William Hulme (c.1631 – 1691) was an English

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and landowner from

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

responsible for the creation of the

Hulme Trust The Hulme Trust (also known as "Hulme’s Charity") is an educational trust and charity (No. 532297) founded in 1691 by the bequest of the English lawyer and landowner William Hulme (c.1631–91). History With his only son, Banaster Hulme (1 ...

(also known as Hulme's Charity).

Early life

The Hulme family's pedigree was recorded by the Heralds in a Visitation in 1567 but relatively little is known about Hulme's life. He is recorded as having been baptised at

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

in 1631, the son of William Hulme (d.1637) of Hulme Hall,

Reddish Reddish is an area in Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. south-east of Manchester city centre. At the 2011 Census, the population was 28,052. Historically part of Lancashire, Reddish grew rapidly in the Industrial ...

. After the death of his father in 1637, his uncle John Hulme (1599–1657), acted as his guardian. It is probable that he was educated at the

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Manchester, England, is the largest independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1515 as a Grammar school#free tuition, free grammar school next to Manchester C ...

. In 1648, some of his property was seized for his

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

sympathies in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Ralph Robinson, in 1653.

Career

Hulme is believed to have

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1649, and to have joined

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1650, though there is no evidence of his having graduated from Oxford or been

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

. His marriage to Elizabeth Robinson (d.1700) in 1653 brought Hulme an estate and mansion at Kearsley, where he would reside in later life. The house at Kearsley was the most significant in the locality, and accounted for seven of Kearsley's thirty-nine taxed hearths in 1666. Hulme also owned major properties at Hulme Hall in

, Withingreave Hall in Withy Grove,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, and Outwood near

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury. Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish o ...

. He held minor office in Manchester's

court leet The court leet was a historical court baron (a type of manorial court) of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts. Etym ...

, and became a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

Death and legacy

His only son, Banaster Hulme (1658–73) having died at the age of 15 while at

, Hulme left his property to his wife Elizabeth, and after her death to be held in trust forming “Hulme’s Charity” (later known as the

). On his death, in 1691, he was buried in the Hulme Chapel built by his ancestors in the

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

of Manchester (now

Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hulme, William 1630s births 1691 deaths Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford English lawyers Founders of English schools and colleges 17th-century philanthropists English philanthropists Hulme Trust

Early life

Career

Death and legacy

See also

References

Bibliography