William Roupell
William Roupell (7 April 1831 – 25 March 1909) was
Early life
William was the illegitimate son of Richard Palmer Roupell (1782–1856), scrap-metal dealer and property developer, and Sarah Crane (1796–1878), daughter of Thomas, a
Richard Palmer amassed considerable wealth in property, especially that he sold to the emerging railway network and William became interested in the business.
In September 1853, William forged a
Richard Palmer died on 5 September 1856 and William took the opportunity to destroy the will made in favour of Richard and to forge an alternative in favour of his mother. He was now certain of his illegitimacy. Probate was granted on the forged will on 24 September and William now found access to funds through his mother straightforward.[6]
Member of Parliament for Lambeth
Following the Metropolis Management Act 1855, William was elected to the Lambeth Vestry whose job was to co-ordinate the area's developing infrastructure though he appears to have taken little active role in proceedings. William resolved to stand for parliament in Lambeth and launched his campaign in 1857 with a speech making much of his understanding of working class life and declaring himself to be a reformer:[7]
... to support the ballot, extension of suffrage, equalisation of the poor rate, administrative reform, to uphold the honour of the country in connection with its foreign relations, to oppose compulsory church rates and support the reduction of public expenditure in order to abolish income tax.
On 28 March, his nomination was proposed by Frederick Doulton (1824–1872), brother of Sir Henry Doulton,[8] who had been an unsuccessful candidate at previous elections. Doulton appears to have written many of William's speeches and William had played his part by lavish entertainment of the electorate.[9]
Williams was elected to the
William held a "Lambeth Election Fête and Dinner" to celebrate his double victory. However, he spoke rarely in the House, devoting most of his energies to developing his property portfolio. He did speak on 25 June 1858, the year of
The Roupell case
By 1862, William was no longer able to service the
Richard now initiated a sequence of court cases in the hope of restoring his fortune, firstly against Waite, who was now in possession of the Norbiton Estate.[13]
William gave evidence for his brother, admitting the frauds and forgeries and his own perjury in the grant of probate of his father's estate. It was to have been Waite's defence that William was colluding with his brother Richard, possibly in return for some compensation, but the defence was never heard as the case settled, dividing the value of the estate between Waite and Richard Roupell.[14]
On 24 September 1862, William appeared at the Old Bailey and pleaded guilty to the forgery. The judge, Mr Justice Byles, emphasising the seriousness of the offences, sentenced William to penal servitude for life.[15]
Release
William escaped
Richard died in 1883, leaving William an annuity of £52 per year, hardly enough to compensate for 14 years in gaol for perjuring himself in Richard's cause. William became, by all accounts, an amiable old man, involved in the church and charity work and an enthusiastic and able gardener. William died of heart failure and pneumonia at a nursing home in Streatham Hill. In the end, fondly remembered, he was buried in the family vault at West Norwood Cemetery.[17]
Notes
- ^ Harris (2001) pp28–30
- ^ Harris (2001) p.32
- ^ Harris (2001) pp35–6
- ^ a b Harris (2001) p.37
- ^ Harris (2001) p.38
- ^ Harris (2001) pp39–40
- ^ Harris (2001) pp42–43
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography accessed 31 July 2007(subscription required)
- ^ Harris (2001) pp45
- ^ Harris (2001) pp48–49
- ^ Harris (2001) pp50–52
- ^ Harris (2001) pp61–62
- ^ Harris (2001) p.63
- ^ Harris (2001) pp64–76
- ^ Harris (2001) pp81–85
- ^ Harris (2001) p.101
- ^ Harris (2001) pp107–110
Bibliography
- Harris, J. (2001). The Roupells of Lambeth. London: The Streatham Society. ISBN 1-873520-37-9.
- Hill, G. (1879). The Electoral History of the Borough of Lambeth since its Enfranchisement in 1832. London: Stanford. pp. 129–173.