William Withers
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Sir William Withers (c. 1654 – 31 January 1720) of
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, Middlesex, was an English linen draper and Tory politician who sat in the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
and
British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
between 1701 and 1715. He was
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...
from 1707 to 1708.


Early life

Withers was the second son of William Withers, a linen-draper, of St. Mary-le-Bow, London, and his first wife Sarah Cornish, daughter of George Cornish. He was a descendant of Sir Thomas Wyther and was believed to be the first family member to spell the name Wyther as Withers. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish father and son in the record, and Withers may have been the common counsellor for Cheap from 1675 to 1680. In 1680, like his father, he became a freeman of the Fishmonger's Company. He married Margaret Hayes, daughter of Thomas Hayes of
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,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
by licence dated 24 February 1682.


Career

Withers was probably a Commissioner for taking subscriptions to land bank in 1696 and an Assistant of the Royal African Company from 1697 to 1698. In 1698, he became a Director of the New East India Company and was elected Alderman for
Farringdon Within Farringdon Within is one of the 25 wards of the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It was formed in the 14th century from the sub-division of the pre-existing Farringdon Ward into ''Farringdon Within'' (inside the line ...
ward. He was knighted by William III on 20 October 1699 when he was a member of the City delegation which congratulated the King on his return from the Continent. He became Prime Warden of the Fishmonger's Company in 1700 At the first general election of 1701 Withers was returned as
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
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. Although a Tory, he was prepared to stand with the Whigs on behalf of the New East India Company. He became
Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery company, livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have ...
for the year 1701 to 1702, which meant that as returning officer, he could not stand for election at the second general election of 1701 or the
1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Britis ...
. At the 1705 English general election he stood for the City again, but came bottom of the poll. He became Colonel of the Yellow regiment of the City militia in 1705, and in 1706 became Governor of the Irish Society for life. He was runner up for the mayoralty for 1706, and was then chosen to serve as Lord Mayor for the year 1707 to 1708. In 1707 he lost his command in the Militia, but became a Sub-Governor of the Royal African Company. On the strength of being Mayor, he was elected again as MP for the City of London at a by-election on 16 December 1707, following the death of Sir Robert Clayton. Withers was returned again for the City of London at the 1708 British general election. On stepping down as Mayor in 1708, he became President of the
Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals The Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals were two charitable foundations that were independently put into the charge of the City of London. They were brought under joint administration in 1557. Bethlehem Hospital The Bethlem Royal Hospital was foun ...
. Also in 1708, he acquired a newly built house called Holcrofts, having a long avenue of elms in front, from Robert Limpany. He became a Director of the United East India Company from 1709 to 1710 and regained his regiment in 1710. He was returned for the City again 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. ...
. He was Commissioner for building 50 new churches in 1711 and 1712. He was returned again at the 1713 British general election but was thrown out when the Whigs returned to power 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 ...
. He was appointed Governor of St Thomas' Hospital by 1719.


Later life and legacy

Withers died on 31 January 1720 and was buried at
All Saints Church, Fulham All Saints' Church is the ancient parish church of Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, pre-dating the Reformation. It is now an Anglican church in Fulham, London, sited close to the River Thames, beside the northern approach to Putney Bridge. ...
. He and his wife had two children, William and Sarah.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, William 1650s births 1720 deaths Year of birth uncertain Sheriffs of the City of London 18th-century lord mayors of London 18th-century English people Members of the Parliament of England for the City of London English MPs 1701 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 Burials at All Saints Church, Fulham