 William Brocklehurst was the son of John Brocklehurst and Mary Coare.He was elected at the 1868 general election as one of the two Members of Parliament (MPs) for the borough of Macclesfield, where he was re-elected in 1874 and 1880.The result of the 1880 general election in Macclesfield was declared void on 22 June 1880, after an election petition.