Henry Hene or Henn was an English-born judge who had a distinguished career in Ireland, becoming Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.

Background and early career

He was the eldest son of Hugh Henn, who was page of the bedchamber to James I

James I

James I may refer to:* King James I of Aragon * King James I of Sicily , also King James II of Aragon* James I, Count of La Marche , Count of Ponthieu...

 and Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

 and was appointed Keeper of the Queen's Garden, Greenwich

Greenwich

Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...

 in 1639.

Henry entered the Inner Temple

Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, 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...

 in 1645 and was called to the Bar in 1653. Although he became a Bencher of the Inner Temple his practice at the Bar was not especially successful and he moved in 1669 to Ireland where he had relatives. He was admitted to the KIngs Inns and his Irish practice prospered: he was appointed Second Sergeant in 1670 and a Commissioner of Appeals in Revenue in 1671.

Judicial career

He became third baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer in 1673 and went regularly as judge of assize to Connaught; this became the subject of a well known satire, Elegy on the Pig that followed Chief Baron Henn from Connaught to Dublin .When John Bysse

John Bysse

John Bysse was a member of the Parliament of Ireland during the 1630s and 1640s, was excluded from office during the Interregnum and was one of the leading Irish judges after the restoration of the monarchy.-Biography:...

 died in 1680 the Lord Lieutenant suggested Sir Richard Reynell as the new Chief Baron. However the Popish Plot

Popish Plot

The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...

 was at its' height and Reynell was suspected of Catholic leanings. Charles II preferred Henn as a staunch Protestant and a man with strong connections at Court.

Henn's Protestantism however made him unacceptable to James II

James II

James II may refer to:* James II, Count of La Marche , King Consort of Naples* James II , the second EP by Mancunian band James* James II of Aragon , King of Sicily...

 and he was removed in 1687, retiring to Tandridge, Surrey

Tandridge, Surrey

Tandridge is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England. It is located between Oxted and Godstone.The village lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Tandridge hundred....

, where he had inherited the family estate. After the Revolution of 1688

Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...

, unlike some of Charles II's irish judges he showed no interest in returning to the Bench but lived in retirement till his death in 1708.

Character

Elrington Ball describes him as a man of integrity, learning, good judgment and blameless private life; but he was not a good advocate, hence his long struggle to build up a practice at the Bar.