Audley Mervyn
Encyclopedia
Sir Audley Mervyn of Trillick
(1603?–1675) was a lawyer and politician in Ireland. M.P. for County Tyrone and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons
1661-1666.
He attended Christ Church, Oxford. By 1640 he had become a captain in the army raised for Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
and in the same year was elected M.P. for County Tyrone
. In 1641 he led the attack on Strafford in the Irish House of Commons, presenting articles of impeachment against Sir Richard Bolton
, Lord Chancellor; Bramhall, Bishop of Deny; Sir Gerald Lowther, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas; and Sir George Radcliff, Privy Councillor. These were friends and ministers of the Earl of Strafford, then under impeachment by the Commons of England.
Between 1641 and 1661 he served in the Army, rising to the rank of Colonel
. At one point he was arrested and returned to England but was shortly thereafter allowed to go back to Ulster. In 1660 he was appointed as one of twelve commissioners sent from Tyrone to Charles II
, was knighted, and was appointed to the post of prime serjeant-at-law, the senior law post in Ireland. .The Duke of Ormonde, however distrusted him and preferred to take advice only from the Attorney General for Ireland, Sir William Domville
, so that in a few years Mervyn's role as legal adviser effectively lapsed.
He was chosen Speaker in the House of Commons in May 1661, rather against the wishes of the King, who wanted William Domville. Shortly thereafter he went to England for nine months between September 1661 and May 1662 to take part in negotiations on the Act of Settlement 1662
. When he returned he played an influential role in the House and was at the same time involved in a court set up to adjudicate land claims. This led to charges of corruption against him. He was speaker until the dissolution of Parliament in 1666.
According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "Opinions concerning Mervyn, both in his own day and since, have been various, but rarely complimentary, with frequent accusations of corruption, lack of scruple, or the pursuit of self-interest above principle."
Trillick
Trillick is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 303 people in the 2001 Census. Trillick lies within the civil parish of Cleenish and the barony of Clanawley.-History before the 18th century:...
(1603?–1675) was a lawyer and politician in Ireland. M.P. for County Tyrone and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
1661-1666.
He attended Christ Church, Oxford. By 1640 he had become a captain in the army raised for Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
and in the same year was elected M.P. for County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
. In 1641 he led the attack on Strafford in the Irish House of Commons, presenting articles of impeachment against Sir Richard Bolton
Richard Bolton
Sir Richard Bolton was an English lawyer, an important figure in the politics of Ireland in the 1630s and 1640s.- Life :He was son of John Bolton, of Fenton, Staffordshire, and born about 1570...
, Lord Chancellor; Bramhall, Bishop of Deny; Sir Gerald Lowther, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas; and Sir George Radcliff, Privy Councillor. These were friends and ministers of the Earl of Strafford, then under impeachment by the Commons of England.
Between 1641 and 1661 he served in the Army, rising to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. At one point he was arrested and returned to England but was shortly thereafter allowed to go back to Ulster. In 1660 he was appointed as one of twelve commissioners sent from Tyrone to Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, was knighted, and was appointed to the post of prime serjeant-at-law, the senior law post in Ireland. .The Duke of Ormonde, however distrusted him and preferred to take advice only from the Attorney General for Ireland, Sir William Domville
William Domville
William Domville was a leading Irish politician and barrister of the Restoration era. Due to the great trust which the Crown had in his ability, he remained Attorney General for Ireland throughout the reign of Charles II, and it has been argued that it was in his term of office that the Attorney...
, so that in a few years Mervyn's role as legal adviser effectively lapsed.
He was chosen Speaker in the House of Commons in May 1661, rather against the wishes of the King, who wanted William Domville. Shortly thereafter he went to England for nine months between September 1661 and May 1662 to take part in negotiations on the Act of Settlement 1662
Act of Settlement 1662
The Act of Settlement 1662 passed by the Irish Parliament in Dublin. It was a partial reversal of the Cromwellian Act of Settlement 1652, which punished Irish Catholics and Royalists for fighting against the English Parliament in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by the wholesale confiscation of their...
. When he returned he played an influential role in the House and was at the same time involved in a court set up to adjudicate land claims. This led to charges of corruption against him. He was speaker until the dissolution of Parliament in 1666.
According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "Opinions concerning Mervyn, both in his own day and since, have been various, but rarely complimentary, with frequent accusations of corruption, lack of scruple, or the pursuit of self-interest above principle."
External links
- http://www.jstor.org/pss/3677816
- http://thepeerage.com/index_parliament.htm