William Ashhurst

For those of a similar name, see William Ashurst (disambiguation).

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.

Biography

The son of Henry Ashurst 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 1691–1692 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.

Family

Sir William married Elizabeth the daughter of Robert Thompson. 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.

References

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Further reading

Parliament of England
Preceded by Sir Patience Ward Sir Robert Clayton Sir Thomas Pilkington William Love	Member of Parliament for City of London 1689–1690 With: Sir Patience Ward Sir Robert Clayton Sir Thomas Pilkington	Succeeded by Sir William Prichard Sir Samuel Dashwood Sir William Turner Sir Thomas Vernon
Preceded by Sir William Prichard Sir Samuel Dashwood Sir John Fleet Sir Thomas Vernon	Member of Parliament for City of London 1695–1702 With: Thomas Papillon 1695–1701 Sir Robert Clayton 1695–1698, 1701–1702 Sir James Houblon 1698–1701 Sir John Fleet 1695–1701, Mar–Nov 1701 Gilbert Heathcote Feb–Mar 1701, Nov 1701–1702 Sir William Withers Feb–Nov 1701 Sir Thomas Abney 1701–1702	Succeeded by Sir William Prichard Sir John Fleet Sir Gilbert Heathcote Sir Francis Child
Preceded by Sir William Prichard Sir John Fleet Sir Gilbert Heathcote Sir Francis Child	Member of Parliament for City of London 1705–1707 With: Sir Robert Clayton Samuel Shepheard Sir Gilbert Heathcote	Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Parliament of England	Member of Parliament for City of London 1707–1710 With: Sir William Withers Samuel Shepheard 1707–1708 Sir John Ward 1708–1710 Sir Gilbert Heathcote	Succeeded by Sir William Withers Sir Richard Hoare Sir George Newland Sir John Cass
Political offices
Preceded by Sir John Fleet	Lord Mayor of the City of London 1693–1694	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Lant