William Freestun

Sir William Lockyer Freestun, KCT, KBE, (1804 – 16 April 1862)[1] was a British Liberal and Whig politician.[2]

Sir William Lockyer Freestun KCT, KBE, KHS
Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
In office 2 August 1847 – 30 April 1859 Serving with Robert Campbell (1857–1859) George Butt (1852–1857) Frederick Child Villiers (Dec. 1847–1852) William Dougal Christie (Aug. 1847–Dec. 1847)
Preceded by	Ralph Bernal William Dougal Christie
Succeeded by	Robert Brooks Arthur Egerton
Personal details
Born	1804
Died	16 April 1862 (aged 57) London, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Whig
Spouse(s)	Josefa Benita ​ (m. 1846)​
Parents	Edward Freestun Mary Lockyer

Family

Freestun was the son of Edward Freestun and Mary née Lockyer, daughter of William Lockyer. He married Josefa Benita, relict of Charles Pratt, in 1846.[3]

Military career

He entered the army as ensign in the 5th Regiment of Foot, serving for 23 years, and was also on the staff of The Royal British Legion under Sir George de Lacy Evans between 1835 and 1837, during which time he became colonel and was wounded three times. During this time, he became a Knight Commander under the Order of Charles III, and also received the first class of the orders of San Fernando and of Isabella the Catholic.[3]

Between 1840 and 1842, Freestun served on the staff in Syria, holding the local rank of Major, as Assistant Adjutant-General, with him then being presented with a gold medal by the Sultan.[3] During a visit to Jerusalem in 1841 he was admitted as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.

Political career

Freestun was first elected Whig MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis at the 1847 general election, and held the seat until 1859, when he stood as a Liberal but was defeated.[4][3]

Other activities

Knighted in 1860, Freestun was also a Deputy Lieutenant for Dorset and a Justice of the Peace for the same county.[1][3]

References

1. Rayment, Leigh (13 June 2017). "The House of Commons: Constituencies beginning with "W"". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
2. "Members Returned". Norfolk News. 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
3. Urban, Sylvanus (1862). Gentleman's Magazine, Or Monthly Intelligencer, Volume 73. Edward Cave. p. 782. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Google Books.
4. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 282–283. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Colonel William Freestun