William Wells (15 March 1818 – 1 May 1889) was an English

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician who sat in the

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from 1852 to 1857 and from 1868 to 1874. Wells was the son of Captain William Wells, R.N. and his wife Lady Elizabeth Proby, daughter of

John Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort John Joshua Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort, KP, PC, PC (Ire), FRS (12 August 1751 – 7 April 1828) was a British judge, diplomat, Whig politician and poet. Background and education Carysfort was the son of John Proby, 1st Baron Carysfort, ...

, and grandson of Vice-Admiral Thomas Wells, of Holme, whose father, William, had inherited the estate from his wife's uncle, Thomas Truman, in 1768. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

, and served in the

1st Life Guards The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamate ...

from 1839 until 1843. In 1826 he inherited Holmewood Hall in Huntingdonshire from his father. He also inherited the Redleaf estate in Kent from his great-uncle William. He was a J.P. and a deputy lieutenant for Kent and Huntingdonshire. At the 1852 general election Wells was elected as a member of parliament (MP) for the borough of Beverley. He held the seat until his defeat in the

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, '' Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Ja ...

by the Liberal Edward Glover. An

election petition An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

was lodged by Wells on the grounds that Glover was not duly qualified, because he did not meet the property-holding requirements. The issue had been raised during the election, and handbills circulated to that effect, but Glover had denied the allegations. On 3 August 1853, the committee ruled that Glover had not been duly qualified, and that his election was void. A

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

was held on 11 August 1853, when Wells stood again, but was defeated by the Conservative candidate Henry Edwards. Wells contested the

City of Peterborough The City of Peterborough, is a district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of o ...

at the 1852 general election, where he was the third-placed of the three Liberal candidates.Craig, pages 237–238 He won the seat at the 1868 general election, defeating the Liberal MP

Thomson Hankey Thomson Hankey (15 June 1805''London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812'' – 13 January 1893) was a British merchant, a banker and a Liberal Party politician. Hankey was the eldest son of Thomson Hankey seni ...

, a former

Governor of the Bank of England The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent choosing and mentoring a successor. The governor ...

. Wells remained an MP for Peterborough and held the seat until the 1874 general election, when he did not stand again. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire This is an ''incomplete'' list of sheriffs of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in England from 1154 until the abolition of the office in 1965. Exceptionally, the two counties shared a single sheriff. Sheriffs had a one-year term of office, bei ...

for 1875. He was also a keen agriculturalist and President of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1880. Wells died at the age of 71. He had married Lady Louisa Wemyss-Charteris, the daughter of the

Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss, 5th Earl of March (14 August 1795 – 1 January 1883), was a Scottish peer. Early life Wemyss-Charteris was born 14 August 1795, the son of Francis Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss and the former Marga ...

in 1854. They had no children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, William 1818 births 1889 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1868–1874 Politics of Peterborough British Life Guards officers Deputy lieutenants of Kent Deputy lieutenants of Huntingdonshire High sheriffs of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire