William Wolryche-Whitmore

William Wolryche-Whitmore (16 September 1787 – 11 August 1858), also known as W. W. Whitmore, was a Shropshire landowner and British Whig politician. He held a seat in the House of Commons from 1820 to 1835, representing first Bridgnorth and later Wolverhampton. Background William Wolryche-Whitmore was born William Whitmore on 16 September 1787. His father was also called William Whitmore, a former-sailor and businessman from Southampton, who inherited Dudmaston Hall, at Quatt in Shropshire, from a relative, who was distantly related to the widow of the penultimate Wolryche baronet. His mother was Frances Lyster, who played an important part in reshaping the grounds of Dudmaston. She died in 1792, and the elder William Whitmore remarried Marie Louisa Thomas: from this later marriage are derived the Whitmore Jones family of Chastleton House. In 1810 he married Lady Lucy Bridgeman, daughter of the Earl of Bradford. The couple set out on a Grand Tour, which included a visit to Napoleon Bonaparte, exiled on Elba. On the death of his father in 1815, William inherited Dudmaston. At this point, he added Wolryche, the name of the historic owners of Dudmaston, to his own surname to produce the double-barrelled name by which he is generally known. Five years later he took up the family's parliamentary seat. He was later sometimes referred to as W. W. Whitmore.