author
William Pulteney
1729–1805
A wealthy Scottish lawyer and politician, he is remembered not just for his long career in Parliament but for the grand building projects his fortune helped shape, especially in Bath. Though not a literary author in the usual sense, he also wrote political pamphlets and left a clear mark on public life in 18th-century Britain.
1 Audiobook
A Short View of the Laws Now Subsisting with Respect to the Powers of the East India Company To Borrow Money under their Seal, and to Incur Debts in the Course of their Trade, by the Purchase of Goods on Credit, and by Freighting Ships or other Mercantile Transactions
by William Pulteney, John Stewart
About the author
Born William Johnstone in October 1729, he later became Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, after marrying Frances Pulteney and adopting her surname. He trained as a lawyer in Scotland, built a successful public career, and served in the House of Commons for decades.
Pulteney was known in his lifetime as an extremely wealthy landowner and investor. He became closely associated with major development projects, including the famous Pulteney Bridge in Bath, and his name remains tied to the city’s Georgian expansion.
Although he is better known today as a politician and property developer than as a man of letters, records also describe him as the author of several political pamphlets. That makes him a notable figure for readers interested in the overlap between politics, publishing, and public debate in the 1700s.