PIERS, William (1686-1755), of West Bradley, Som.

Descended from a leading Wells family, holding lands in the vicinity of the city, Piers was the mainstay of the Whig interest there. From 1715 to 1747 he stood for Wells at every general election but one, being always defeated at the poll, but three times returned on petition, in 1734 with the active support of Walpole.HMC Egmont Diary, ii. 161, where he is referred to as ‘Col.’, presumably his rank in the militia. Voting consistently with the Government, he appears in a list published by the Opposition of the division on the Spanish convention with the note ‘his son in the army’.Gent. Mag. 1739, p. 306. After his last defeat in 1747 he presented a petition, but in the end withdrew it. He died in 1755.