William Augustus Henry Fawkener (28 December 1747 – 26 July 1811) was a British civil servant and diplomat.
[2] His brother Everard also became a civil servant, holding the post of Commissioner of Stamps from 1783 to 1803, obtained through William's influence.
[7] In October 1787, he was sent as an envoy to Portugal to negotiate a commercial treaty in conjunction with Robert Walpole, the Minister resident there.
John Townshend at Lord Melbourne's house, Brocket Hall in the summer of 1785, fell in love, and ultimately eloped with him.
The result was a duel in Hyde Park in May 1786 between Fawkener and Melbourne, in which the former missed and the latter fired into the air, ending without bloodshed.
The trial began on 12 July 1786 before Sir Francis Buller, and ended with the award of £500 (equivalent to £82,000 in 2023) in damages to Fawkener.