William Smith (Ordnance)
| William Smith | |
|---|---|
| Treasurer of the Ordnance | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1721 Chichester, Sussex, England |
| Died | 1803 |
| Resting place | Chichester, Sussex, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Parker Anne Vining Heron |
| Children | James Webber Smith |
| Education | Winchester College |
| Religion | Church of England |
William Smith (1721-1803) was an English civil servant who held the post of Treasurer of the Ordnance throughout the French Revolutionary Wars.
Christened on 3 May 1721 at the church of St. Peter the Great, Chichester, he was the eldest son of John Smith (1688-1749), a surgeon in Chichester, and his first wife Sarah Buckenham (1693-1732), daughter of the Reverend John Buckenham. His younger brother, the Reverend Charles Smith (1729-1803), became rector of West Stoke outside Chichester, while his sister, Anne Smith (1731-1806), married the Reverend William Webber, a Canon Residentiary of Chichester Cathedral, and became the mother of the Venerable Charles Webber, Archdeacon of Chichester.
After education at Winchester College, to which he was admitted in 1730, he was employed by Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond as his secretary.
In 1781 William was made a Justice of the Peace for Sussex. In 1782 the Duke became Master-General of the Ordnance and on 27 May 1782 had William appointed Treasurer of the Ordnance. Both resigned in 1783 but returned later that year, William regaining the Treasurership on 30 December 1783 and holding it for the rest of his life.
In the 1784 general election, the Duke persuaded William, against the advice of family and friends, to stand for the seat of Chichester which returned two MPs. He and the sitting MP, Thomas Steele, overtly supported the Duke but a third candidate George White Thomas, son-in-law of a popular past MP, entered the fray as an independent. The contest became heated, with William coming under personal attack over his public and his private life, and on polling day of 1 April 1784 he came last with only 23% of the vote. He did not attempt to re-enter politics.
Through his lifetime association with the Duke and holding a lucrative office from 1783 on, William became rich, owning at his death a country residence at West Ashling in the parish of Funtington, a freehold town house on Bryanston Street in the parish of St Marylebone, and lands in Hampshire. In addition he had major holdings of Government stock.
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