William Dickinson (13 July 1745 – 26 May 1806) was a British politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

between 1768 and 1806.

Biography

Born on 13 July 1745, Dickinson was the eldest son of Sarah (née Prankard), daughter of Graffin Prankard, iron merchant, of Bristol and Caleb Dickinson, merchant, of Bristol. He was probably educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in 1758 and entered the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

in 1765. Dickinson was returned as Member of Parliament for

Great Marlow Great Marlow is a civil parishes in England, civil parish within Wycombe district in the England, English county of Buckinghamshire, lying north of the town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the ...

after a contest at the 1768 general election. He lost his seat at Marlow in

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs ...

. The Fullers had a strong influence at

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

, a Treasury borough, and Dickinson re-entered Parliament as MP for Rye in a by-election on 20 May 1777 succeeding Rose Fuller. He was returned unopposed for Rye in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to all ...

. This was a period in which the West Indies commercial lobby, to which Dickinson belonged as did some of his Fuller relations by marriage, was growing; and was able to head off

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

's 1780 proposal for gradual abolition of the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

Football practice in front of Kingweston Church - geograph

His father died in 1783 and left him his estate at Kingweston, Somerset where he built his new house in the Georgian style between 1785 and 1788 under the supervision of Samuel Heal of Bridgwater.VCH Explore Kingweston House
/ref> He was also left a share of the Appleton estate in Jamaica which had been granted to the Dickinson family by Charles II. Dickinson was returned unopposed again in

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

. However he supported the Portland Whigs and this cost him his seat for Rye in

1790 Events January–March * January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City. * January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took pa ...

. Although he originally owed the seat to his wife's family interest, he was informed by Thomas Lamb, manager of the borough on 11 June: "We should hope it will not be very displeasing to you to retire when the politics of the times run so contrary to your own; to attempt to accomplish your wishes soon with the assurances of your giving your support to government I found would be very hardly combated." Dickinson's offered to come in as locum tenens for his Lamb's son Thomas Phillipps Lamb but this was rejected. Dickinson wrote that he would retire into private life as he could not represent Rye, bearing his "great disappointment" with "the most perfect resignation and good humour". He also wrote to the

Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

that, as a victim of his loyalty to him, he had "a prior claim to anyone to regain that very seat ... or such other as I may approve of". To "his Royal Highness" he wrote that his being thrown out was a measure forced on his constituents and that he had ‘no doubt at a future opportunity of being reinstated". In August 1792 there was a vacancy for

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, where Dickinson's inherited wealth had been invested in the Kingweston estate. He was tempted to offer himself, but made way for

Henry Hippisley Coxe Henry Hippisley Coxe (1748-1795) of Ston Easton Park, Somerset, was Member of Parliament, MP for Somerset (UK Parliament constituency), Somerset (1792-5). Origins He was the 3rd son of John Hippisley Coxe (1715-1769), builder of the mansion hous ...

. His brother-in-law

Hans Sloane Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, (16 April 1660 – 11 January 1753), was an Irish physician, naturalist, and collector. He had a collection of 71,000 items which he bequeathed to the British nation, thus providing the foundation of the British ...

congratulated him on not endangering a "constitution so sensible to fatigue". When another vacancy arose on Coxe's death in 1795, Dickinson was again a contender, but made way for William Gore-Langton. By 1796 he was not to be frustrated again and when the veteran Member Sir John Trevelyan, Bt retired at the 1796 general election he was able to come in quietly for the county. His son and heir

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

was returned for Ilchester at the same time. He retained Somerset in

1802 Events January–March * January 5 – Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, begins removal of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, claiming they are at risk of destruction during the Ott ...

Family

In January 1771, he married Philippa Fuller, daughter of Stephen Fuller of Brightling, Sussex and Jamaica. They had at least a son and a daughter. Dickinson died on 26 May 1806.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickinson, William 1745 births 1806 deaths Politicians from Bristol Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806