Vol 13 No 14; Sir William Wightman

Non-Hampton & Richmond Borough related posts.
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Les1949
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HAMPTON, AROUND AND ABOUT

Things you may not know, or didn’t know you knew!

No 14 SIR WILLIAM WIGHTMAN
Your honour, May I be so bold………

Sir William Wightman (1784-1863) was a Judge of the Court of Queens Bench and lived in Thames Street. William came from an old Scottish family located in Dumfrieshire, but was born in St Clement’s, London (his wife, Charlotte, was Scottish).

William was called to the Bar in 1821, having passed all his training. During his early years he was required to carry out work as a ‘special pleader’, framing legal opinions in order to prevent errors being made in the preparation of legal cases.

In 1830 he joined the Northern Circuit (the Northern Circuit dates from 1176, when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to dispense his justice). In 1831 he was called upon to oversee court cases arising from the Bristol Riots, after the populace rioted when the House of Lords rejected the Second Reform Bill that would have helped to get rid of ‘rotten boroughs’ and extend the voting franchise (Bristol has a long history of civil unrest!).

In February 1841 William was promoted to be a judge on the Queen’s Bench and was knighted in April, the same year, and went on to serve in that capacity for 21 years.



In December 1863 Sir William was at the Crown Court in York presiding over a mundane case, that of Maria Cooke, who was charged with stealing a letter-bag from the Post Office. After hearing presentations from the prosecuting and defence counsels, the judge summed up the evidence and made his judgement known , Maria was found guilty and sentenced. It was to be Sir William’s last case. On the following morning Sir William suffered a seizure and died at his lodgings in York.

Sir William was described as firm, but kindly to counsel, and painstaking in matters of law.

Sir William was laid to rest in St Mary’s Churchyard, in front of the Church. He left a widow, Charlotte and four daughters (one whom, Frances married Matthew Arnold, the Poet – son of Thomas Arnold, Headmaster of Rugby School).

The Old Historian
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