# William Debenham

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{{Short description|British businessman}}
{{other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
 | name             = William Debenham
 | image            = 
 | caption          = 
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|Biographical data}}
 | birth_name       = 
 | birth_date       = {{birth date|df=y|1794|4|18}}
 | birth_place      = [Alpheton](/source/Alpheton), Suffolk, England
 | death_date       = {{death date and age|df=y|1863|9|24|1794|4|18}}
 | death_place      = [Kensal Rise](/source/Kensal_Rise), London, England
 | resting_place    = 
  | citizenship      = British
 | years_active     = 1813–1863
 | occupation       = {{flat list|
* Businessman
* Retailer 
}}
 | boards           = 
 | employer         = [Debenhams Ltd](/source/Debenhams_plc)
 | title            = Chair of [Debenhams](/source/Debenhams)
 | term             = 1813–1863 
 | successor        = William Debenham Jnr
 | known_for        = [Founder](/source/Organizational_founder) of [Debenhams plc](/source/Debenhams_plc)
 | organization     = [Debenhams](/source/Debenhams)
 | footnotes        =
 | spouse           = {{marriage|Caroline Freebody|1820}}
 | children         = {{flat list|
* six sons
* four daughters}}
 | relatives        = [Ernest Debenham](/source/Ernest_Debenham)<br>[Sir Piers Debenham](/source/Sir_Piers_Debenham)<br>[Alison Debenham](/source/Alison_Debenham)
 | website ={{URL|debenhams.com}}
}}

'''William Debenham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɛ|b|ən|ə|m}}; 18 April 1794 – 24 September 1863) was the founder of [Debenhams](/source/Debenhams), once one of the largest retailers in the United Kingdom.

==Career==
Born in 1794 in [Alpheton](/source/Alpheton) in Suffolk,<ref name=ancestry>[http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=knightlight&id=I4625&ti=5538 William Debenham at Ancestry.co.uk]</ref> William Debenham joined Thomas Clark in a partnership to manage a [draper](/source/draper)'s store at 44 Wigmore Street in London.<ref name=debs>[http://www.debenham.org.uk/History/Distinguished.htm Distinguished members of the Debenhams Family]</ref>

The partners later expanded the business such that it had stores on both sides of Wigmore Street, one known as ''Debenham & Clark'' and the other known as ''Clark & Debenham''.<ref name=debs/> When William Debenham Snr retired a new partnership was formed between his son, William Debenham Jnr, and Clement Freebody.<ref name=debs/> This business became [Debenhams](/source/Debenhams), one of the largest retailers in the United Kingdom.<ref name=debs/><ref>{{cite web |title=History of Debenhams |url=http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/contentView?filepath=/DebenhamsUKSite/Static/history_debenhams_uk.xml&storeId=10701&langId=-1 |publisher=Debenhams |access-date=14 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064433/http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/contentView?filepath=/DebenhamsUKSite/Static/history_debenhams_uk.xml&storeId=10701&langId=-1|archive-date=26 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> William Debenham Snr died in 1863 at [Kensal Rise](/source/Kensal_Rise) in London.<ref name=ancestry/>

==Family==
William married Caroline Freebody in 1820 and together they had six sons and four daughters.<ref name=ancestry/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* ''Fine Silks and Oak Counters 1778 – 1978'' by Maurice Corina, Published 1978, Hutchinson Benham {{ISBN|978-0-09-134910-3}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bus}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[William Clark](/source/Debenhams)}}
{{s-ttl|title= President of [Debenhams](/source/Debenhams)|years= 1813–1863}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=William Debenhams Jnr}}
{{s-ttl|title= chairman of [Debenhams](/source/Debenhams) |years=1813–1863}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Debenham, William}}
Category:1794 births
Category:1863 deaths
Category:19th-century British businesspeople
Category:British retail company founders
William

{{UK-business-bio-1790s-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Debenham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Debenham) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Debenham?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.