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 occupation in the preparation of his voluminous correspondence for publication. Three volumes appeared in 1794–5 as ‘Political Papers, chiefly respecting the Attempt of the County of York and other considerable Districts, commenced in 1779 … to effect a Reformation of the Parliament of Great Britain. Collected by the Rev. Christopher Wyvill, Chairman of the late Committee of Association’ (York, 8vo). The preface is dated Burton Hall, 26 May 1794; in June 1802 Wyvill wrote the preface to a fourth volume, and the papers were eventually concluded in six. They exhibit not only the proceedings of the association, but the sympathy of all those outside it who were interested in the reform of parliament. The correspondence includes letters between the chairman of the association and, among others, the Duke of Grafton, Lord Holland, Lord Lansdowne, Lord Stanhope, Charles Fox, Major Cartwright, Capel Lofft, William Mason, William Strickland, Dr. Priestley, Dr. Price, Bishop Watson, Tom Paine, Granville Sharpe, Dr. John Jebb, Sir George Savile, and Benjamin Franklin.

In view of the hopelessness of parliamentary reform Wyvill returned in later life to his early enthusiasm in the cause of universal toleration. ‘The object nearest to his heart was to obtain relief for the Roman catholics,’ and he published several pamphlets in support of his views. He died at his seat, Burton Hall, near Bedale in the North Riding, on 8 March 1822, at the age of eighty-two, and was buried at Spennithorne; a portrait is in possession of his great-grandson, Marmaduke D'Arcy Wyvill, esq., M.P., now of Constable Burton.

His first wife died in London on 22 July 1783, aged 68. He married, secondly, on 9 Aug. 1787, Sarah, daughter of J. Codling, and by her had issue, with several daughters, three sons, all educated at Eton: Marmaduke Wyvill (1791–1872), M.P. for York city from March 1820 to July 1830 (see, Parl. Hist. of Cornwall, p. xxiv); Christopher [q. v.]; and Edward, rector of Fingal in Yorkshire, who died on 15 Sept. 1869 (see, Alumni Oxon. 1715–1886).

Apart from his correspondence with Pitt and the political correspondence, commonly spoken of as the ‘Wyvill Papers’ [see under ], Wyvill's writings—for the most part shilling tracts in advocacy of radical reform—include: 1. ‘Thoughts on our Articles of Religion with respect to their Proposed Utility to the State,’ London, 1771, 4to, several editions (cf., Works, iii. 1; Monthly Review, xlv. 239). 2. ‘Letters to the Committee of Belfast on the proposed Reformation of the Parliament of Ireland,’ 1782, 4to. 3. ‘Summary Explanation of the Principles of Mr. Pitt's intended Bill for Amending the Representation of the People in Parliament,’ 1785, 8vo. 4. ‘A Defence of Dr. Price and the Reformers of England,’ 1792, 8vo (a fairly well written plea for reform, with some reflections upon ‘the Asiatic eloquence of Mr. Burke’). 5. ‘A State of the Representation of the People of England on the Principles of Mr. Pitt in 1785, with an Annexed Sketch of Additional Propositions,’ York, 1793, 8vo. 6. ‘Considerations on the Twofold Mode of Elections adopted in France,’ 1804, 8vo. 7. ‘A Serious Address to all the Independent Electors of the United Kingdom,’ 1804, 8vo. 8. ‘A more extended Discussion in Favour of Liberty of Conscience Recommended,’ 1808, 8vo. 9. ‘Intolerance, the Disgrace of Christians, not the Fault of their Religion,’ 1808, 8vo (cf. Quarterly Review, ii. 301). 10. ‘An Apology for the Petitioners for Liberty of Conscience,’ 1810, 8vo. 11. ‘Papers on Toleration,’ 1810, 8vo (several editions). 12. ‘Political and Historical Arguments proving the Necessity of Parliamentary Reform,’ 2 vols. 1811, 8vo.

[Whitaker's Hist. of Richmondshire, 1823, i. 322 (pedigree); Foster's Yorkshire Pedigrees; Wotton's Baronetage, 1771, i. 100; Burke's Extinct Baronetage, p. 591; Burke's Commoners and Landed Gentry; Gent. Mag. 1822, i. 375; Public Characters, ix. 1806–7, p. 342; Walpole's Correspondence, ed. Cunningham, vii. 343, 347, and Walpoliana, p. 91; Lord Albemarle's Memoirs of the Marquis of Rockingham, 1852, vol. ii. chap. xiv; Correspondence of William Wilberforce, 1840, i. 61; Official Returns of Members of Parliament; Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica; Wyvill Papers; Brit. Mus. Cat.] 

WYVILL, CHRISTOPHER (1792–1863), rear-admiral, second son of Christopher Wyvill [q. v.], was born on 6 May 1792. He entered the navy in 1805, served in the Tribune frigate in the Channel and in the Fame in the Mediterranean. From 1810 to 1813 he was in the Thames with (Sir) Charles Napier [q. v.], and in the Volontaire with Captain Granville George Waldegrave [q. v.] In May 1813 he was appointed lieutenant of the Kingfisher sloop, by acting order which was confirmed on 5 July. He afterwards served on the Halifax and home stations till promoted to be commander on 29 July 1824. In April 1827 he was appointed to the Cameleon, then in the Mediterranean, and, taking a passage out in the Dartmouth frigate, succeeded in preventing what threatened to be a terrible accident. Some of the men had