William Ashhurst
Encyclopedia
Sir William Ashhurst or Ashurst (26 April 1647 – 12 January 1720) was an English banker, Sheriff of London, Lord Mayor of London
and Member of Parliament
.
Ashurst was a member of the Corporation of London
from 1678, and an alderman
from 1687; he was knighted in 1687, and was Sheriff of London in 1991–1692 and Lord Mayor of London
in 1693–1694.
A Whig
, he represented the City of London
in Parliament for three separate periods between 1689 and 1710; he was generally regarded as one of the Country Whigs, but voted with the Court Whigs against the Disbanding Bill in 1698-9.
He was a good friend of Edmund Calamy and was a nonconformist like the rest of his family, so unsurprisingly he was an active supporter of the Glorious Revolution
and sat in the Convention Parliament (1689)
.
He was one of the founding subscribers of the Bank of England
, and a Director of the bank in 1697–1700, 1701–3, 1704–6, 1707–9 and 1711–14.
. When in the country they lived in a Queen Anne style red-brick mansion he built in the outer bailey of Hedingham Castle
after his purchase of the castle in 1693.
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Biography
The son of Henry AshurstHenry Ashurst (merchant)
Henry Ashurst , was a wealthy and benevolent merchant of London, noted for his gifts of money to pious or charitable purposes.-Life:...
Ashurst was a member of the Corporation of London
Corporation of London
The City of London Corporation is the municipal governing body of the City of London. It exercises control only over the City , and not over Greater London...
from 1678, and an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
from 1687; he was knighted in 1687, and was Sheriff of London in 1991–1692 and Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1693–1694.
A Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
, he represented the City of London
City of London (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary...
in Parliament for three separate periods between 1689 and 1710; he was generally regarded as one of the Country Whigs, but voted with the Court Whigs against the Disbanding Bill in 1698-9.
He was a good friend of Edmund Calamy and was a nonconformist like the rest of his family, so unsurprisingly he was an active supporter of the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
and sat in the Convention Parliament (1689)
Convention Parliament (1689)
The English Convention was an irregular assembly of the Parliament of England which transferred the Crowns of England and Ireland from James II to William III...
.
He was one of the founding subscribers of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
, and a Director of the bank in 1697–1700, 1701–3, 1704–6, 1707–9 and 1711–14.
Family
Sir William married Elizabeth the daughter of Robert ThompsonRobert Thompson
Robert or Bob Thompson may refer to:*Bob Thompson , American orchestra leader, arranger, composer*Bob Thompson , American figurative painter*Bob Thompson , British producer and writer...
. When in the country they lived in a Queen Anne style red-brick mansion he built in the outer bailey of Hedingham Castle
Hedingham Castle
Hedingham Castle in Essex, England, is a Norman motte and bailey castle with a stone keep. For four centuries it was the primary seat of the de Vere family, Earls of Oxford.-Description:...
after his purchase of the castle in 1693.