William Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe (15 May 1812 – 26 January 1857) was a British politician.
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Background
Downe was the son of the Reverend William Henry Dawnay, 6th Viscount Downe, Rector of Sessay and Thormanby in North Yorkshire.
Political career
Downe was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for Rutland in 1841, a seat he held until 1846. The latter year he succeeded his father in the viscountcy. However, as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords.
Family
Lord Downe married Mary Isabel, daughter of the Right Reverend Richard Bagot, in 1843. They had eight sons and two daughters:
Maj.-Gen. Hugh Dawnay, 8th Viscount Downe (1844–1924)
Lt.-Col. Hon. Lewis Payn Dawnay (1 April 1846 – 30 July 1910), Coldstream Guards, inherited Beningbrough Hall from his uncle Payan in 1891