William Emmerson Kendrick Laslett (1799 – 26 January 1884) was an English lawyer, landowner and Member of Parliament.

Early life

Christened in Worcester on 14 October 1799, he was the eldest son of Thomas Emmerson Laslett (1765-1816), a Worcester banker, and his wife Sophia Jenkins (-1836). After initial training in a bank, he qualified as a solicitor and as a barrister and practised law in Worcester. His inheritance and his profits were largely invested in land and by 1829 he had acquired the manor and hall of Abberton, which was his residence for the rest of his life.

Marriage

After the death in 1841 of

Robert James Carr Robert James Carr (1774–1841) was an English churchman, Bishop of Chichester in 1824 and Bishop of Worcester in 1831. Early life Born 9 May 1774 and christened 9 June at Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Char ...

, the Bishop of Worcester, which left his eldest daughter Maria Carr (1801-1888) penniless, Laslett offered to marry her and to settle a modest annual income on her. After the wedding at

Aldingbourne Aldingbourne is a mixed rural and residential civil and ecclesiastical parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England. It is centred north of Bognor Regis and east of Chichester. The civil parish, named after the small village of Aldingb ...

on 3 February 1842, she went to live with Laslett and his unmarried sister Sophia Laslett (1804-1851) at Abberton Hall. Relations between the three were unsatisfactory and Maria ran away, living in Scotland under an assumed name. In time, Laslett accepted the situation and agreed to a formal separation. Details of this unhappy interlude were used by Ellen Wood in her 1861 novel

East Lynne ''East Lynne'' is an English sensation novel of 1861 by Ellen Wood, writing as Mrs Henry Wood. A Victorian best-seller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot, centring on infidelity and double identities. There have ...

Political career

Standing as a

Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

, he was elected unopposed as a Member of Parliament (MP) for

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

at a by-election in April 1852, and was re-elected at the subsequent general election and in

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

and

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final u ...

. He

resigned Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

from 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. ...

on 6 March 1860 through appointment as

Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds Appointment to the position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds is a procedural device to allow Members of Parliament to resignation from the British House of Commons, resign from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. S ...

. He was again elected for the same constituency in

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

, but was defeated in the 1874 election.

Charitable donations

With no immediate family and spending little on personal needs, Laslett gave much of his money in private and public charity. He financed restoration or rebuilding of several churches and bought Worcester's old gaol, which he converted into housing for indigent married couples. , charitable trusts that he founded are still operating in Worcester and

Hinton on the Green Hinton on the Green is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire in England. It is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill, about two miles south of Evesham. Description At a little over three square miles, the land is l ...

, their income coming from land rents.

Last days

Living alone at Abberton Hall, Laslett died there in 1884. His will was proved on 26 March 1884 with an estate for probate purposes of over 13,000 pounds (equal to about 1.23 million pounds in 2014).Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England © Crown copyright. Viewed at Ancestry.com (subscription required) retrieved 6 October 2015 One of his executors and his main beneficiary was the Reverend Robert James Baker (1828-1886), his wife's nephew.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laslett, William Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies 1801 births 1884 deaths UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1868–1874