacheverell in 1710. He was defeated at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

, when he came bottom of the poll. He did not stand for Parliament again. As a member of Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge he was busy establishing charity schools in Wakefield. Hustler Arms

Death and legacy

Hustler died at Acklam on 20 August 1730. He had three sons of whom one predeceased him, and four daughters. He settled his estates in tail on his sons Robert and James with remainder to his daughters. Acklam Hall is now a weddings and corporate events centre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hustler, William 1655 births 1730 deaths People from Middlesbrough English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 Knights Bachelor