Walter Prideaux

Walter Prideaux
Prideaux (left) and John Hollins from a painting by Hollins
Born	1806
Died	1889
Residence	Faircrouch, Wadhurst, Sussex
Nationality	English
Occupation	Lawyer
Known for	Poetry
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Williams
Children	four

Walter Prideaux (1806 – 1889) was a poet and lawyer. Prideaux rose to be clerk to Goldsmiths' Hall.

Walter Prideaux was born 15 April 1806, at Bearscombe near Kingbridge and Loddiswell, one of the six sons of Walter Prideaux (d.1832) of Kingsbridge and Plymouth, a partner in the Devon and Cornwall Bank, a Quaker associated with the Plymouth Brethren, having in 1812 sold Bearscombe and moved to Plymouth. It is not clear what relation he was to the ancient gentry family of Prideaux seated variously at Orcheton, Modbury; Adeston, Holbeton; Thuborough, Sutcombe; Soldon, Holsworthy; Netherton, Farway; Ashburton; Nutwell, Woodbury; Ford Abbey, Thorncombe all in Devon, and at Prideaux Place, Padstow and Prideaux Castle, Luxulyan, in Cornwall. The wife of Walter Prideaux (Senior) was Sarah-Ball Hingston, a daughter of his partner Joseph Hingston (1764-1835) (Senior), merchant, of Dodbrooke (adjacent to Kingsbridge) in Devon, by his first wife Sarah Ball (d.1790), a daughter of Joseph Ball of Bridgwater in Somerset.

Prideaux is shown in a painting where discussions are taking place for a journey in a balloon by Charles Green, Thomas Monck Mason and Robert Hollond. The three travelled a record distance of 500 miles in 18 hours. Prideaux was included in the painting with the artist, John Hollins, and William Milbourne James.