Sir William George Pearce, 2nd Baronet (23 July 1861 – 2 November 1907) was a British industrialist and Conservative Party politician.

Life

Pearce was son of the

Clydeside Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...

shipbuilder Sir William Pearce and his wife Dinah Elizabeth, ''née'' Sowter. Born in

Chatham, Kent Chatham ( ) is a town within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. In 2020 it had a population of 80,596. Th ...

, he was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, and was called to the bar at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1885. After his father died in 1888, Pearce succeeded him to the baronetcy and as chairman of the

Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, was a Scottish shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Na ...

, but lacked his father's flair and drive. The business faltered, until by 1893 there was only one ship under a construction – a sailing vessel, in a yard noted for its expertise in engine technology. After the appointment in 1894 of Edward Shearer as general manager, the yard regained its former prominence. Pearce was elected at the 1892 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Plymouth constituency, but did not contest the 1895 general election. He was a keen country sportsman, and was noted for the shooting parties at his estate of

Chilton Lodge Chilton Lodge is an English country house. It is a historic Grade II* listed building. The house is located northwest of Leverton, Berkshire, Leverton in the parish of Hungerford, in the West Berkshire district, in the ceremonial county of Berkshi ...

at Leverton near

Hungerford Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The population of the parish at the 2021 census was 5,869. The Kennet and Avon Can ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the

2nd Devonshire Artillery Volunteers The 2nd Devonshire Artillery Volunteers was a unit of the British Volunteer Force and Territorial Army. The unit and its successors defended Plymouth Dockyard and the Devon coast from 1861 to 1961. Origin The 2nd Administrative Brigade, Devonshi ...

on 10 June 1893.''Army Lists'' 1893–1907 He married Caroline Eva (''née'' Coote) in 1905, but they had no children. He died in 1907 at his London home in

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park to ...

, and was buried at

Chilton Foliat Chilton Foliat is a village and civil parish on the River Kennet in Wiltshire, England. The parish is in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is on the county boundary with West Berkshire and is about northwest of th ...

, near his country estate. His mother left an endowment for the maintenance of William and Caroline's memorials. The baronetcy became extinct on his death. In his will he left the residue of his estate, estimated at over £150,000, to

; this is believed to have been the college's most significant gift since its foundation in 1546 by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

References

External links

* 1861 births 1907 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies 2 UK MPs 1892–1895 People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People from Chatham, Kent People from Hungerford Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Plymouth Burials in Wiltshire {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1860s-stub