William Cotesworth of Gateshead (1668 – 1726) was an English merchant and government official who served as

sheriff of Northumberland This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...

. Based in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, Cotesworth was the son of a

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

. He was a cousin of London politician William Cotesworth.Ellis, 1976. As a young man, Cotesworth was apprenticed to a

tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, includ ...

candle maker. As a merchant, Cotesworth collected tallow in England and sold it internationally. He imported dyes from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, as well as flax, wine, and grain from other regions . Cotesworth sold tea, sugar,

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

, and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, operated the largest coal mines in the area, and was a leading salt producer. Over time, Cotesworth became the English government's principal agent in

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

, being in contact with leading royal ministers.E. N. Williams, "'Our Merchants Are Princes': The English Middle Classes in the Eighteenth Century " ''History Today'' (Aug 1962) 12#8 pp 548-557 at p 549. He became an esquire, having served as mayor, justice of the peace and sheriff of Northumberland.

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