He was born in Finedon, Northamptonshire, the only surviving son of Sir John Dolben, 2nd Baronet and his wife Elizabeth Digby (died 1730), daughter of William Digby, 5th Baron Digby and Lady Jane Noel. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, matriculating in 1744. After leaving Oxford he married in 1748 Judith, daughter of Somerset English, heiress to a considerable fortune. In 1756 he inherited the baronetcy on the death of his father.[2]
During his long parliamentary career as an independent MP, he was a fervent advocate of parliamentary reform and the abolition of slavery. He took up the abolitionist cause after he chanced to visit a slave ship docked in the port of London; the conditions he found on the ship so horrified him that he resolved at once to work for abolition.[4]
The slave ship he documented, the Brookes, became infamous for the depictions that were drawn and published by Thomas Clarkson to support the anti-slavery movement. With the support of other abolitionists like William Pitt, Dolben put forward a bill (Dolben's Bill) in 1788 to regulate conditions on board slave ships; it passed as the Slave Trade Act 1788 (Dolben's Act) by a large majority.[2][5]
After the death of his first wife in 1771, he married in 1789 a second cousin, Charlotte Scotchmer, née Affleck. He died in Bury St Edmunds in 1814, aged eighty-seven, and was buried at Finedon church. He was succeeded in the title and estates by John English Dolben, his only surviving son from his first marriage.[2]
Referencesedit
^"DOLBEN, Sir William, 3rd Bt. (1727-1814), of Finedon, Northants". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
^ abcAston, Nigel (2004). "Sir William Dolben". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/7780. Retrieved 10 May 2011. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
william, dolben, baronet, january, 1727, march, 1814, english, tory, politician, abolitionist, 1802, portrait, dolben, mather, brownhe, born, finedon, northamptonshire, only, surviving, john, dolben, baronet, wife, elizabeth, digby, died, 1730, daughter, willi. Sir William Dolben 3rd Baronet 12 January 1727 20 March 1814 was an English Tory politician and abolitionist 1 A c 1802 portrait of Dolben by Mather BrownHe was born in Finedon Northamptonshire the only surviving son of Sir John Dolben 2nd Baronet and his wife Elizabeth Digby died 1730 daughter of William Digby 5th Baron Digby and Lady Jane Noel He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church Oxford matriculating in 1744 After leaving Oxford he married in 1748 Judith daughter of Somerset English heiress to a considerable fortune In 1756 he inherited the baronetcy on the death of his father 2 He was appointed High Sheriff of Northamptonshire for 1760 and in 1766 a verderer of Rockingham Forest After a short period in early 1768 as a stopgap MP for Oxford University he was returned at the general election in March 1768 as MP for Northamptonshire from 1768 to 1774 In 1780 he was re adopted by the university and represented them again from 1780 until 1806 On 20 April 1797 he was appointed captain in the Northamptonshire volunteer cavalry regiment 3 During his long parliamentary career as an independent MP he was a fervent advocate of parliamentary reform and the abolition of slavery He took up the abolitionist cause after he chanced to visit a slave ship docked in the port of London the conditions he found on the ship so horrified him that he resolved at once to work for abolition 4 The slave ship he documented the Brookes became infamous for the depictions that were drawn and published by Thomas Clarkson to support the anti slavery movement With the support of other abolitionists like William Pitt Dolben put forward a bill Dolben s Bill in 1788 to regulate conditions on board slave ships it passed as the Slave Trade Act 1788 Dolben s Act by a large majority 2 5 After the death of his first wife in 1771 he married in 1789 a second cousin Charlotte Scotchmer nee Affleck He died in Bury St Edmunds in 1814 aged eighty seven and was buried at Finedon church He was succeeded in the title and estates by John English Dolben his only surviving son from his first marriage 2 References edit DOLBEN Sir William 3rd Bt 1727 1814 of Finedon Northants The History of Parliament Trust Retrieved 3 November 2018 a b c Aston Nigel 2004 Sir William Dolben Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 7780 Retrieved 10 May 2011 Subscription or UK public library membership required No 14012 The London Gazette 23 May 1797 p 473 Hague William Pitt the Younger Harper Collins 2004 pp 297 8 The first parliamentary debates UK Parliament website Parliament and the British Slave Trade Parliament of Great BritainPreceded bySir Walter Bagot BtSir Roger Newdigate Bt Member of Parliament for Oxford UniversityFebruary 1768 March 1768 With Sir Roger Newdigate Bt Succeeded byFrancis PageSir Roger Newdigate BtPreceded bySir Edmund Isham BtWilliam Cartwright Member of Parliament for NorthamptonshireMarch 1768 1774 With Sir Edmund Isham Bt to 1773Lucy Knightley from 1773 Succeeded byLucy KnightleyThomas PowysPreceded byFrancis PageSir Roger Newdigate Bt Member of Parliament for Oxford University1780 1800 With Francis Page Succeeded byParliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United KingdomPreceded byParliament of Great Britain Member of Parliament for Oxford University1801 1806 With Francis Page to 1801William Scott from March 1801 Succeeded byWilliam ScottCharles Abbot 1st Baron ColchesterBaronetage of EnglandPreceded byJohn Dolben Baronet of Findon 1756 1814 Succeeded byJohn Dolben Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sir William Dolben 3rd Baronet amp oldid 1187079968, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
