William Wollaston

William Wollaston (26 April 1693 – 20 June 1757), of Finborough, Suffolk, was an English lawyer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1733 to 1741.

Early life Wollaston was the second son of Revd William Wollaston (1659–1724), of Shenton, Leicestershire and Finborough, Suffolk, the philosopher, and his wife Catherine Charlton, daughter of Nicholas Charlton, citizen and draper of London. He married Elizabeth Fauquier, daughter of John Francis Fauquier, deputy master of the mint and director of the Bank of England, in 1728. In 1729, he inherited the manor of Finborough from his elder brother.

Death and legacy

Wollaston died on 20 June 1757. He and his wife had five sons and three daughters. Frederick (1735–1801), the third son, was a churchman, prebendary of Peterborough Cathedral, and father of Charles Wollaston R.N. Catherine, a daughter, married Edward Bourchier, who became vicar of All Saints' Church, Hertford, and rector of Bramfield.

Wollaston is the central figure in the 1730 William Hogarth painting William Wollaston and his Family in a Grand Interior, now in the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester. Although it had been on loan to the museum since 1943, it was only acquired by them from the Wollaston family in 2019, via the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.