Sir William Gostwick, 4th Baronet (21 August 1650 – 24 January 1720) was an English Whig politician who served as MP for Bedfordshire from 1698 to 1713.
[7] Although he was still purchasing land as late as 1686, when he added another Bedfordshire manor to his estate, he began borrowing money the following year and, by the time he stood for Parliament in 1698, had already taken out mortgages of over £10,000 on his property.
The scheme fell through, however, because of the refusal of a few creditors to accede, including the biggest, the Duke of Marlborough," who had acquired about "£27,000-worth of the mortgages on Gostwick's estate.
The trustees of his estate, which included the James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos and Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford, "refused to act, and the unfortunate heir was obliged to apply for the administration himself.
He gained nothing from his inheritance, for the estate was eventually sold off to satisfy the creditors, part in 1727 by an order of Chancery and the residue (for £51,000) four years later by private treaty, to the Duchess of Marlborough."