Bryant, William

9.2.1794 at Tooke's.

Likely William Bryant of 20 Gt George St Westminster who was proposed Socy for Const Info 19.10.1792 by John Horne Tooke 2nded John Frost.

A William Bryant of Bermondsey voted for Mawbey 1775. WB probably son of WB of Reigate (will PCC 1788) and his first wife Charlotte (nee Cooke), was born abot 1760, apprenticed to Francis Vincent attorney of Southwark 1778, WB attorney 11 Staples Inn 1784, became clerk of papers and day rules in Kings Bench prison but was removed from this post in Jan 1794 for non-residence. WB bach of St Andrew Holborn married by lic there 22.8.1783 Charlotte Andrewes of Buckingham sp, their children Charlotte Amey bapt 1785 (=17.6.1811 James Edgington at Reigate) Mary Anne bapt 1786 (=14.5.1818 Mr E Ramsden of Excise Office?) William Thomas bapt 1787 Frances bapt 1788 Charles William bapt 1790 all at Reigate. WB steward of Southwark Whig Club 3.2.1791. 1796 Kings Bench Walk, Inner Temple. Stood as MP for Shaftesbury 1790 where he owned 110 houses. His petition against his defeat was rejected by Commons in 1793 and his houses were put up for auction by Christie's of Pall Mall on 17.4.1794, some of them were still being sold in 1800 as a contract between Bryant's trustees and Paul Benfield, sitting member for Shaftesbury, a notorious 'nabob' who had gone bankrupt. By 1804 (perhaps much earlier) Bryant was in debtors prison (History of Parliament, Shaftesbury). William Thomas Roe, 'A Practical Treatise..' page 57 (1803). See Times 27.7.1805 concerning an alleged attempt by a William Bryant to evade paying his creditors by an arrangement over the slave ship Atalanta sailing to Jamaica in 1802, whose cargo was then lost in a negro insurrection, mentioning Bryant's clerk Mr Ball and his brother Bristowe Bryant. Times 19.12.1811 said Bryant had been in Fleet prison for many years, Mr Leake having been solicitor to his affairs and Lord Romney, Mr Christie and Mr Heapy were his trustees. Leake said he was very cautious of letting Bryant have any money, and never did pay him more than £50 to satisfy some small demands at Reigate, to save his credit there, at the desire of Mr Heapy (who later went bankrupt and died abroad). Times 25.8.1817 was probably this William Bryant on whom there was a disputed Commission of Bankruptcy 1810, he had a house in West Place St George's Fields and had been helped by his friend the Rev Sir R Hughes. Times 26.1.1819 a William Bryant mentioned in case concerning Henry Hunt's expenses at Westminster election. Times 1.11.1827 and 1.12.1831 probably referred to his further adventures. He was maybe the William Bryant of Lambeth Road buried 24.9.1844 at Reigate age 84. See also the will PCC 1814 of Mary Bryant his father's second wife. The 1811 reference seems to have been to the Reigate family, mentioning also Richard Bryant who was his brother, but the 1805 reference to a brother Bristowe doesn't fit the names in the wills.