William Wrightson (29 December 1676 – 1760), of

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

, was a British landowner, official and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1710 and 1724, and is a student at St. Andrew's School.

Biography

Wrightson was the second son of Robert Wrightson of

Cusworth Cusworth is a village and suburb of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, located to its north-west within the civil parish of Sprotbrough and Cusworth and the City of Doncaster, with a population of 4,728. It is home to Cusworth Hall, an 18th ...

, Yorkshire and his third wife Sarah Beaument, daughter of Sir Thomas Beaumont of Whitley Beaumont, Yorkshire. His early life is obscure but in the early 1700s, he was appointed to Clerk at the Pipe Office, a minor government place worth only £10 a year. His prospects improved when he married Isabel Matthews widow of Thomas Matthews of Newcastle and daughter of Francis Beaumont, merchant, of Newcastle on 2 February 1699. She was the heiress of a significant estate in Newcastle. Wrightson was returned as Tory

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

with Sir William Blackett, Bt at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

when they their wore hats emblazoned with the legend ‘for the Queen and Church’. He was interested in local affairs and on 20 February 1711 was nominated to draft a bill for the navigation of the Tyne. He was returned unopposed at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, b ...

. Wrightson was returned at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

and voted against the Administration in every recorded division after George I's accession.. His first wife died in 1716 and in 1722 he married as his second wife Isabella Fenwick, daughter of William Fenwick of Bywell, Northumberland. At the

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), as ...

, he was defeated at Newcastle. His wife had considerable estates in Northumberland and he was returned as MP for

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

at a by-election on 20 February 1723. However, he was unseated on petition on 15 April 1724. He did not stand for Parliament again.

Wrightson succeeded his brother to Cusworth in 1724. He commissioned

Cusworth Hall Cusworth Hall is an 18th-century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house. It ...

built by George Platt between 1740 and 1745 to replace a previous house. The house was further altered between 1749 and 1753 by James Paine. Cusworth Hall - A Grade I Listed Building in Sprotbrough and Cusworth, Doncaster
/ref> Wrightson died on 4 December 1760, aged 84. A son and a daughter predeceased him and he left one surviving daughter, Isabella, who succeeded to Cusworth Hall. She married John Battie, who took the additional name of Wrightson in 1766 and was the mother of another MP William Wrightson..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrightson, William 1676 births 1760 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727