William Jacob (c. 1623 – early 1692) was an English physician and 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. ...

briefly in 1679. Jacob was a physician at Canterbury and was the subject of a ghost story. In September 1652 he treated a Henry Jacob for gangrene but his patient died and was buried in All Saints Church in Canterbury. Shortly afterwards Jacob was woken in his bed at night by the apparition of the deceased who "laid a cold hand on his face" and was recognisable by the distinctive cut of his beard. A maid also saw the apparition on another night. In 1670 Jacob rebuilt the Wincheap Gate in Canterbury, and was rewarded with a dinner paid for by the Corporation. In February 1679, Jacob was elected

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 ...

(MP) for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and held the seat until August 1679.

References

1620s births 1692 deaths English MPs 1679 Politicians from Canterbury English ghosts Politics of Canterbury 17th-century English medical doctors {{17thC-England-MP-stub