William Leighton (Lord Mayor of London)

Sir William Leighton (1752 – 23 April 1826) was a British shipowner and merchant who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1806.[1]

Leighton's family was from County Durham in the North East of England and he moved to London around 1779 following his father's death.[2] Leighton worked as a coal merchant shipping coal from the port of Newcastle, and was based at Newcastle's Coal Exchange.[2]

Leighton was a prominent shipowner, and owned the Borrowdale, Fishburn and Golden Grove, three of the ships of the First Fleet, which transported convicts to the British colony of New south Wales.[3] Leighton also owned several ships that were sent as military transports to the British Province of Quebec with contracts from the British Navy.[2]

Because of his maritime interests, Leighton served on various shipping committees.[2]

Civic career

Leighton was a member of the Livery company of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights.[4] He was created an alderman in the City of London's Billingsgate ward in 1799, before his resignation as an alderman in 1821.[1] He was subsequently elected one of the Sheriffs of the City of London in 1803.[1]

In 1806, Leighton was proclaimed Lord Mayor of London, and knighted on 1 May that year.[1] Leighton was listed as one of the governors of Christ's Hospital in 1825.[5]

Leighton died at Kemnal House in Kent, in 1826.[1] He had previously lived in Charlton.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 SYLVANUS URBAN (1826). THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE: AND HISTORICAL CHRONICLES. pp. 477–.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Pathways to the Convict Contractors to Australia". Merchant Networks. Merchant Networks. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Ships of the First Fleet". First Fleet Fellowship Victoria Inc. 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Benjamin Brogden Orridge (1867). Some Account of the Citizens of London and Their Rulers, from 1060 to 1867. W. Tegg. pp. 251–.
  5. ↑ The Economist and General Adviser. 1825. pp. 278–.
Civic offices
Preceded by
James Shaw		 Lord Mayor of London
1806–1807 		Succeeded by
John Ansley
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