Sir Hugh Wyndham
Encyclopedia
Sir Hugh Wyndham SL
(1602 – 24 December 1684), of Silton
, English
judge
, was born at Orchard Wyndham
, Somerset, the eighth son of Sir John Wyndham (1558–1645) of Orchard Wyndham
, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Sir Henry Portman. The judge Sir Wadham Wyndham
was his younger brother.
Educated at Wadham College, Oxford
, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn
on 19 March 1622, being called to the bar on 16 June 1629 and became a Bencher in 1648. On 2 January 1643 he was made MA of Oxford
by Royal Warrant. In February 1654 he became a serjeant-at-law
on the authority of parliament. He was appointed a judge of the court of common pleas
on 30 May 1654 by Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell
, and he was appointed to the commission of oyer and terminer
charged with dealing with the Penruddock uprising
in 1655.
Despite his promotion under Oliver Cromwell, he was looked upon with some suspicion by the Commonwealth, and in 1651 Silton was searched by order of the Council of State, upon information that some design against the peace had lately been brewing in it. The search produced nothing incriminating.
He was deprived of his office on the Restoration
and was at once called to account for having sat in judgment on Penruddock
's men and was imprisoned in the Tower
while his conduct was investigated. He declared that he had done so "only by the soliciting and earnest importunity of divers of His Majesty's party" and in order to save the accused if he could. His reasons were accepted and he was pardoned and allowed to resume practice as a serjeant-at-law
in June 1660, this time by royal authority, but did not return to the bench until 20 June 1670 when he was appointed Baron of the Exchequer and was knighted by Charles II eight days later. On 22 January 1673 he became a judge of the court of common pleas
once more.
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Sir Hugh Wyndham, along with his brother Sir Wadham Wyndham
, was a judge at the Fire Court set up in 1667 to hear cases relating to property destroyed in the fire. The Court sat at Clifford's Inn and focused primarily on deciding who would pay for a property to be rebuilt, and cases were heard and a verdict usually given within a day. The judges worked for free, three to four days a week and without the Fire Court legal wrangles could have dragged on for months seriously delaying the rebuilding which was so necessary if London was to recover. As a reward for their efforts, the artist John Michael Wright (c. 1617–1694), was commissioned to paint portraits of all 22 judges that had sat in the Fire Court. Wyndham's portrait is part of the Guildhall Art Gallery
collection.
He married three times, first in c.1640 to Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Wodehouse, second baronet, of Kimberley Norfolk, and by her had two sons and three daughters. Only two daughters survived to adulthood, Blanche who married Sir Nathaniel Napier, 2nd Baronet, and Rachel who married Lord Digby
, later third and last earl of Bristol. As his second wife, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Minn of Woodcott, Surrey, the widow of Sir Henry Berkeley, 1st Baronet of Wymondham, Leicestershire
. There was no issue. Thirdly, in 1675 he married Katherine, daughter of Thomas Fleming
of North Stoneham
, Hampshire, widow of Sir Edward Hooper
of Beveridge (Boveridge), Dorset. They also had no issue.
Sir Hugh Wyndham died in his eighty-second year on 27 July 1684 while on circuit at Norwich. He was buried at the church of St Nicholas, Silton, Dorset, and is commemorated by a memorial sculpted by Jan van Nost. His will, covering estates in Dorset and Somerset, left his lands to his two daughters.
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
(1602 – 24 December 1684), of Silton
Silton
Silton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale four miles north west of Gillingham. The village has a population of 134 ....
, English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, was born at Orchard Wyndham
Orchard Wyndham
Orchard Wyndham is a historic house parts of which date from medieval times near Williton, Somerset, England.There is evidence of occupation of the site from Roman and Saxon times....
, Somerset, the eighth son of Sir John Wyndham (1558–1645) of Orchard Wyndham
Orchard Wyndham
Orchard Wyndham is a historic house parts of which date from medieval times near Williton, Somerset, England.There is evidence of occupation of the site from Roman and Saxon times....
, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Sir Henry Portman. The judge Sir Wadham Wyndham
Wadham Wyndham
Sir Wadham Wyndham SL , English judge, was born at Orchard Wyndham, Somerset, the ninth son of Sir John Wyndham of Orchard Wyndham, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Sir Henry Portman...
was his younger brother.
Educated at Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
on 19 March 1622, being called to the bar on 16 June 1629 and became a Bencher in 1648. On 2 January 1643 he was made MA of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
by Royal Warrant. In February 1654 he became a serjeant-at-law
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
on the authority of parliament. He was appointed a judge of the court of common pleas
Court of Common Pleas (England)
The Court of Common Pleas, or Common Bench, was a common law court in the English legal system that covered "common pleas"; actions between subject and subject, which did not concern the king. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century after splitting from the Exchequer of Pleas, the Common...
on 30 May 1654 by Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, and he was appointed to the commission of oyer and terminer
Oyer and terminer
In English law, Oyer and terminer was the Law French name, meaning "to hear and determine", for one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat...
charged with dealing with the Penruddock uprising
Penruddock uprising
The Penruddock uprising was one of a series of coordinated uprisings planned by the Sealed Knot for a Royalist insurrection to start in March 1655 during the Protectorate of the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell....
in 1655.
