William Wilberforce the Man: The early years
The Wilberforce Family
The Wilberforce family came from Wilberfoss, a small village near York. Wilberfoss was the original family name until they changed the spelling in the 1600s.
William Wilberforce's grandfather – also called William – was born in 1690. He moved to Hull to work for John Thornton, a Hull merchant who traded in the Baltic and lived at 25 High Street. William married his daughter Sarah Thornton in 1711. And in 1732, he bought the Thornton house. Hence, it became known as Wilberforce House.
William Wilberforce's father, Robert, was born in 1729. He took over the merchant business and married Elizabeth Bird in 1755. Together they had four children. William was their third child but their first son. This was a cause for celebration since the first son inherited the family estate and business.
William Wilberforce as a boy
William Wilberforce – The early years
William Wilberforce was born in Wilberforce House on the 24th of August 1759. He was christened at Holy Trinity Church in Hull the following month. We don't know much about his birth except that "his frame from infancy was feeble, his stature small, his eyes weak."
As a child, William lived the life of a wealthy merchant's son. Hull was a busy port. William would have seen many different cargoes loaded and shipped around the World. There's no evidence that Hull was involved in the slave trade or that slave ships visited the port. But the people of Hull used the products of slavery – such as sugar, coffee and rum – in their daily lives.
In 1766, aged seven, William went to Hull Grammar School as a dayboy. Here he got a traditional classical education studying Latin and Ancient Greek. Joseph Milner was the new headmaster, and his younger brother Isaac was an usher. Isaac became a lifelong friend and influenced William to become a Christian.
Old Grammar School, by Paul Braddon
Wilberforce and Methodism
In 1768, when William was nine years old, his father died. After this, he went to London to live with his aunt and uncle, Hannah and William Wilberforce. It was while living in St James Place that William first learned about the Methodist religion.
At the time, Methodism was a new religious movement. William's immediate family was unhappy with its influence on him. His grandfather even said, "If Billy turns Methodist he shall not have a sixpence of mine."
So in 1771, when William was 12, his mother brought him back to Hull. He was then sent to Pocklington School near Wilberfoss as a boarder until 1776.