Sir William Slingsby (29 January 1563 – 1634), was an English

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, who is often erroneously noted as the discoverer of the first spa water well in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa wate ...

, North Yorkshire. He was the seventh, but third surviving son of Sir Francis Slingsby and Mary de Percy, daughter of Sir Thomas Percy, executed for his part in the Pilgrimage of Grace, and sister of Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, and Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland. The Percies were descendants of Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester. He was born in

Scriven Scriven is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England, close to the town of Knaresborough. From 1947 to 1998 Scriven was part of the Claro Registration District, until this was abolished. It is situated ...

, Knaresborough, West Riding. After marrying Elizabeth Broard, daughter of Sir Stephen Broad of Broadshill, Sussex in 1582, the couple took a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tu ...

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, returning in 1594. In 1596, Slingsby discovered that water from the

Tewit Well Tewit Well, also known in its early days as "Tuit" or "Tuewhit", is a spa water well, the first chalybeate source discovered in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. After marrying Elizabeth Broad, William Slingsby (uncle of Sir William Slingsby) ...

mineral spring at Harrogate, possessed similar properties to that from Spa, Belgium. In 1596 Slingsby served as a soldier on the Cadiz expedition, and again in 1597 against Spain. He purchased the estate of

Kippax, West Yorkshire Kippax is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the east of the city, near to Garforth and Great Preston. The Kippax and Methley ward of Leeds City Council was part of t ...

from Francis Bailden. In 1601 he was made the junior Member of Parliament for Knaresborough alongside his brother Sir Henry Slingsby, serving until 1611. He was knighted in 1603. After retiring from soldiering, he was made Deputy Lieutenant for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

in 1617. He was elected MP for Appleby in 1626. He died in 1634, leaving a son, Henry, who became Master of the Mint, and a daughter, and was buried in Knaresborough church. He had several distinguished nephews, including Sir Henry Slingsby, 1st Baronet, Guildford Slingsby, and Sir Robert Slingsby, 1st Baronet. His portrait by Moses Griffith hangs in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

References

History of Parliament SLINGSBY, William (1563–1634) of Kippax, Yorks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slingsby, William 1563 births 1634 deaths People from Knaresborough English army officers English landowners Knights Bachelor English MPs 1601 English MPs 1604–1611 Deputy Lieutenants of Middlesex 16th-century English soldiers English MPs 1626