William Lowndes

Who was William Lowndes?

William Lowndes was Secretary to the Treasury of Great Britain under King William III and Queen Anne, and a Member of Parliament under William, Anne and George I.

Lowndes was born in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, the son of Robert Lowndes and his second wife, Elizabeth FitzWilliam. Robert was descended from the Lowndes of Overton in Cheshire, but his grandfather, also Robert, had moved south to Buckinghamshire. Other relatives had settled in South Carolina. Robert spent some years in Virginia, where he had family, but returned to England before his death. The Lowndes were all descended from William, Seigneur de Lounde, who came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066.

William was educated at the free school in Buckingham, at Eton College, and at the University of Oxford. He joined HM Treasury as a clerk. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Seaford in Sussex, a "limb" of the Cinque Ports, in 1695. Lowndes remained a Member of Parliament for many years, and served as chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means, becoming known throughout Britain as "Ways and Means Lowndes".

Lowndes also became Secretary to the Treasury in 1695. His Report containing an essay for the amendment of the silver coins, written during the crisis of 1695, was answered by John Locke, whose views on the reform of the currency prevailed. He became wealthy as a result of holding office in the Treasury. In 1700, he built Winslow Hall in Winslow, Buckinghamshire.