William Garnett (politician)

For other people named William Garnett, see William Garnett (disambiguation).

William James Garnett (10 July 1818 – 15 September 1873)^[1] was a British Conservative Party politician from Bleasdale in Lancashire.^[2] He sat in the House of Commons from 1857 to 1864.

The grave of William Garnett MP, Brompton Cemetery

Life

His father, William Garnett, a cotton merchant of Lark Hill, Salford, had acquired a lease of the manor or forest of Bleasdale from the Crown and converted wild lands into meadow and pasture.^[3] He had built Bleasdale Tower and served as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1843.^[3]

William James bought Quernmore Park c.1842 and inherited the Bleasdale estate on the death of his father in 1863.^[3] He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 1852,^[4] and was elected at the 1857 general election as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Lancaster.^[2] He was re-elected in 1859,^[5] and held the seat until his resignation^[6] on 6 April 1864^[7] by becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead.^[7][8]

He is buried in Brompton Cemetery towards the north-east.

Family

Garnett married Frances Ann, the daughter of the Revd Henry Hale of King's Walden, Hertfordshire. He lived at Waddow Hall and was a relation-by-marriage of David Syme through his wife Annabella née Johnson.^[9] He was succeeded by his son William, who was High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1879.