William Wilberforce Bird (2 July 1758 – 19 April 1836),

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

, civil servant and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, was the

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

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

from 1796 to 1802. His main career came later in South Africa. The son of John Bird and Judith Wilberforce, he was born in

. He was a cousin of the philanthropist

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becom ...

, with whom he shared an interest in the well-being of slaves. He arrived at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, in 1807 where he founded the Cape Philanthropic Society. In 1810, he was appointed Controller of Customs, a civil service position he retained until his death. His knowledge of finance and management were useful to the many bodies on which he served. He drew up the Colony's game laws, using his legal expertise. Transporting cargo in his own ships, particularly with

St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

and

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

, he was involved in the import and export trade of the colony. A confidant of Lord Charles Somerset, governor of the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

, he never a subservient 'yes'-man. The controversial book ''The State of the Cape of Good Hope in 1822'', was written anonymously by Bird. Covering in detail the system of government at the Cape, the law courts, the burgher senate, registration of slaves, agriculture, trade and the customs of the population, he was highly critical of the way in which such ceremonies as weddings and funerals were conducted. Bird married first, in 1779, Elizabeth Bird, and second, in 1782, Penelope Wheler, daughter of Charles Wheler and Lucy Strange, and by Penelope had several children.Edward J. Davies, "Some Connections of the Birds of Warwickshire", ''The Genealogist'', 26(2012):58-76; R.G. Thorne, ed., ''The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1790-1820'', 5 vols. (London, 1986), 3:208-10; William Betham, ''The Baronetage of England'', 5 vols. (London, 1801-05), 2:162. His eldest son, William Wilberforce Bird, was the Deputy-Governor of

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

and later the acting

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

. William Wilberforce Bird died in Cape Town 19 April 1836.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, William Wilberforce 1758 births 1836 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of Parliament for Coventry