Author: Lee, William
Biography:
LEE, William (c. 1775-1838: ancestry.com)
In 1826, as High Constable of Westminster, William Coates Lee circulated a poem putting his case for payment for his hitherto unpaid services. Westminster is exceptional in being a city within the city, with separate methods of governing and policing. The High Constable or Bailiff was “elected” by the Dean of Westminster Abbey. Like some military ranks the position could be purchased (and appears to have been so in Lee’s case); nevertheless it required regular attendance while parliament was in session and therefore meant loss of income for a man without independent means. In 1826 Lee had been High Constable for ten years and had been seeking compensation since 1818 to no avail. Hansard took note of the appeal and it seems likely that his claim was successful, but confirmation is lacking. Hansard refers to “neglect of his business” as part of the sacrifice he had made. Before his appointment, Lee had been a hosier and hatter at Charing Cross “and was highly regarded by all who knew him” (GM). He was the son of Jane (Coates) and John Lee, who had been married on 27 June 1771 at All Saints, Fulham. If he died “in his 63rd year” as the obituary record, he must have been born about 1775, but no baptismal record has been found. Paid or not, he did continue in his post until his death from "apoplexy" on 1 July 1838, three days after the Coronation of Queen Victoria, when he had ridden in the ceremonial procession. (ancestry.com 24 Dec. 2023; findmypast.com 24 Dec. 2023; Hansard 19 May 1826; GM [Aug. 1838], 225; GRO death cert.; information from AA) HJ