William Dickinson (1745–1806)

[1] This was a period in which the West Indies commercial lobby, to which Dickinson belonged as did some of his Fuller relations by marriage, was growing; and was able to head off Edmund Burke's 1780 proposal for gradual abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.

[2] His father died in 1783 and left him his estate at Kingweston, Somerset where he built his new house in the Georgian style between 1785 and 1788 under the supervision of Samuel Heal of Bridgwater.

Although he originally owed the seat to his wife's family interest, he was informed by Thomas Lamb, manager of the borough on 11 June: "We should hope it will not be very displeasing to you to retire when the politics of the times run so contrary to your own; to attempt to accomplish your wishes soon with the assurances of your giving your support to government I found would be very hardly combated."

Dickinson wrote that he would retire into private life as he could not represent Rye, bearing his "great disappointment" with "the most perfect resignation and good humour".

By 1796 he was not to be frustrated again and when the veteran Member Sir John Trevelyan, Bt retired at the 1796 general election he was able to come in quietly for the county.