William Hawkes, MA, Dip. Arch. (Cantab), ARIBA, is an architect based in Warwickshire who has a specialist knowledge of Gothic Revival architectural history and the conservation of historic buildings. He serves on the Warwickshire & Coventry Historic Churches Trust, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Fabric Advisory Committee for St George's Chapel, Windsor and he is vice-chairman of the Advisory Board for Redundant Churches. He is a consultant at Hawkes, Edwards & Cave.

He has a long-standing interest in Sanderson Miller, and was co-author with Anthony Wood of “Sanderson Miller of Radway and his work at Wroxton”, published by the Banbury Historical Society in 1969. (ISBN: 0900129026)

After the diaries and other documents arrived in the Warwickshire County Records Office via a descendant of Sanderson Miller's, Hawkes and Wood, the retired county archivist, started the complex job of deciphering and interpreting the documents. On Wood's death Hawkes continued to prepare the diaries for publication, adding a detailed biographical introduction and meticulous annotation.