William Gorham was born in 1816 at Penshurst, the second son of William and Mary Gorham. In 1923 his widowed mother and her family moved to Tonbridge where William was educated and in 1831 he entered the office of Mr John Carnell, solicitor. When William qualified he became a partner of the firm 'Carnell and Groham'. William became Clerk to the Medway Compnay, Clerk to the Turnpike Trustees and Secretary to the Tonbridge Water Works Company. William Gorham died in December 1881.