William Quilter

"in Society and a Member of Parliament"
Quilter as caricatured by Liborio Prosperi in Vanity Fair, February 1889

Sir William Cuthbert Quilter, 1st Baronet (29 January 1841 – 18 November 1911) was an English stock broker, art collector and Liberal/Liberal Unionist politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906.

Quilter was born at Finsbury, the son of William Quilter and his wife Elizabeth Harriet Cuthbert. His father was a prominent accountant with the firm of Quilter Ball & Co and was instrumental in the foundation of the Institute of Accountants.^[1]

Quilter was educated privately. He became a stockbroker and was eventually head the firm of Quilter Balfour & Co.^[2] He was an art collector,^[3] and one of the founders of the National Telephone Company.^[4] He was commodore of the Royal Harwich Yacht Club and a member of the council of the Yacht Racing Association.^[2]

In the 1885 general election, Quilter was elected Member of Parliament for Sudbury.^[5]. In 1886 he introduced a bill 'for better securing the Purity of Beer'.^[6] He held the seat until 1906.

Quilter built Bawdsey Manor in 1886^[7] and established a steam powered chain ferry (Bawdsey Ferry) in 1894 to cross the River Deben and provide access to Felixstowe railway station which ran until 1931.^[8] He enlarged the manor house in 1895^[7] He also owned Hintlesham Hall. Quilter was created a baronet on 13 September 1897.

Quilter died at the age of 70.

Quilter married Mary Ann Bevington in 1867. Their eldest son Sir Cuthbert Quilter succeeded to the baronetcy and was also MP for Sudbury.^[9] Another son Roger Quilter was a composer.^[4] Quilter's brother Harry was an eminent art critic.^[10]

References

1. ^ Institute of Chartered Accountants
2. ^ ^{a b} Debretts Guide to the House of Commons 1886
3. ^ "William Quilter". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101035643/. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "QUILTER: Songs (English Song, Vol. 5)". http://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.557116&catNum=557116&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
5. ^ "Baronetage". http://www.leighrayment.com/baronetage/baronetsq.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-30. 
6. ^ John Burnett Liquid pleasures 1999
7. ^ ^{a b} "RAF Bawdsey Chain Home Radar Station". http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/b/bawdsey_radar/. Retrieved 2007-12-30. 
8. ^ "Felixstowe Ferry-Bawdsey". http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Suffolk.html#anchor150349. Retrieved 2007-12-30. 
9. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
10. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Harry Quilter

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir William Quilter
• Entry in National Dictionary of National Biography

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Sudbury 1885 – 1906	Succeeded by William Heaton-Armstrong
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baronet (of Bawdsey Manor) 1897 – 1911	Succeeded by William Eley Cuthbert Quilter

Persondata
Name	Quilter, Sir William, 1st Baronet
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1841-01-29
Place of birth
Date of death	1911-11-18
Place of death