William Windham, Senior, FRS (1717 – 30 October 1761) was an English landowner, a member of an ancient (Norfolk) family. The son of Ashe Windham and Elizabeth Dobyns, he made an extensive

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 ...

of Europe in his youth, accompanied by his tutor,

Benjamin Stillingfleet Benjamin Stillingfleet (1702–1771) was an English botanist, polymath, and author. Life Benjamin Stillingfleet was born in 1702 in Wood Norton, Norfolk to Mary Ann and Edward Stillingfleet. He was one of four children, and the only son.I. D ...

; the pair left England in 1737. During 1740–1741, Windham and Stillingfleet were members of a circle of British expatriates known as The Common Room. The circle lived in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

, and amused themselves with amateur theatricals (an unusual sight in that

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

city). Other notable members of the group included Richard Aldworth, the 7th Earl of Haddington and his brother, and Lord Hervey. In June 1741, several members of the circle, including Windham, joined

Richard Pococke Richard Pococke (19 November 1704 – 25 September 1765)''Notes and Queries'', p. 129. was an English-born churchman, inveterate traveller and travel writer. He was the Bishop of Ossory (1756–65) and Meath (1765), both dioceses of the Church ...

in making an expedition to

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it ha ...

. They appear to have been the first recorded travellers for pleasure in the region, scaling Montenvers with the aid of local guides and giving the name of "

Mer de Glace The Mer de Glace ("Sea of Ice") is a valley glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif, in the French Alps. It is 7.5 km long and deep but, when all its tributary glaciers are taken into account, it can be regarded as ...

" to the glacier they subsequently examined. Stillingfleet and Windham returned to Geneva 25 June 1741, and returned to England in July 1742. Returning to England, he became a friend of the actor David Garrick. In 1744, he published a pamphlet, ''Letter from an English gentleman ... giving an account of a journey to the glacieres or ice alps of Savoy'', describing his experiences and observations there. This piece of work, in addition to a talent for mathematics, secured his admission to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...

on 26 April 1744. He married late, having had an illegitimate daughter, Elizabeth, by his first mistress, Mary Morgan, and marrying his second, the widow Sarah Lukin, on 13 February 1750 shortly before the birth of his son,

William William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

, on 3 May 1750. The year before, Windham's father Ashe died, and he inherited the family seat of

Felbrigg Hall Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century English country house near the village of that name in Norfolk. Part of a National Trust property, the unaltered 17th-century house is noted for its Jacobean architecture and fine Georgian interior. Outside i ...

. Elizabeth went on to marry Thomas de Grey. After inheriting the house, he took considerable interest in the local militia, particularly in 1756 when the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

made a French invasion a possibility. He aided

Lord Townshend Marquess Townshend is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend. History The Townshend family descends from Rog ...

in forming the

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...

militia in 1757, and the two co-authored ''A Plan of Discipline, Composed for the use of the Militia of the County of Norfolk'' in 1759. This work became one of the principal drill manuals used during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

. However, Windham did not live to see this, as he died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

in 1761.

References

External links

Pictures and texts of ''An account of the glaciers or ice Alps in Savoy'' by William Windham can be found in the database VIATIMAGES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windham, William 1717 births 1761 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society 18th-century deaths from tuberculosis English landowners

People from Felbrigg Tuberculosis deaths in England