William Heathcote was born on 17 May 1801, the son of the Reverend William Heathcote of Hursley House, Hursley near Winchester. His father died in 1802 so he was brought up by a kindly grandparent, at Manydown. He was educated at Winchester and attended Oriel College, Oxford in 1818. He graduated with a doctorate of Civil Law. He was captain of the Hursley Troop from 1824 to 1827, which was accepted as one of the 5 Troops of the North Hants Yeomanry on 27 Dec 1830. He was promoted to major in 1831. The photo is of a portrait painted when he was a youthful captain c1824 in a blue uniform decorated with silver cording and lace. He was a good horseman and enjoyed soldiering with the yeomanry.
He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1825 on the death of his uncle. In the same year he married Caroline Perceval, daughter of Lord Arden. It was also in 1825 that he was elected to be Tory MP for Hampshire, holding very religious and nationalistic views. He voted against Jewish emancipation on 17 May 1830. On 20 Nov 1830 he was active in quelling the Swing disturbances in Winchester, confronting an armed group of labourers. With the re-raising of the yeomanry in December of that year he commented that it was the only good result of the riots. He voted against the Reform Bill in 1831 and found himself at odds with his friend and neighbour Charles Shaw Lefevre, a fellow Hampshire Yeomanry officer. In 1837 he was returned as MP for North Hampshire, and in 1846 opposed the repeal of the corn laws. He became a backbencher 3 years later and left parliament in 1868. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1870.
He and Caroline had four children, a daughter and 3 sons, but she died in 1835. He married secondly Selina Shirley in 1841 with whom he had 3 more sons. Sir William Heathcote died at Hursley on 17 August 1881.
