William Wells (1818–1889)
Encyclopedia
William Wells was an English Liberal Party
politician who sat in the House of Commons 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
. He was educated at Harrow School
and at Balliol College, Oxford
, and served in the 1st Life Guards from 1839 until 1843. 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
by the Liberal Edward Glover.
An election petition
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 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
at the 1852 general election
, where he was the third-paced on the three Liberal candidates. He won the seat at the 1868 general election
,
defeating the Liberal MP Thomson Hankey
, a former Governor of the Bank of England
. Wells remained an MP for Peterborough and held the seat until the 1874 general election
, when he did not stand again.
Wells died at the age of 71.
Wells married Louisa, daughter of the Earl of Wemyss and March in 1854.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons 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 Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort
John Joshua Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort, KP, PC, PC , FRS was a British judge, diplomat Whig politician and poet.-Background and education:...
. He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, and served in the 1st Life Guards from 1839 until 1843. He was a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Kent and Huntingdonshire.
At the 1852 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
Wells was elected as a 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,...
(MP) for the borough of Beverley
Beverley (UK Parliament constituency)
Beverley has been the name of a parliamentary constituency in the East Riding of Yorkshire for three separate periods. From medieval times until 1869, it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the market town of Beverley, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons...
.
He held the seat until his defeat in the 1857
United Kingdom general election, 1857
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
by the Liberal Edward Glover.
An election petition
Election petition
An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election or local government election in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong.- Outcomes :...
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 was held on 11 August 1853, when Wells stood again, but was defeated by the Conservative candidate Henry Edwards
Sir Henry Edwards, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Edwards, 1st Baronet CB was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1847 and 1869.Edwards was the son of Henry Lees Edwards and Lea Priestley. He was J.P...
.
Wells contested the City of Peterborough
Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formally styled The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past...
at the 1852 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
, where he was the third-paced on the three Liberal candidates. He won the seat at the 1868 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
,
defeating the Liberal MP Thomson Hankey
Thomson Hankey
Thomson Hankey was a British merchant, a banker and a Liberal Party politician.Hankey was the son of Thomson Hankey from Portland Place in London, and his wife Martha, the daughter of Benjamin Harrison from Clapham Common...
, a former Governor of the Bank of England
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 grooming his or her successor...
. Wells remained an MP for Peterborough and held the seat until the 1874 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1874
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, when he did not stand again.
Wells died at the age of 71.
Wells married Louisa, daughter of the Earl of Wemyss and March in 1854.