William Wingfield (MP for Bodmin)


William Wingfield was an attorney, judge, and Member of Parliament in 19th century England.

Early years

Born in Mickleham, Surrey, England, William was the second son of George Wingfield of Mickleham. His mother, Mary, was the niece of George Sparrow.
William's brother, George Wingfield, Lord of Akeld, later took the surname Sparrow to comply with the will of a great uncle. The other siblings included three sisters:
  • Anne,
  • Elizabeth,
  • and Mary.
William's paternal grandfather, also named William Wingfield, owned property in Cleadon.
He entered Christ Church, Oxford, in 1789, and received a B.A. degree in 1792. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1792 and called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn five years later. His early practise was as an equity draftsman, in all likelihood because of the Inn's historical association with the Court of Chancery.

Career

Wingfield served for a short time as a member of parliament for Bodmin during the period of 1806 to 1807 alongside Davies Gilbert. In 1818, he became a Bencher, and was appointed King's Counsel. Eight years later, he was a proprietor of the Russell Institution, a school of literature and science in Victorian London. Wingfield became Chief Justice of the Brecon Circuit. He was appointed Master in Chancery in 1824 upon the death of Sir John Simeon, 1st Baronet.
He held several positions within the Honorable Society of Lincoln's Inn including Master of the Walks in 1824, Keeper of the Black Book in 1825, Dean of the Chapel in 1827, and Treasurer in 1828.
He was a Trustee of the Law Fire Insurance Society.

Personal life

In 1796, he married Lady Charlotte-Maria, eldest daughter of Henry Digby, 1st Earl Digby by whom he had several children, including:
In 1813, he married Elizabeth, daughter of William Mills of Bitterne, Hampshire, a former East India Company director. They had several children, including:
He resided for a time at 29 Montague Street in London.
Wingfield legally changed his surname to Wingfield-Baker in 1849 by Royal licensure after his inheritance of Orsett Hall. The inheritance occurred by will when Richard Baker left his estate, Orsett Hall, to his brother's nephew by marriage to Lady St Aubyn.
Wingfield died in 1858 at Sherborne Castle, the home of his eldest son, and is buried at Orsett. A window inscribed in his honour was erected by his children at Gulval Church.
Thomas Creevey described Wingfield as 'the most successful humbug simpleton I have known all my life'.