William Blathwayt
William Blathwayt (or Blathwayte ) (* 1649 in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields , London, † August 1717 in Dyrham , South Gloucestershire ) was an English civil servant and politician who used the War Office as a department established by the British government and played an important role in the administration of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
His father of the same name had attended Brasenose College , was a lawyer and was a member of the Middle Temple .
William initially followed the same career path and entered the Middle Temple in 1665. In 1668, after his uncle Thomas Povey had found him a job at the English embassy in The Hague , he entered the diplomatic service. He returned to London in the early 1670s and became Clerk of the Privy Council . As assistant to the secretary of the council, he administered the British colonies in North America. He was responsible for drafting the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Crown Colony . In October 1686 he became secretary of the State Council. In the same year he married the rich widow Mary Wynter († 1691).
In 1683 he acquired the office of Secretary at War , whose area of responsibility was greatly expanded. He was a Whig MP for Bath from 1693 to 1710 . In 1693 he built a large house in Dyrham Park near Bristol, which he decorated with Dutch old masters and furniture. In 1710 he retired and moved to Dyrham.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blathwayt, William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Blathwayte, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English civil servant and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1649 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Martin-in-the-Fields |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 1717 |
| Place of death | Dyrham , South Gloucestershire |