William Windham, Sr.

Who was William Windham, Sr.?

William Windham, Senior, FRS was an English landowner, a member of an ancient family.

The son of Ashe Windham and Elizabeth Dobyns, he made an extensive Grand Tour of Europe in his youth, accompanied by his tutor, Benjamin Stillingfleet; the pair left England in 1737. During 1740–1741, Windham and Stillingfleet were members of a circle of British expatriates known as The Common Room. The circle lived in Geneva, and amused themselves with amateur theatricals. Other notable members of the group included Richard Aldworth, the 7th Earl of Haddington and his brother, and Lord Hervey. In June 1741, several members of the circle, including Windham, joined Richard Pococke in making an expedition to Chamonix. They appear to have been the first recorded travellers for pleasure in the region, scaling Montenvers with the aid of local guides and giving the name of "Mer de Glace" to the glacier they subsequently examined. Stillingfleet and Windham overwintered there, and returned to England in July 1742.

Returning to England, he became a friend of the actor David Garrick.