William Joseph Denison (12 May 1769 – 2 August 1849), son of
Joseph Denison (c.1726 – 1806), was an English banker, politician, landowner, and philanthropist.
Life
William was born in Princes Street,
Lothbury
Lothbury is a short street in the City of London. It runs east–west with traffic flow in both directions, from Gresham Street's junction with Moorgate to the west, and Bartholomew Lane's junction with Throgmorton Street to the east.
History ...
, the only son of
Joseph Denison (1726?–1806), who had gone to London from the west of
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
at an early age and amassed a fortune.
William was a highly successful banker and became a senior partner in the firm of Denison, Heywood, & Kennard (based in
Lombard Street, London). He also had a long political career, first serving as a
Whig MP for between 1796 and 1802. In 1806 he was elected to the
constuency of , and represented from 1818 until 1832. Following the passing of the
1832 Reform Act
The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the electo ...
, he was returned as an MP for the newly-created constituency of , then held the seat for the remainder of his life.
Upon the death of his father in 1806, Denison acquired estates in Yorkshire (
Seamer, south of
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
) and Surrey (
Denbies
Denbies is a large estate to the northwest of Dorking in Surrey, England. A farmhouse and surrounding land originally owned by John Denby was purchased in 1734 by Jonathan Tyers, the proprietor of Vauxhall Gardens in London, and converted into ...
, near
Dorking
Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...
). During the course of his lifetime, he extended the boundaries of the latter considerably, through the purchase of adjoining land from both the
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
and
Earl of Verulam
Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam, James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston (in the peerage of the United Kingdom) at th ...
.
Denison also increased the size of his financial inheritance to such an extent that, following his death in
Pall Mall, London
Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road. The street's name is derived from pall-mall, a ...
on 2 August 1849, the gross value of his estate was an estimated £2,300,000 (equivalent to around £184 million ). He was selected
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere ...
for 1808/09.
Having never married, virtually all of his estate passed to his nephew
Lord Albert Conyngham, on condition that he took the surname Denison.
According to the records of The General Cemetery Company (incorporated by Act of Parliament 1832), Denison is buried in plot 8304 at
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...
.
Notes
References
External links
historyofparliamentonline.org, ''Denison, William Joseph (1770–1849), of Denbies, nr. Dorking, Surr.''
Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denison, William Joseph
1770 births
1849 deaths
English bankers
English landowners
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1796–1800
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
UK MPs 1801–1802
UK MPs 1806–1807
UK MPs 1818–1820
UK MPs 1820–1826
UK MPs 1826–1830
UK MPs 1830–1831
UK MPs 1831–1832
UK MPs 1832–1835
UK MPs 1835–1837
UK MPs 1837–1841
UK MPs 1841–1847
UK MPs 1847–1852
Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies
19th-century English landowners
High Sheriffs of Yorkshire