Sir John Tremayne SL (1647–1694) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

lawyer and politician. He became a

Serjeant-at-Law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writ ...

and King's Serjeant in 1689, acting as counsel during a number of cases before the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. He also represented

Tregony Tregony ( kw, Trerigoni), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post office (now ...

in Parliament between 1690 and 1694.

Early and family life

Tremayne was baptised in

Mevagissey Mevagissey (; kw, Lannvorek) is a village, fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, on 16 September 1647, the first son of Colonel Lewis Tremayne (1619–1685) and Mary (1625–1701), daughter and co-heiress of John Carew of Penwarne. In 1680 he married Frances (baptised 1655, died 1683), daughter of William Davie of

Sandford, Devon Sandford is a village and civil parish in the Mid Devon district, within Devon, England. ''Sandford'' is part of the electoral ward named ''Sandford'' and Creedy. The ward population at the 2011 Census was 3,429. History The Grade II listed ...

. They had one son, John, who died young in about 1692. He succeeded his father to the

Heligan estate The Heligan estate (; kw, Helygen, meaning willow tree) was the ancestral home of the Tremayne family near Mevagissey in Cornwall, England. Purchased by Sampson Tremayne in 1569, the present house was built in 1692 and extended in the early 19t ...

in 1685, where in 1692 he rebuilt the house using Heligan bricks in

William and Mary style What later came to be known as the William and Mary style is a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 in the Netherlands, the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Ireland and later, in England's American colonies. It was a tr ...

. His death is recorded by

Narcissus Luttrell Narcissus Luttrell (1657–1732) was an English historian, diarist, and bibliographer, and briefly Member of Parliament for two different Cornish boroughs. His ''Brief Historical Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 to April 1714'', a c ...

on 20 February 1694, but the exact date is unknown. On 23 February, he was buried in the

Temple Church The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...

, London. The estate passed to his younger brother Charles (1650–1695), ancestor of

Henry Hawkins Tremayne The Reverend Henry Hawkins Tremayne (1741–1829) was a member of a landed family in the English county of Cornwall, and owner of the Heligan estate near Mevagissey, with significant interests in the Cornish tin mining industry. He is credited a ...

(1741–1829), who initiated the creation of the gardens now known as the

Lost Gardens of Heligan The Lost Gardens of Heligan ( kw, Lowarth Helygen, meaning "willow tree garden") are located near Mevagissey in Cornwall, England and are considered to be amongst the most popular in the UK. The gardens are typical of the 19th century ...

Career

After studying law, he was called to the bar in 1673, after entering the Inner Temple in 1666 and transferring to the Middle Temple in 1669. In May 1689 he was called with others to be

, and was made a King's Serjeant, representing the Crown in court. His name frequently occurs in cases before the

from 1689 to 1693; he was counsel for the Crown against

Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston PC (24 September 1648 – 22 December 1695) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1675 and 1689. He became a Jacobite conspirator, but his reputation ...

and others for high treason in January 1691, was engaged for Sir John Germaine in the action brought against him by

Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk, (11 January 1655 – 2 April 1701) was an English nobleman, politician, and soldier. He was the son of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, and Lady Anne Somerset, daughter of Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of ...

for adultery with Mary, Duchess of Norfolk, and he acted for the crown on the trial of

Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun (c. 1675 – 15 November 1712) was an English politician best known for his frequent participation in duels and for his reputation as a rake. He was killed in the celebrated Hamilton–Mohun Duel in Hyde P ...

for the murder of actor

William Mountfort William Mountfort (c. 1664 – 10 December 1692), England, English actor and dramatic writer, was the son of a Staffordshire gentleman. Biography His first stage appearance was with the Dorset Garden Theatre company about 1678, and by 168 ...

in January 1693. He was knighted on 31 October 1689, and in 1690 was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for the Cornish borough of

. In June 1692 he was a candidate for the

Recorder of London The Recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The Recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The Recorder is appointed by the Cr ...

, but was beaten at the poll. ''Pleas of the Crown in Matters Criminal and Civil'' was published in 1723 after being "digested and revised" by John Rice of

Furnival's Inn Furnival's Inn was an Inn of Chancery which formerly stood on the site of the present Holborn Bars building (the former Prudential Assurance Company building) in Holborn, London, England. History Furnival's Inn was founded about 1383 when Wi ...

. An English translation by Thomas Vickers was published in Dublin in 1793.

Footnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tremayne, John 1647 births 1694 deaths English lawyers Members of the Middle Temple Serjeants-at-law (England) Knights Bachelor English MPs 1690–1695 Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall 17th-century English lawyers People from Mevagissey Burials at the Temple Church