Constituency : East Cornwall 1880-85, St Austell 1885-7
William was the other Liberal victor in East Cornwall displacing a Tory.
William was a scion of a wealthy Cornish family. He was educated at Winchester and Oxford. His great-great-grandfather had been a noted local historian and William followed in his footsteps though he did not seek to defend his outdated speculations. He supervised archaeological excavations in Cornwall and wrote a number of works on archaeology. He was also a barrister.
William supported Charles Bradlaugh's right to take the parliamentary oath.
William switched seats to St Austell in 1885. He was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886. He supported the Tithe-Rent Charge Redemption Bill in 1886.
William was living beyond his means and a Spanish mistress exposed his debts. William had to resign his seat as a bankrupt. His collection of antique books and artefacts attracted much interest when it went on sale. His family packed him off to Ireland. He later managed tin mines in Spain and Portugal.
He died in 1899 aged 51.
No comments:
Post a Comment