From Sheriff to Scandal: The remarkable life and tomb of Sir William Rawlins

"In the churchyard next to Liverpool Street station is a tomb with a design as interesting as the life of the man buried within. This is the tomb of Sir William Rawlins, the son of a farmer who rose to Sheriff of London, but was imprisoned for fraud and yet recovered enough to leave this impressive stone edifice. Born on 24th July 1753 in Berkshire, he moved to London at 17 to become an apprentice."

"He trained as a weaver, but three years later, he somehow had his apprenticeship transferred to the upholsterer Samuel Swaine. Four years later, he qualified and was granted the Freedom of the Upholders' Company. Within a decade, he was running his own furniture shop on Broker's Row (now Blomfield Street), just around the corner from Liverpool Street station."

"However, Sir William seems to have recovered from jail rather better, and was to go on to hold several offices in the Upholsters and in the Bishopsgate Ward where he lived. He also rose to the rank of Grand Officer in the Freemasons. In 1807, he co-founded the Eagle Insurance Company and served as its Chairman until his death in 1838. He was also a shareholder in the Strand Bridge Company, which built a toll bridge"

Sir William Rawlins was born on 24 July 1753 in Berkshire and moved to London at 17 for an apprenticeship. He trained as a weaver, transferred his apprenticeship to upholsterer Samuel Swaine, gained the Freedom of the Upholders' Company, and opened a furniture shop on Broker's Row near Liverpool Street. He prospered and in 1801 became one of the City's two Sheriffs but was later convicted of perjury and fraud for falsifying the Middlesex election and spent about two months in Newgate Prison. He later held offices in the Upholsters and Bishopsgate Ward, became a Grand Officer in the Freemasons, co-founded the Eagle Insurance Company in 1807 and chaired it until his death in 1838, and invested in the Strand Bridge Company. An impressive tomb marks his grave in the churchyard next to Liverpool Street station.

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