William Hay

William Hay (1695–1755), of Glyndebourne, Sussex was an English writer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1734 to 1755. Early life Hay was born on 21 August 1695, the second but on[y surviving son of William Hay of Glyndebourne, Sussex, and his wife, Barbara Stapley, youngest daughter of Sir John Stapley, Bt. of Patcham, Sussex. He was born with a physical disability affecting his back which rendered him bent and "scarce five feet high". Both his parents died while he was still an infant. In 1705 he was sent to school at Newick, and then in 1710 to the grammar school at Lewes. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, on 20 March 1712. Leaving university without a degree, Hay was admitted in 1715 to the Middle Temple but there is no evidence that he was called to the bar. While pursuing his legal studies he contracted smallpox, which seriously affected his eyesight. In 1718 he travelled through many parts of England and Scotland, and in 1720 he made a tour through France, Germany, and Holland. On his return he settled down at Glyndebourne and became an active county magistrate, and in 1733 was appointed chairman of quarter sessions for the eastern division of Sussex. Career At a by-election in January 1734 Hay was returned to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Seaford, and continued to represent the constituency until his death. He was a Whig, and a general supporter of the policy of Sir Robert Walpole.