He was born 17 December 1836 and baptised 15 January 1837 at St Andrew Holborn (Kings Mews, stable keeper), a son of William Banks and Mary formerly Woodland/Banks.
In 1841 he was not at home with his parents.
In 1851 he was not at home with his parents and in the 1851 index there is a William W. Banks aged 14 and born in London, in the school of Thomas (aged 43) and Frances (aged 36) Cox at Chipping Barnet.
In the 1861 census of 4, John Street, Holborn, William W. was living with his parents. He was single, aged 24, a horse dealer and born in London.
In 1871 he was living with his parents at 4 John Street.
In 1878 he was an executor of the will of George Yeomans of 87½ Guilford Street, Russell Square, jobmaster [a keeper of a livery stable], who died 20 June 1878 [aged 49] with an estate of under £12,000. The other executors were Thomas Robinson of Pembroke Wharf, Caledonian Road [William Woodland Bank’s brother-in-law, married to Theophila] and Charles Walter Trevers of 40 Tachbrook Street, Pimlico, gentlemen.
In the 1881 census he was living on his own at 9 Grays Inn Square, unmarried, aged 44, a commission agent, born in London.
In late 1881 or early 1882 William Woodland Banks became bankrupt. A meeting of his creditors took place on 30 January 1882 at 12 o'clock at the office of his solicitor, William Henry Hudson of 1 Furnival's Inn. William was of 9 Grays Inn Square and formerly of 5 Grays Inn Square. He was an assistant horse commission agent.
In 1891 (Index) as William W Bank with a birth year of 1838 he is in Holborn.
In the London Directories, William appears a number of times. His father, William died in 1886 so the entries in later years must relate to William Woodland. In 1889 and 1890 he was listed at 4 John Street and 1 Verulam Buildings, Grays Inn and in 1891 there was no entry at all. In 1892 and 1894, Frederick Seymour was at 4 John Street, and William Banks at Verulam Buildings. In the Trades section of 1891, William Banks was a livery stable keeper at Kings Mews Grays Inn Road, and in 1894 William Banks and Frederick Banks were livery stable keepers at Kings Mews, Theobalds Road. William and Frederick evidently went into partnership and took over the business when their father died. The partnership was dissolved 31 December 1893 and Frederick subsequently operated the business alone.
William died in the March quarter of 1896 in the registration district of Holborn, aged 59. There appears to be no entry for him in the probates indexes, 1896-1916 (Bank, Bankes and Banks, and Woodland searched), but there is an entry for him in the Index to the Death Duty Registers. He died 14 February 1896, F10885/22.
Posted December 2007