The West Prospect of New-Place in East Barnet in the County of Hertford . A view of the house more generally known as Little Grove in East Barnet that Willes purchased in 1767.Edward Willes (6 November 1723 – 14 January 1787)[ 1]
Early life and family
Willes was the second surviving son of Sir John Willes , the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas , and his wife Margaret Brewster. He was the younger brother of John Willes MP.[ 2] Edward Willes (1702-1768) , Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer , was his second cousin.
Willes was educated at Worcester College, Oxford and at Lincoln's Inn where he was called to the bar in 1747, and became a bencher in 1757.[ 2]
In 1752, he married Anne, the daughter of Rev. Edward Taylor of Sutton, Wiltshire. They had 3 sons.[ 2]
Little Grove
In 1767, Willes purchased Little Grove (now demolished) in East Barnet , the house built for John Cotton of the Middle Temple in 1719.[ 3] Capability Brown to design the gardens.[ 4]
Career
Willes became a King's Counsel in 1756, served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1766 to 1768, and then became a justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1768 until his death in 1787, aged 63.[ 2]
He was a member of parliament (MP) for Old Sarum in 1747, for Aylesbury from 1747 to 1754, and for Leominster from 1767 to 1768.[ 2]
References
