William Williams (12 February 1788 – 26 April 1865), was a Welsh
Radical politician.
Born in
Llanpumsaint
Llanpumsaint (; Welsh "Llan" church + "pum" five + "saint" saint(s)) is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. In the 2001 UK Census, Llanpumsaint community had a population of 595. It is not to be confused with Pumsaint, a small vil ...
,
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
, and having had only a basic education, Williams began working in a
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
warehouse in London and soon built up his own business. In 1833 he became a member of the Common Council of the City of London, and in 1835 was elected MP for
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the 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 city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
. After losing the seat in 1847, he became MP for
Lambeth in 1850.
As a result of a speech made by Williams on 10 March 1846, a government inquiry into the state of education in Wales was launched, culminating in the 1847
. In 1863 he chaired the meeting that launched the campaign for a
University of Wales
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, caption = Coat of Arms
, motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd
, mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth
, established =
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, type = Confederal, non-member ...
.
William Williams was a generous benefactor to the village of his birth, paying for the construction and furnishing of the village school in 1862.
William Williams died on 26 April 1865, after falling from his horse in
Hyde Park, London.
[Thomas, Arwyn (2004) Hanes Llanpumsaint, Carmarthenshire County Council Libraries and Community Learning Section] He is buried in
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 Frederick ...
, London, in a grave north-east of the main chapel, alongside his parliamentary friend
Joseph Hume
Joseph Hume FRS (22 January 1777 – 20 February 1855) was a Scottish surgeon and Radical MP.Ronald K. Huch, Paul R. Ziegler 1985 Joseph Hume, the People's M.P.: DIANE Publishing.
Early life
He was born the son of a shipmaster James Hume ...
. A plaque is dedicated to him in the village school he founded in Llanpumsaint.
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, William
1788 births
1865 deaths
Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery
Welsh politicians
People from Carmarthenshire
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
UK MPs 1835–1837
UK MPs 1837–1841
UK MPs 1841–1847
UK MPs 1847–1852
UK MPs 1852–1857
UK MPs 1857–1859
UK MPs 1859–1865
Members of Parliament for Coventry