Despite his promotion under Oliver Cromwell, he was looked upon with some suspicion by the Commonwealth, and in 1651 Silton was searched by order of the Council of State, upon information that some design against the peace had lately been brewing in it. The search produced nothing incriminating.
He was deprived of his office on the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
and was at once called to account for having sat in judgment on Penruddock
John Penruddock
Colonel John Penruddock , of Compton Chamberlayne, was an English Cavalier during the English Civil War and the English Interregnum. He is remembered as the leader of the Penruddock uprising in 1655....
's men and was imprisoned in the Tower
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
while his conduct was investigated. He declared that he had done so "only by the soliciting and earnest importunity of divers of His Majesty's party" and in order to save the accused if he could. His reasons were accepted and he was pardoned and allowed to resume practice as a serjeant-at-law
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
in June 1660, this time by royal authority, but did not return to the bench until 20 June 1670 when he was appointed Baron of the Exchequer and was knighted by Charles II eight days later. On 22 January 1673 he became a judge of the court of common pleas
Court of Common Pleas (England)
The Court of Common Pleas, or Common Bench, was a common law court in the English legal system that covered "common pleas"; actions between subject and subject, which did not concern the king. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century after splitting from the Exchequer of Pleas, the Common...
once more.
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Sir Hugh Wyndham, along with his brother Sir Wadham Wyndham
Wadham Wyndham
Sir Wadham Wyndham SL , English judge, was born at Orchard Wyndham, Somerset, the ninth son of Sir John Wyndham of Orchard Wyndham, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Sir Henry Portman...
, was a judge at the Fire Court set up in 1667 to hear cases relating to property destroyed in the fire. The Court sat at Clifford's Inn and focused primarily on deciding who would pay for a property to be rebuilt, and cases were heard and a verdict usually given within a day. The judges worked for free, three to four days a week and without the Fire Court legal wrangles could have dragged on for months seriously delaying the rebuilding which was so necessary if London was to recover. As a reward for their efforts, the artist John Michael Wright (c. 1617–1694), was commissioned to paint portraits of all 22 judges that had sat in the Fire Court. Wyndham's portrait is part of the Guildhall Art Gallery
Guildhall Art Gallery
The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. It occupies a building that was completed in 1999 to replace an earlier building destroyed in The Blitz in 1941...
collection.
He married three times, first in c.1640 to Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Wodehouse, second baronet, of Kimberley Norfolk, and by her had two sons and three daughters. Only two daughters survived to adulthood, Blanche who married Sir Nathaniel Napier, 2nd Baronet, and Rachel who married Lord Digby
John Digby, 3rd Earl of Bristol
John Digby, 3rd Earl of Bristol was a British peer and Member of Parliament, styled Lord Digby from 1653 to 1677....
, later third and last earl of Bristol. As his second wife, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Minn of Woodcott, Surrey, the widow of Sir Henry Berkeley, 1st Baronet of Wymondham, Leicestershire
Wymondham, Leicestershire
thumb|left|Church Lane, WymondhamWymondham is a village in the district of Melton in Leicestershire, England. It is part of a civil parish which also covers the nearby hamlet of Edmondthorpe. The parish has a population of about 600. It is close to the county borders with Lincolnshire and Rutland,...
. There was no issue. Thirdly, in 1675 he married Katherine, daughter of Thomas Fleming
Thomas Fleming (judge)
Sir Thomas Fleming was an English member of Parliament and judge, whose most famous case was the trial of Guy Fawkes in relation to the Gunpowder Plot...
of North Stoneham
North Stoneham
North Stoneham is a settlement and ecclesiastical parish in south Hampshire, England. It was formerly an ancient estate and manor. Until the nineteenth century, it was a rural community comprising a number of scattered hamlets, including Middle Stoneham, North End, and Bassett Green, and...
, Hampshire, widow of Sir Edward Hooper
Edward Hooper
Edward Hooper is a British journalist best known for his book, The River, which investigates the origins and early epidemiology of AIDS and makes a case for the OPV AIDS hypothesis, which states that the AIDS virus was accidentally created by scientists testing an experimental polio vaccine...
of Beveridge (Boveridge), Dorset. They also had no issue.
Sir Hugh Wyndham died in his eighty-second year on 27 July 1684 while on circuit at Norwich. He was buried at the church of St Nicholas, Silton, Dorset, and is commemorated by a memorial sculpted by Jan van Nost. His will, covering estates in Dorset and Somerset, left his lands to his two daughters.