Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/St. Quintin, William

602120Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 50 — St. Quintin, William1897William Rees Williams

ST. QUINTIN, Sir WILLIAM (1660?–1723), politician, born about 1660 at Harpham in the East Riding of Yorkshire, was the eldest son of William St. Quintin, who died in the lifetime of his father, by Elizabeth, youngest daughter of Sir William Strickland, bart., of Boynton, Yorkshire. Having succeeded his grandfather, Sir Henry St. Quintin, second baronet of Harpham, some time before 1698, he entered the House of Commons at the general election of 1695 as representative of the borough of Kingston-upon-Hull, for which he served in eleven successive parliaments until his death (Parliamentary Returns; Luttrell, Brief Relation). On 24 Dec. 1700 Sir William lay ‘dangerously ill of a feavour’ (ib.). He was a commissioner of customs with a salary of 1,000l. a year from 22 Nov. 1698 to 18 Dec. 1701 (Haydn, Book of Dignities), when, in consequence of a clause in an act of parliament passed the preceding session for disabling the commissioners from sitting in parliament, he resigned his office. From 1706 he was a commissioner of revenue in Ireland with the same salary until 4 Feb. 1713, shortly after which (1714–17) he acted as a lord of the treasury in England. In July 1717 he became a commissioner of the alienation office, and on 16 June 1720 was appointed to the lucrative office of joint vice-treasurer, receiver-general, and paymaster of Ireland, which he enjoyed until his death on 30 June 1723. Sir William, who was a capable official, was succeeded in the title by his nephew, also Sir William, on whose son's death in 1795 the baronetcy became extinct.

[Burke's Extinct Baronetage; Liber Hiberniæ; Haydn's Book of Dignities; Historical Register.]

W. R. W.