Sir William Billers, FRS (1689 – 15 October 1745) was an Alderman, Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London. [1]

He was born in Thorley, Hertfordshire, where the Billers family, who originated from Kirby Bellars in Leicestershire, owned Thorley manor.

He became a London haberdasher and a member of the Haberdashers' Company, to whom he donated a painting entitled "The Wise Men's Offering" which hung in Haberdashers' Hall.[2]

In 1720-21 he was elected joint Sheriff of the City of London and in 1733-34 elected Lord Mayor of London. In 1722 he became an Alderman for Cordwainer Ward.[3] In 1726 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and was knighted in 1727.[1]

He died in 1745. He had married Ann, the daughter of Sir Rowland Aynsworth, by whom he had 2 sons and 4 daughters. His two sons and a daughter predeceased him. His eldest daughter Ann, who married John Olmius (later Baron Waltham) was his eventual heiress.

After his death his extensive library was sold by auction.

References

  1. ^ a b "Fellow details". Royal Society. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  2. ^ Pugh, Edward. London, by David Hughson. p. 413.
  3. ^ "Aldermen of the City of London: Cordwainer ward". British History Online. Retrieved 1 March 2017.