William Lewen

Sir William Lewen (c. 1657 – 1722), of Ewell, Surrey, was a British merchant and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1722. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1717.

Early life Lewen was the second son of Robert Lewen of Wimborne Minster, Dorset. His elder brother George set up as a merchant at Poole, while he himself went to London where he became a wine importer. He was a member of the Haberdashers Company. He married Susannah Taylor daughter of Robert Taylor, vintner of the Devil Tavern and of Turnham Green, Middlesex, on 30 July 1685.

Career By 1696, Lewen was deputy-governor of the Royal Lustring Company. which dealt in a particular type of silk which was associated with the Huguenots. In January 1698 he received a royal pardon for trading with France during the war. At the 1708 general election, he was returned as Member of Parliament for Poole, when his brother was mayor there. He became Master of the Haberdashers in 1709 but was one of the unsuccessful Tory candidates for a directorship of the East India Company. He voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710.

Death and legacy

Lewen died without issue on 16 March 1722, shortly after Parliament was dissolved and was buried at St Mary Ewell. His heir was his nephew George Lewen. His wife Susannah died in 1737.