William Stanton was an English mason and sculptor. He is known particularly for monumental masonry

Monumental masonry

Monumental masonry is a kind of stonemasonry focussed on the creation, installation and repairs of headstones and other memorials.- Cultural significance :...

.

Life

He was son of Edward Stanton, and nephew of the mason Thomas Stanton. Thomas Stanton had set up a business adjacent to St Andrew Holborn

St Andrew Holborn

St Andrew Holborn was an ancient parish that until 1767 was partly within the City of London and partly in Middlesex, England.-History:In 1723 part of the Middlesex section of the parish became St George the Martyr. This was recombined with the remaining Middlesex portion of St Andrew Holborn in...

 in the first half of the seventeenth century.

In 1663 William Stanton became free of the Masons' Company, and was Master of the Company in 1688 and 1689. He worked at Gray's Inn

Gray's Inn

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

 around 1672. In 1686 he became master-mason at Belton House

Belton House

Belton House is a Grade I listed country house in Belton near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. The mansion is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues leading to follies within a larger wooded park...

, followed by a commission at Denham Place from 1689; and in 1701 was working at Stonyhurst

Stonyhurst

Stonyhurst is the name of a rural estate owned by the Society of Jesus near Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. It is dominated by Stonyhurst College, its preparatory school Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall and the parish Church of St Peter's.-The Estate:...

. Over 30 of his church monuments are recorded.
Edward Stanton was his son.