William Nightingale

William Edward Nightingale ( Shore; 15 February 1794 – 5 January 1874) was a noted English Unitarian and the father of Florence Nightingale, "the lady with the lamp". Biography William Nightingale (known also as W.E.N.) was born William Edward Shore on 15 February 1794, in Lea, Derbyshire. His father was William Shore (1752–1822). His mother was Mary née Evans (1760–1853) who died at Tapton House, Sheffield. She was the niece of one Peter Nightingale, a lead mining entrepreneur, under the terms of whose will William Shore inherited the Lea Hall estate in Derbyshire, but also assumed the name and arms of Nightingale in 1815. He was appointed Sheriff of Hampshire in 1828. He had two sisters, Anne and Mary. By his early twenties, William Nightingale had an income of £8,000 which made him very wealthy. He liked to hunt, read, and follow social issues of his day. As well as Lea Hurst, he also owned Embley Park, an estate in Hampshire.